It’s fun and free! Morden’s Corn and Apple Festival marks a sweet ending to summer

Posted August 30, 2023 | Author Shel Zolkewich

Each August, the Morden Corn and Apple Festival welcomes tens of thousands of visitors to this southern Manitoba community.

It’s the perfect way to say so long to summer on this action-packed weekend. Here’s what you can look forward to at the Morden Corn and Apple Festival!

Let the music move you

Music lovers will get their fill of fine tunes at the festival. There’s action at the Youth Stage where tomorrow’s star just may be born. The Main Stage lights up with both local and Canadian talent in the festival’s biggest venue. And the Cottonwood Stage invites everyone to get up and show off their steps with old time country music and a dance floor.

It’s all about the corn

The growers around Morden really do have the most delicious corn in the land. And it’s free to all visitors at the festival. Freshly picked cobs are husked on site then dropped into a massive corn cooker, all powered by an antique steam engine. A few minutes later, it’s in your hands! Wanna guess how much corn is given away every year? 50,000 cobs!

Bring your appetite

Stephen Street—the main drag in town—is packed from one end to the other with good eats. It just might be Manitoba’s largest food truck gathering, with offerings ranging from pancit and pizza to cheesecake and chili dogs. Local restaurants are also on the scene, with pop-ups outside their doors to make your culinary adventures easy. Grab a taco here, a lemonade there and a tower of potato chips to share.

Retail therapy awaits

Under two massive craft tents are treasures, just waiting for you to claim as your own. From exquisite leather works and mouth-watering preserves to must-have jewelry and hand-poured candles, there truly is something for everyone. And while you’re in town, check out the local shops including Stephen Street General for curated antiques and fresh flowers and Pure Anada for made-in-Morden cosmetics.

Apples galore

In addition to that fabulous free corn, there’s free apple juice too, freshly pressed—a whopping 35,000 individual servings of it! And if you want more, there are plenty of vendors selling juice and ciders too. To round out your experience, stop by Morden Nurseries for your very own apple u-pick adventure in their orchard.

Did You Know? Apples are not native to the Prairies, but thanks to the work done at Morden’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station, many apple cultivars can be grown in Manitoba. You may even recognize their names: Goodland, Norkent and Morden 363.

Dinosaurs and more

Among the vendors at the festival is a booth stocked with puzzles and games and one giant dinosaur mouth! It’s your invitation to visit the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre at Morden, where the late Cretaceous period comes to life thanks to tours, workshops and genuine fossil digs. You’ll also meet Bruce—he’s a Guinness World Record holder (but we’re not giving away his category)!

Goodies for the ride home

If that delicious free corn has you hankering for more, fear not. Vendors throughout the festival will send you home with a dozen cobs. Or more! Visit the farmers’ market on site or stop at one of the many roadside stands on your way out of town. And we’ll see you next year!

About The Author

A journalist by trade and an adventurer at heart, my career has included stints as a reporter, magazine writer, editor, food stylist, television cook and digital marketer. I am always collecting stories about Manitoba, whether I’m on assignment or not.

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