Going to the Pumpkin Festival? There's an Updated App for That!

The only thing better than a beautiful day at the world's most famous pumpkin festival, is going into it with your eyes open - knowing where everything is; what the best food choices are, and which ones are on sale; what time the best bands go on, on which stages; and, perhaps most importantly, where the nearest restroom is, at all times!

All of that is now possible, with the release of the brand new, updated version of the "iPumpkin" app by Phondini Partners.

The app, created specially for the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, has been approved by Apple and is now available at the Apple App Store for free for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. In addition, an Android version will be available this week.

Developed by Joe Falcone, Roy Salume, and Kon Lovett of the Half Moon Bay-based Phondini Partners, the app is designed to enhance the festival experience for users by providing everything from a fact sheet with key festival information, to a detailed site map, event and entertainment schedules, food and beverage listings, door-to-door directions, push messaging alerts, special deals, contests, trivia, and and even pumpkin recipes and a "Top Ten" list of local pumpkin patches.

Phondini Partners says iPumpkin is truly unique, as it is the first community festival app to:

•  Be self-contained and function without a connection to 3G or WiFi;
• Have “push” messaging, allowing both security and festival communications informing users of everything from a lost child to traffic announcements, stage announcements and food sales, and integrating coastside sights, restaurants and shops from the local app “iCoastside;”

The Pumpkin Festival app includes:

• A searchable list of all artists, complete with photos and website and social media links;
• Band schedule and bios complete with photos, website and social media links;
• Booth locators for artists and food/beverage vendors;
• An interactive festival map featuring all attractions and key locations;
• Door to door directions;
• Facebook integration that allows festival-goers to enter contests and share photos of purchases or reviews of artists with Facebook friends;
• A local restaurant and hotel directory; and,
• Android support.

In addition, the app was created by local residents who are intimately familiar with both the Pumpkin Festival and Half Moon Bay.

"We developed this app because we love this crazy place called Half Moon Bay," said Falcone, "so we didn't limit ourselves to some arbitrary amount of time or effort. We've put our hearts and souls into this because we think we can make a difference."

"Some people serve turkey legs, others organize pie-eating contests. We write software."  

Local Internet service provider Coastside.net will supply dedicated download capacity running from its Main Street location in Half Moon Bay, allowing festival-goers to download the app quickly and easily. The company will also supply free wireless Internet access during the festival, which can be used to download the Pumpkin Festival app.

"With the explosion of smartphones, we're excited to be working with Phondini Partners to offer a mobile app that will serve as an in-depth 'festival guide' with fantastic capabilities," said Cameron Palmer, pumpkin festival chairman. "It promises to be an incredibly cool and valuable resource for festival-goers."

The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main Street between Kelly Avenue and Spruce Street in Half Moon Bay. Admission is free.

The festival is presented by the nonprofit Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee as a community benefit. More than 30 local nonprofit organizations raise roughly a half-million dollars every year through participation in the festival.

For more information about the festival, call 650-726-9652 or visit http://www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/.

Click here to download "iPumpkin," the official Pumpkin Festival app, from the iTunes App Store, or to update your current version.

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