(F)All-Ages Fun at the Minneapolis Cider Company

Minneapolis Cider Company’s Orchard Bash hosted a wonderfully autumnal festival that everyone could enjoy.

By Holly Gilvary

With the smell of hot cider and pumpkin spice crepes, the sight of bulky sweaters and knit caps, and pumpkins being carved left and right, fall was in the air on the crisp Saturday afternoon at the Minneapolis Cider Company. 

On October 16th, Minneapolis Cider Company hosted Orchard Bash, a fall festival complete with autumnal activities such as pumpkin carving, an apple market, live music, bonfires, and s’mores, along with the cidery’s signature offerings of pickleball, ping pong, and of course, a wide variety of cider. 

A 12-hour event stretching from noon to midnight, the cider company’s festival was truly as family-friendly and all-ages-welcome as a public event can get. The venue was packed as cider-lovers from all generations gathered to enjoy the day. Young families could be seen playing with their babies and dogs, elderly couples enjoyed delicious drinks together on the sun-lit couches next to the crepe station, and middle-aged friends dusted off their mean pickleball skills on the open courts. 

The pumpkins that guests could reserve for carving were already sold out by about 4 p.m. However, there was no shortage of activities for guests to enjoy. Next to the carving station, in the back of the cidery, was the Midwest staple of bag toss, and close by, a beautiful array of freshly picked apples from Aamodt’s Apple Farm. The apple market also included treats such as apple cider doughnuts (which understandably sold out by early afternoon), apple oatmeal cookies, and apple butter. 

Orchard Bash truly embodied the spirit of fall in a way that people from all ages and backgrounds could enjoy, making for a successfully inclusive experience for all who came. And if you missed Orchard Bash, don’t fret—Minneapolis Cider Company hosts smaller events every week, including college nights on Thursdays. So even without every festivity included at Orchard Bash, if you’re looking for a nice, autumnal experience, do yourself a favor and stop by the cider company.