The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival (October 15-16, 2011), in Half Moon Bay, will draw unbelievbable crowds of Bay Area folks willing to fight the terrible traffic just to see the giant pumpkins parade down Main Street. Or maybe it’s the pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, and pumpkin everything you can think of. The Great Pumpkin Parade is also a hit.
Get there early and enjoy the Pancake Breakfast. (If you wait, you’ll only get stuck in traffic.) Get your photo taken with a 1,000+ pound pumpkin and send it to your mom. Or catch the Costume and Pie-Eating contests and the Pumpkin Run. The festival features live music on two stages, festival food (like roasted garlic Brussels sprouts) and plenty of other activities.
“The World’s Greatest Gourd Growers compete for the coveted title and top prize of $6 per pound to the winner. Defending champion Don Young of Des Moines, IA, obliterated the field and set a new west coast record in 2009 with his burly 1,658-pound “Monster from the Midway”. The grand champion gourd, along with the top five pumpkins, will be displayed at the Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 15-16. …”
WHAT’S THE DEAL: The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival is FREE. Info-Line: 650-726-9652.
WHEN: October 15-16, 2011, 9 am to 5 pm. Great Pumpkin Parade is Saturday, 12 noon.
Events and Contests … Pancake Breakfast (both days, 7 AM), Costume Contest (Saturday, 10 AM), The Great Pumpkin Parade (Saturday, 12 noon), Pie-Eating Contests (Saturday and Sunday, 2 PM), “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands” (Saturday and Sunday, 3 PM), 5 & 10k Pumpkin Run (Sunday, 8 AM), Pumpkin Carving for fun/no judging (Sunday, 10 AM).
WHERE: Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019.
CHEAP TIP: If you’re claustrophobic, get off Main Street while you can at least 30 minutes before the parade starts at noon.
Check out the video promo from last year’s festival.
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some of the larger ones go to the casinos for display…even to Vegas
Could someone tell me what happens to the pumpkins, especially the really big ones, after the Festival??? I am a teacher and one of my students is desperate to know. Thank you. You may respond by e-mail.