Mistletoe Festival News

Have been in Tenbury Wells, Britain's “Mistletoe Capital” today to attend meetings about this year's Mistletoe Festival and about this year's harvesting.

A quick reprise for those who've not heard of all this: Tenbury Wells, a market town in north-west Worcestershire, has held wholesale mistletoe auctions, harvested across Worcestershire and Herefordshire, for over 100 years. These are the only specialist auctions for mistletoe in the UK – and the only commercial sales where you can be sure of genuine English mistletoe.

 

The Mistletoe Festival began about 5 or 6 years ago, when continuity of the auctions was in doubt. The idea was, and is, to broaden the mistletoe events in the town, to ensure its mistletoe season (late November through to mid December) continues. The mistletoe auctions have survived, albeit now at a rural location, and the Festival has a life of its own – with various mistletoe-related events.

 

The Festival events include crowning a mistletoe queen, hosting a charity mistletoe auction, visits by druids from the Mistletoe Foundation etc. This year's events are almost, but not quite finalised – which is why we were meeting today.

 

As usual, quite a lot of final details to be ironed out – but the main mistletoe-themed events (there are other events too) are:

• 24^th November     Commercial Mistletoe Auction I
• 28^th November      Mistletoe Management Workshop
• 1^st December         Commercial Mistletoe Auction II (including Druid Blessing)
• 5^th December        Mistletoe Day Events in town – including Druid Procession, Mistletoe Queen Crowning, Charity Mistletoe Auction, Santa Parade, Mistletoe Eisteddfodd
• 8^th December         Commercial Mistletoe Auction III
• 19^th December       Mistletoe Event at The Floor, St Michaels

More details at these websites – www.tenburyevents.com, www.mistletoe.org.uk/home/mtoefun4.htm and www.tenbury-mistletoe-festival.co.uk.  You may find they each tell a slightly different story at the moment – things should all be tightened up very soon.

Mistletoe Promotion of the Day - Mistletoe Eisteddfod 5th December

Well, with today being all about Mistletoe Events, today's promo is simply advertising the Mistletoe Eisteddfodd being run in Tenbury on the evening of 5th December. 

Titled simply 'A Different Twig', the event is being run by Cranesfield Bardic Arts.

All (including performers) are welcome.  Entry by donation.  Venue the Royal Oak, at 8.00pm.  More details here or on 01584 891130.