ELK GROVE, Calif. — The Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival is probably the only time of year where you’ll see 600-pound pumpkins racing across a lake.
“It’s just a lot of fun. It’s quirky. It’s odd. It’s stuff you’re not going to see at other pumpkin patches or harvest festivals. It’s something out of the ordinary, so we’re really proud of it,” said Jenna Brinkman, spokesperson for the festival.
For the past 25 years, the festival has been both the go-to place for pumpkin-flavored novelties and the home of an international showdown for gargantuan pumpkins.
What is the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival?
The Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival has been a staple in Elk Grove since 1994. Local pumpkin growers had been clamoring for a weigh-off closer to home, and, eventually, their drive to bring a contest to the city combined with the Cosumnes Community Services District’s drive to bring a harvest festival to town.
The end result was the Giant Pumpkin Festival, an officially recognized international weigh-off competition and festival with a blend of pumpkin-flavored and inspired novelties.
It attracts about 60,000 people to Elk Grove for its two-day run as people stop to enjoy pumpkin-spice cookies, coffees, pastries, and pies and to also view the 1-ton gargantuan gourds being weighed-off.
What’s at the festival?
Guests can enjoy some sightseeing and some on-site eating because the pumpkin festival has a host of vendors and food trucks bringing pumpkin flavored treats and pumpkin-themed contests for the big event.
Here are some of the things to check out:
- Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off
- 9 a.m. with awards at 4 p.m.
- Giant Pumpkin Regatta
- Ranging from 600 lbs to 1,000 lbs, these gargantuan pumpkins get carved into seaworthy boats to cross the lake. The race takes place at noon on Saturday. For more information, click HERE.
- Hometown Pumpkin Pie-Eating Contest
- Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more info, click HERE.
- Splat O’Lantern
- Meet the Cosumnes firefighters to decorate a pumpkin and watch it go "SPLAT" from a 3-story tower.
- X-Games Entertainment
- Performing every hour with high-speed action-packed stunts.
- Live performances
- To see the line-up, click HERE.
For the kids:
There’ll be a number of carnival rides and games for the festival that include some inflatables, the pumpkin launch, a pumpkin train, a petting zoo, and a pumpkin patch.
Tickets are going for $1 each, but the rides and activities may range in price. Click HERE for more information.
Tickets:
Admission to the festival is free, but parking will cost $10.
Where is it?
The festival is located at Elk Grove Park, located at 9950 Elk Grove Florin Rd, in Elk Grove. It'll run on Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
View the Waze map below for traffic conditions.