Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, "World Pumpkin Capital Celebrates the Great Gourd"

The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest and autumn splendor with a special display of gigantically enormous champion pumpkins, three stages of smashing entertainment, live music, the Great Pumpkin Parade, a bone-chilling Haunted House, harvest-inspired crafts, homestyle foods, expert pumpkin carver Farmer Mike sculpting a monster 1,200+ pound pumpkin into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, photos with the grand champion mega-gourd, pie-eating and costume contests, “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands”, the Take 5 Lounge with giant screen TV, festival-label wine and Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Admission is free.

Kicking off the festivities, the SAFEWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF –– the Super Bowl of weigh-offs –– will be held on Monday, October 10 (7 a.m. on the IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay), with a bonus mega-prize of $5,000 awarded to any grower that breaks the world record plus $20,000 in additional prize money at stake in this “heavyweight championship” of gargantuan gourds. The World’s Greatest Gourd Growers compete for the coveted title and top prize of $6 per pound to the winner. Defending champion Ron Root of Citrus Heights, CA, obliterated the field in 2010 with his leviathan, gasp-inspiring 1,535-pound  Atlantic Giant. The grand champion gourd, along with the top five pumpkins, will be displayed at the Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 15-16.

Live Music and Entertainment on three stages … the sensational lineup includes everything from contemporary country, Latin rock, salsa, blues, folk, classic and Celtic rock music by some of the Bay Area’s biggest name bands. The Family Stage features talented young performers from Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” and the debut of “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands”, featuring the musical genius of talented, up-and-coming rock bands.

Food & Drink ... pumpkin-infused treats like pumpkin pie, pancakes, ice cream, smoothies, cheesecake, sausage, churros, cookies and bread, along with hearty stews of artichokes and Brussels sprouts, tamales, macaroni and cheese with pumpkin seeds, corn-on the-cob, roasted turkey legs, hot beef sandwiches, baked potatoes, fried calamari, clam chowder, Half Moon Bay Winery’s festival-label wine and Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale made with locally-grown pumpkins that are roasted with a secret blend of spices.

Special Attractions ... a special display of weigh-off champion pumpkins, Farmer Mike aka “the Picasso of pumpkin carvers” turning a 1,200+ pound gourd into a masterpiece, take-home keepsake photos with the weigh-off champion pumpkin, and the bone-chilling Haunted House.

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).