HE LITTLE ORCHARD CIDER AND MUSIC FESTIVAL 2025 TAKES PLACE FROM FRIDAY 12 TO SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2025. THE BOOMTOWN RATS AND REEF ARE HEADLINING ALONGSIDE GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB, FEROCIOUS DOG, AND THE WURZELS…
Family-friendly live music festivals featuring massive bands and artists are few and far between in Cornwall. So, it’s refreshing that one of the star family fests of the year is down on a cider farm—Healeys Cyder Farm in Penhallow near Truro and Perranporth, to be exact.
The Little Orchard Cider and Music Festival 2025 may sound like a total knees-up for the adults—which, in part, it most certainly is—but this extravaganza between Friday 12 and Sunday 14 September 2025 has got tons going on for kids of all ages too, from a fab funfair to engaging outdoor bushcraft and survival workshops.
Top of the bill at Little Orchard 2025, though, is, of course, the bands. And they won’t let you down. The headliners are The Boomtown Rats, internationally renowned Irish new wave band, and Reef, Glastonbury rockers reenergised like never before. Gentleman’s Dub Club, known for their electronic music-infused dub and reggae, and Ferocious Dog, bringing a vibrant vein of Celtic-folk infused punk rock, are also set to perform. And, of course, festival favourites The Wurzels will join us again on the main stage Friday night, with their cider-fuelled, sing-a-long show that is a much-loved staple of Little Orchard.
Who else is playing the 2025 Little Orchard Festival in Cornwall? Acts like Cyderfex, playing indie/rock covers to the highest standard; Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana, where rock & roll meets grunge as Elvis fronts Nirvana; Second Hand Country Band, a foot-stomping honky-tonk outfit from Cornwall; and Year Of The Dog, bringing a brass-house-soul sound. Keep an eye on the official website as more acts are announced.
The 2024 edition saw headliners like Dub Pistols and The Levellers, along with performances by Cyderfex, Land of the Giants, and The Wurzels. It’s actually the festival’s 12th year in 2025, showing how successful it has become. And it’s not just about the music over the weekend. Other highlights of the fest include Grandma’s Funky Wardrobe, where grannies serve up tunes and gin in a late-night secret venue in the woods, and The Zen Den, which detoxes the mind and soul.
Also, expect The Rattler Olympics, in which everyone can take part in events like welly wanging and apple bobbing. Plus, as in previous editions, there’s loads of stuff for the kids, like a fairground and bushcraft, survival, obstacle crossing, and combat workshops.
Camping is recommended but not essential, and, of course, there’s a huge range of ciders from across the UK on sale throughout the weekend alongside plenty of other beverages. Some of the best local food is on sale in food trucks peppered across the site. We at Proper Cornwall are big fans of this festival and can never keep our hands off the buttery fried chicken stalls and the kebabs in between top bands and fairground rides.
There are also glamping and caravan options at the fest, as well as, of course, cider tasting and a silent disco to boot. All in all, this is a music and cider-fuelled family-friendly festival that has no equal in Cornwall. As The Wurzels would say: “I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day and in September 2025, I’m goin’ to Little Orchard to soothe all me troubles away.” Probably.