Elk Grove gears up for its 30th annual Giant Pumpkin Fall Festival. When is the event?

Elk Grove is gearing up to draw several thousands to Elk Grove Regional Park for the city’s Giant Pumpkin Fall Festival.

The 30th year of the event is happening from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the park at 9950 Elk Grove-Florin Road.

In past years, the fall celebration has welcomed up to 70,000 people and has featured squash-themed activities, vendors and entertainment by local artists, dancers and other performers.

Elk Grove Councilman and Vice Mayor Rod Brewer said the festival is Elk Grove’s “greatest annual event.”

“It attracts families from all parts of Northern California to celebrate fall and kickoff the holiday season,” Brewer said.

Each year, people relish in the pumpkin carving, interactive booths and petting zoo but one of the biggest draws is the Pumpkin Regatta, where enlarged pumpkins are transformed into canoes and used to race across the lake.

“If you’re new to the area, then, the giant pumpkin festival is a great, fall tradition in our town. ... It’s a really fun tradition,” Cosumnes Community Services District spokeswoman Jenna Brinkman said last year about the festival.

Another popular event is the pumpkin weigh-off, where pumpkin growers travel from across the West to show off their growing skills, determining who can sow the biggest jack-o-lantern.

Last year’s honors went to Russ Pugh of Eugene, Oregon, who drove nearly 500 miles to be in the competition.

He took home the top prize of $7,000 for showcasing the biggest pumpkin at 1,941 pounds. It was the fourth time he’d won a pumpkin-weighing contest.

“I love to do it and it’s fun,” Pugh said last year. “It’s challenging, (but) you meet so many great people…over time, it just kind of becomes your life.”

The festival is free to attend; parking is $20.

This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 5:00 AM.