People will be getting fruity when they head to Ely to create the longest piece of apple peel to enter the record books as part of a day celebrating a humble piece of fruit.

Ely Standard: Ely Apple Day,Ely Apple Day, (Image: Archant)

On Saturday October 17 it is the city’s fifteenth Apple Festival organised and run by East Cambridgeshire District Council and Watergull Orchards.

Visitors to Palace Green between 10am to 4pm will be able to take part in a whole host of events like apple identification and display with experts on site who can categorize unknown fruit from your garden simply by sight.

There is the longest peel competition, apple and spoon races and an apple shy.

There will also be a hog roast, apple related food from burgers to bangers served with apple sauce and a wide selection of apple juices and ciders.

Ely Standard: Ely Apple Day,Ely Apple Day, (Image: Archant)

A variety of stalls containing everything from rural crafts to live folk music and apple related wares will be for sale.

Folk music and Morris dancing will be performed throughout the day.

Tracey Harding, tourism and town centre services manager at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “Apparently, it is easier to identify your garden apple if you can bring along a part of the stalk and leaf as well as the actual apple so if you have been mystified as to what kind of apples were growing in your garden all these years, bring a sample along.

“It is staggering to realise we are now holding our fifteenth annual Apple Festival in celebration of the great British Apple.

Ely Standard: Ely Apple Day, Astrid Fisher, from Watergull Orchards, Wisbech, pours some apple juice.Ely Apple Day, Astrid Fisher, from Watergull Orchards, Wisbech, pours some apple juice. (Image: Archant)

“The original idea was the brainchild of Watergull Orchards, apple producers and previous traders at Ely’s Farmers Market.

“They attended many other Apple Festivals in the region and thought it would be an excellent idea to do one in Ely.

“Our event has now developed into one of the best festivals in the area with hundreds of visitors descending onto the Cathedral Green.

“There is always so much to do at our event from the experts from East of England Apples and Orchard Project identifying any apples that people bring along to the challenge of nerve and skill which is the apple peel competition.”

Further information; please contact Ely Tourist Information Centre on 01353 662062, www.visitely.org.uk or via @visitely.