Elk Grove prepares for its 31st annual Giant Pumpkin Festival this weekend
Elk Grove is celebrating the fall season with its 31st annual tradition, the Giant Pumpkin Festival, a free two-day community event celebrating family and giant gourds.
Every October, the Elk Grove community welcomes residents and visitors to enjoy a weekend of carnival rides, games, arts and crafts, local vendors, food trucks and live entertainment.
The 31st annual Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival, hosted by the Cosumnes Community Services District, at Elk Grove Park, 9950 Elk Grove-Florin Road, will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 4 and 5. The weekend is highlighted by the iconic pumpkin weigh-off, which draws growers from across the globe to compete for a grand prize.
“Every October, our community comes together for a tradition that’s been part of Elk Grove for over 30 years,” Cosumnes Community Services District board president Angela Spease said. “What once started as a pumpkin contest in a small parking lot has grown into a two-day festival that fills the whole park with families, friends, and fall fun.”
Ruben Frias of American Canyon won last year’s top prize of $7,000 with a pumpkin weighing 1,967 pounds, which took 180 days of careful nurturing in Napa to reach its final size.
His 2024 win was symbolic because he won his first ever contest 15 years earlier at the Elk Grove Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the 2009 festival, a news release said.
“I knew he was going to win when I saw it,” Maricela Estrada, Frias’ wife, said in the release.
The festival began in 1994 as a small harvest celebration and official California weigh-off site for an international Giant Pumpkin contest.
“Feel the excitement of carnival rides and captivating entertainment, the joy of unleashing your creativity with delightful crafts, the tantalizing flavors of food trucks, and the thrill of finding the perfect pumpkin to take home. It’s all here waiting for you,” their website said.
One of the main events is the Pumpkin Regatta where pumpkins that weigh between 500 and 800 pounds are converted into paddleboats and raced across the pond at Elk Grove Park, first held in 2006. The Giant Pumpkin Regatta is scheduled to return at noon Sunday.
“The Pumpkin Regatta is one of my favorite traditions,” Cosumnes CSD spokesperson Jenna Brinkman said. “Giant pumpkins weighing between 500 and 900 pounds are turned into canoes for this quirky competition. The large pumpkin shells are surprisingly seaworthy but difficult to steer. Some pumpkins veer off course and soak their skippers in the pond’s fountain. Others tip over, forcing their skippers to swim back with the boat in tow. There are no guarantees when relying on a giant fruit to carry you across a pond - but it’s always entertaining!”
Other festival events planned throughout the weekend at the park are the youth art contest, scarecrow contest, pumpkin recipe contest and “lil’ pumpkin” cupcake contest.
“Whether you’re a budding artist, a whiz with pumpkin recipes, a skilled cupcake baker, or a creator of scarecrows that could come straight out of a fairy tale, your skills are in demand,” the Cosumnes CSD site said. “With cash prizes up for grabs, our contests are your chance to shine! Mark your calendar, roll up your sleeves, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be the next pumpkin legend.”
Admission to the festival is free, but parking costs $20 per vehicle.
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 10:14 AM.
