Half Moon Bay, the self-proclaimed “World Pumpkin Capital,” is about to fill up for one of California’s biggest fall events! The 54th annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival takes over downtown on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17–18, drawing enormous crowds from all over the Bay Area and beyond.
The unofficial kickoff came on Monday, Oct. 12. That was the annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, which growers call the “Super Bowl of Pumpkin Weigh-Offs.” Travis Gienger from Anoka, Minnesota, won the weigh-off for a fifth time with a 2,389-pound pumpkin named Rocky. He took home $21,501, based on a prize of $9 per pound.
Now, Rocky will be on display at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, along with all the pumpkin-themed activities and food you can imagine!
The activities kick off with a pancake breakfast and an old-fashioned parade on Saturday. Guests come to browse hundreds of booths stationed up and down Main Street, whose wares include original paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and leatherworks.
Don’t forget to check out Farmer Mike’s enormous pumpkin sculptures on display. For almost four decades, the master pumpkin carver has presented an array of exquisitely designed pumpkin art pieces at the festival.
The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival began in 1971 as a small fundraiser to restore the town’s Main Street. The weigh-off came three years later, in 1974. It started as a friendly “pumpkin capital of the world” challenge between Half Moon Bay and Circleville, Ohio, which also claimed the title. Half Moon Bay won that first showdown with a 132-pound pumpkin, but the enormous gourds now regularly weigh in at well over two tons.
Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival 2026 at a glance
📍 Location: Main Street, downtown Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
📅 Dates: Saturday–Sunday, Oct. 17–18, 2026
⏰ Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days
🎟️ Admission: Free
🌐 Website: hmbpumpkinfest.com