Carhampton Wassail

What happens on the day

The main wassail takes place at the Community Orchard from about 6.30pm. The chosen tree has cider poured on its roots and cider-soaked toast placed in its branches for the robins, the good spirits. Wassail songs are sung, shotguns are fired up into the branches to drive off bad spirits, and hot cider is usually on offer. In some years a second gathering has followed at the Butchers Arms around 7.30pm, with music and verses. In 2026 that later gathering included an exhibition and music.

How it began

Wassailing comes from the Old English toast 'waes hael', 'be well'. In cider country, farmers blessed their orchards in midwinter to make sure of a good crop. Carhampton keeps to 17 January, the old Twelfth Night, the date the custom kept after Britain changed its calendar in 1752. The village’s wassail is one of the few thought to have carried on unbroken, and its songs and rituals have been recorded by folk singers and filmmakers over the years.

Tips for the day

Visitors are welcome to stand in the orchard and join in the singing, but the shotgun firing is left to those organising it, so keep your distance. The orchard will be dark, cold and probably muddy, so bring a torch, wellies and warm layers. Ear defenders are useful for younger children when the guns go off. Bring some cash for hot cider. Minehead and Dunster have the most accommodation nearby.

Taking part

Don’t mistake the racket for an interruption: noise and song are what a wassail is made of. A West Somerset Free Press report on the 2025 gathering describes pots and pans being banged as the chosen tree was toasted, and a group singing the Ballad of Carhampton Orchard alongside other wassail songs. That’s a taste of the local repertoire, though the songs may not be identical next time.

Listen to the leader and join the responses when invited. You don’t need to know the words in advance, and you can enjoy the singing without a drop of cider. The report mentions hot spiced apple juice that year, but ask what refreshments will actually be on offer before promising a particular drink to children or drivers. Leave anything involving fire or guns to the organisers, and only bring something noisy of your own if the next event’s instructions invite it. The idea is to join a local celebration on its own terms, leaving the people leading the ritual room to be heard and seen.

Where to watch

This is a working community orchard as well as the stage for an old custom. The 2025 local report describes more than forty trees, mostly local apple varieties, along with pear, plum and a Nottingham Medlar. That gives the blessing real meaning: the songs are sung to a place that’s cared for between festivals, not a temporary set put up for a winter show. Stick to the permitted approaches and don’t lean on the branches while you watch.

The Recreation Centre’s account of 2026 describes a joint effort between the orchard committee, the heritage centre and the Butchers Arms, with the heritage group showing photographs and memorabilia of past wassails in the pub. If that happens again, it would make a rewarding companion to the outdoor ceremony, especially if you’re curious about how the custom has changed. Ask first, though: that account describes an event that’s been and gone, not a permanent exhibition or a promise of next year’s pub gathering. Chipping in through the organisers’ published collection or refreshment arrangements is a practical way to help without getting under their feet.

Questions people ask

Where it is

The pin shows the approximate area. Open in OpenStreetMap