The 51st Glastonbury Apple Harvest & Music Festival runs October 16 through 18 at Riverfront Park. In a typical year, Dondero Orchards on Woodland Street lists that same mid-October window for its Baldwin, Russet, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples. Belltown Hill Orchards says its pick-your-own season ends in late October. So festival weekend lands at the start of the hill's last run of the year, and the apples ripening that week are mostly firm, tart ones that bake and store well.
If you live in South Glastonbury, you can plan the weekend in two places. The festival is down by the river and the orchards are up on Woodland Street and Matson Hill Road, a short drive apart. Each one is better at a different hour.
What changes on the hill in mid-October
Dondero's pick-your-own page sorts its apples by ripening month and calls the list a "typical year." Mid-October is where the older, sturdier varieties show up.
| Variety | Dondero's description | Typical ripening |
|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | Old-fashioned, firm, semi-tart, mostly for baking, "stores extremely well" | Mid-October |
| Russet | Old-fashioned, firm, semi-tart, mostly for baking | Mid-October |
| Granny Smith | Probably the most tart apple of the fall season | Mid-October |
| Golden Delicious | Sweet, crunchy, juicy, all-purpose | Mid-October |
| Opalescent | Crunchy and tart, mostly for baking | October |
The same page puts McIntosh at early September, McCoun at mid-September, and Cortland, Empire and Ida Red at late September. In a typical year, most of the sweet eating apples come in before the festival does. The trees still bearing fruit in mid-October are mostly carrying apples for pies, sauce and the crisper drawer.
Dondero also explains that in October, some varieties sit in bins at the stand because those trees are too far to reach on foot. The apples are freshly picked and cost the same as if you had picked them yourself. If you have small kids or a short window, the bins get you the late varieties without a hike to the far rows.
Mother Nature has the final say on all of this. Dondero asks visitors to call the stand to confirm what's available, and Belltown says pick-your-own isn't guaranteed every day because weather and crop conditions can close it. Any of these varieties can come in early, late or not at all in a given year.
The orchards, stop by stop
Dondero Orchards, 529 Woodland Street. The farm says its stand is open for the 2026 season and closed Tuesdays. Its own pages list two sets of hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on one and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the other, so call before you go. The homepage advertises lunch and fritters Wednesday through Sunday, so both are on offer all three festival days. Dondero's 2026 farm dinners are sold out. The bakery page lists apple and apple-crumb pies in its holiday section and asks for holiday orders at least a week ahead, so October is when Thanksgiving pie orders go in.
Belltown Hill Orchards. Belltown lists more than 24 apple varieties for pick-your-own and pumpkins when they're in season. Pick-your-own runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. The farm market stays open an hour later, until 5 p.m. every day. The market and bakery sell apple cider donuts along with pies, cookies and pastries. The town's farm directory mentions weekend tractor-drawn rides out to the fields, but that listing is undated, so ask the farm whether rides are running this year.
Rose's Berry Farm, 300 Matson Hill Road. Rose's lists apples and pumpkins among its fall crops and has been under new ownership since 2022. Its website sends visitors to its Facebook and Instagram pages for current hours. A state farm directory lists Rose's Sunday breakfast through October 25, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Other details in that same listing are out of date, so check Rose's social channels before planning a Sunday around it. If the directory date is right, breakfast runs on the festival's Sunday, October 18, and once more on October 25.
Woodland Farm, 615 Woodland Street. This is the stop for unpasteurized cider. The town directory lists apples, pears and cider, and the farm's own site describes fresh fruit and unpasteurized cider. Neither source posts October hours, so call first.
The same town directory also lists Bussa Orchards at 101 Clark Hill Road and E. Draghi & Sons Farms at 80 Main Street, both with apples. Draghi also lists cider and baked goods. The directory doesn't give hours for either farm.
Down at Riverfront Park
The Connecticut River Valley Chamber of Commerce organizes the festival. This year's Eventbrite page places it at Glastonbury Riverfront Park, and the carnival operator gives the address as 300 Welles Street. Hours by day:
- Friday, October 16: 5 to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, October 17: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, October 18: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is ticketed through Eventbrite. The organizer says prices are lower this year, with extra discounts for seniors and military, and parking is listed as free. For comparison, the organizer's 2025 page listed online prices from $7.18 to $10.38 depending on the day. That same page still shows 2025 details, including a 5K race, and none of it has been confirmed for 2026.
The biggest change this year is the music. FOX61 reports that organizers added a fifth stage, for 55 acts across the weekend. Last year's description was 50 bands on four stages. Saturday has the deepest lineup, including Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood, Don Minot & High Voltage Reggae Band, the Hosmer Mountain Boys and an all-star R&B set billed as Late Night & Friends. Sunday includes a Waylon Jennings tribute set from Jeff Przech & The Ramblin' Men. Friday is shorter and starts with Michael Sanford Day & The Hard Feelings. The festival's Facebook page posts set times.
The Harvest Pub beer and wine garden is bigger this year, and the Apple Pie Booth is selling Grannie's Pies. The festival's food page names Awesome Apple Crisp, Dude's Donuts, First Church Baked Potatoes, Siam Glastonbury and Travelin' Tom's Coffee, among others. The page has no date, so treat it as a likely list, not a confirmed one.
Putting the two together
Because of the hours, the hill and the river fit together without much juggling. Pick-your-own at Belltown closes at 4 p.m., and the festival doesn't open until 5 p.m. on Friday. That makes Friday a good afternoon to pick, drop the apples at home, then head to Riverfront Park for the evening sets.
Saturday is the long day at the festival, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Belltown opens for picking at 8 a.m. on weekends, so you can get to the orchard first, before the crowds head to the river. For breakfast before an early start, Two Brothers Cafe SG opened in March at 875 Main Street, in the former Flynn's Grill. Patch reported that it serves breakfast, brunch and lunch daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is its first apple festival weekend in South Glastonbury.
Sunday is the shortest festival day and ends at 5 p.m. If Rose's breakfast is still running that morning, a Sunday could go breakfast on Matson Hill, the afternoon at Riverfront Park, then the Woodland Street stands for cider and a bag of Baldwins on the way home.
Baldwins and Russets are the reason to save the hill for this weekend instead of an earlier one. Dondero describes both as firm, semi-tart baking apples, and says Baldwin stores extremely well.
Belltown's season ends in late October, and the directory listing for Rose's Sunday breakfast ends October 25. After that, the hill's apple season is mostly over until next summer.
The orchard roads off Woodland Street and Matson Hill Road are part of what makes a South Glastonbury address what it is. If you're wondering how this fall's market lines up with your own timing, Diana Brown is glad to help. Schedule a market consultation, preferably on a weekday, when the orchards are quieter.
