October 17-18
World Pumpkin Capital
Pumpkin time is Primetime in Pumpkin town. Autumn is a magical time of year on the fertile, picturesque coast around Half Moon Bay. Stunningly beautiful vistas of seaside farm country with rolling fields of orange, scarecrows, and pick-your-own pumpkin patches. It's the perfect time of year to celebrate the iconic symbol of autumn and Half Moon Bay does it in a singularly spectacular way. Every year, massive crowds make the annual trek to the “World Pumpkin Capital” for the epic Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 17-18, 2009. Year after year, festival goers enjoy a memorable experience with the special display of massive weigh-off champion pumpkins, the remarkable “Picasso of pumpkin carvers” sculpting and shaping a monster 1,000+ pound pumpkin, three stages of blockbuster entertainment, everyone's favorite home-spun parade, harvest-inspired crafts, the tastiest pumpkin pie on the planet, enchanting events and contests for the whole family, and the never-ending search for the Great Pumpkin waiting to be picked from one of the rustic pumpkin patches dotting the coast. Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Admission is free. The Big Week launches with the World's Greatest Gourd Growers and their Volkswagen-sized beasts gathering for the Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off on October 12th at 7 a.m. on the IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street.
Proceeds to benefit the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee and the Communities of the Coast. In its 38-year history, the Beautification Committee has directly contributed more than 2.5 million dollars in grants and donations to non-profit organizations, including schools and scholarship programs.
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