It’s October and Half Moon Bay is hosting its 38th Annual Art & Pumpkin Festival this weekend, Oct. 18 and 19. Growing up in the Bay Area, I went on several family outings to the Pumpkin Festival over the years and have distinct memories of the crowds, the smell of pumpkin spice filling the air and costumed teens roaming the streets.
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off
Each year the festival hosts the annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where local pumpkin growers show off their monster pumpkins that weigh more than 1,000 pounds. This year’s champion, crowned on Monday, set the record with a 1,528-pound pumpkin, beating last year’s record by four pounds and earning $9,158 in prize money—that’s $6 per pound!
Picasso Pumpkin Carvers
I’ve always been impressed with the so-called “Picasso of pumpkin carvers,” where locals present their carved pumpkins which are then judged in the "most beautiful pumpkin" contest based on color, shape and size. It’s like a beauty contest for gourds. You can even see pumpkin carving live in action by watching local favorite “Farmer Mike” demonstrate his artistic carving abilities on a giant pumpkin.
Family Activities
The festival has multiple child activities including a designated kids corner, where visitors of all ages can create their own artistic masterpieces, including small sand sculptures, hand-made candles and wax hands. I especially enjoy the wax hands, dipping your limb into the hot liquid a few times, feeling it start to harden when dipped in cold water, then slipping your hand out, after which you can decorate it and can keep it as a goulish souvenir or perhaps a Christmas gift for friends and family. I have started a collection of wax hands, which continuously grows, not only in quantity but also quality.
Tips for Pumpkinfest Weekend
Leave early. If you are an early bird riser and want to see the morning festivities, make sure to leave early to avoid heavy traffic and to snag close parking spots. By afternoon traffic on Highway 92 and the local roads is pretty much at a standstill.
Bring an appetite. With fresh pumpkin pie and nachos a la Half Moon Bay, you will definitely want to leave some room for Halloween treats including pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin cheesecake and the delicious pumpkin ice cream. Every time I go to the festival I treat myself to a scoop of the stuff—it drives my taste buds wild.
Start your Christmas shopping. It’s never too early to shop for the holidays, and you’ll be walking past rows of booths along downtown Half Moon Bay that sell hand-made crafts including jewelry, paintings, ceramics, wind chimes and handbags.
Break out those dance moves. Whether you love to sing along to music or watch little kids dance to their own beat, you will enjoy the festival’s diverse music scene, which features bands in various genres including blues, pop, reggae and Latin rock.
Read more about Half Moon Bay and other pumpkin festivals in our Pumpkin Festival Family Fun article on TravelMuse. What do you most enjoy about pumpkin festivals?
