Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival 2024 in Sacramento, CA

Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival lives up to its name, as the gourds featured are enormous. Some might weigh a ton, and others are big enough to be carved into canoes, which are paddled across the lake. Elk Grove Regional Park in Elk Grove, California, plays host to the huge pumpkin extravaganza annually over a weekend in early October.

GPF Events

Some highlights at the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival include a pumpkin patch, riveting contests like Weigh-Off or Pumpkin Regatta, food trucks packed with delicacies, and all things pumpkin. Other contests worth witnessing at the event are the Pumpkin Recipe Contest, the Scarecrow Contest, the Lil' Pumpkin Cupcake Contest, and the Youth Art Contest. Beyond the harvest celebration, the festival is also about fun and amusement for all ages. So, the program also includes live music crossing three stages, arts and crafts vendors, carnival rides, and inflatables.

Giant Pumpkin and Produce Contest (October 5, 2024)

Elk Grove GPF claims to be California's premier pumpkin festival, summoning the best gourd growers and thousands of pumpkin buffs from across the entire state. Since 1994, the event has showcased the Giant Pumpkin & Produce Weigh-Off competition, where every farmer can strut their stuff and win a decent monetary prize for an orange behemoth. The entry fee costs $10 in advance and $25 plus a $10 parking fee on the day of the contest. The participants must check in their displays by 9 am. The pumpkins are weighted from 9 am until 3 pm, followed by the awards ceremony at 4 pm.

Pumpkin Regatta (October 6, 2024)

Another unique tradition of the festival, the Pumpkin Regatta, has been entertaining the crowds for 15 years and continues to do so. The participants carve out canoes and boats out of giant gourds, set them off in the water, and embark on a race around the park pond. Registration costs $5 and must be made in advance. The contestants are set to start checking in from 9 am, followed by the starting position lottery at 11:25 am and the start of the race at noon.

Music Lineup

Each year, the city of Elk Grove prepares a diverse selection of artists which entertain the crowds on the stage of the festival. Ranging from rock and country to blues, the lineup features music picks for everyone's liking. Last year, The Bobby Young Project, Rose's Pawn Shop, Maya Band, Rize All, and David Perez Band performed at the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival.

Schedule, Location & Admission

The festivities are available from 10 am through 5 pm, with free admission. As for parking, you are required to pay $15 with cash only. The festivities take place at Elk Grove Park, which features gorgeous Elk Grove Park Pond and serves as a magical backdrop for this community celebration. The city of Elk Grove is set 16 miles (26 km) south of Downtown Sacramento, which makes it perfect for a brief weekend getaway during the fall season.