IF last year was remembered for mud, this year's Little Orchard Cider Festival – the sixth of its kind – will be celebrated for being considerably drier, weather-wise at least.

Nestled within the grounds of Healey’s Cyder Farm, the three-day event overflowed with ciders, delicious food, hidden parties and main stage performances from The Fratellis, Hayseed Dixie and The Wurzels.

As 12,000 guests filtered into the grounds throughout the weekend, colourful stages, fairy-lit walkways and bright festival flags filled the eyes of party-goers.

Popping up in the heart of a real working cider farm, Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival showcased a blend of musical talent across the three days. With a new layout in place and multiple areas added to the festival map, the apple-inspired event once again made its mark on the Cornish festival calendar.

Other standout performances that sent sparks flying included The Big Sets, Imperial Leisure, 3 Daft Monkeys, Moriaty and Town of Cats.

The weekend also had its fair share of up-and-coming talent including The Hempolics, The Scribes, Rews and Hockysmith.

Festival organisers Ben Hall and Ian Whittaker said: “This year’s event was by far the best Little Orchard to date. The revised site layout made the festival better than ever, and our guests appeared to really enjoy the new areas. The Rattler Olympics and Grandma’s Sofa Derby attracted a huge crowd and now we can’t wait to start planning more cider-based shenanigans for 2019.”

As festival guests ventured beyond the main stage, there were plenty of sounds to soak up at Silent Disco in The Orchard. Little Orchard’s best-kept secret, Grandma’s Funky Wardrobe, returned for the third year with its resident grandmas firmly in tow.

Making its debut appearance was Little Orchard’s Rattler Olympics. Welly wanging and apple bobbing got off to a flying start as teams battled it out for a place on the podium. Meanwhile, the festival’s misbehaved pensioners raced through the grounds on motorised sofas in a bid to be crowned queen of the grandmas.

There was plenty for young families including pig racing, circus workshops, arts and crafts sessions and the children’s silent disco.

New for 2018 and developed by the world’s most recognisable face of survival, the on-site Bear Grylls Academy gave outdoor enthusiasts the chance to learn bushcraft, survival, obstacle crossing and combat.

The Zen Den hosted a variety of classes throughout the weekend including Kundalini yoga, laughter yoga, Arcoyoga and sound healing. Other exciting additions to this year’s event included apple pressing demonstrations, foraging workshops and tractor rides.