Celebrate the arrival of autumn at the 43rd annual Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. Join the party on Main Street in California's stunning seaside town of Half Moon Bay, where a bountiful yearly pumpkin crop has made them the self-proclaimed "World Pumpkin Capital". This free festival runs the weekend of October 19th and 20th, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Appropriately described as “the ROYAL GRANDADDY of all festivals”, the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival promises to feature all things pumpkin; and it most definitely delivers. Don’t miss these fun, and delicious, festival highlights:
Appropriately described as “the ROYAL GRANDADDY of all festivals”, the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival promises to feature all things pumpkin; and it most definitely delivers. Don’t miss these fun, and delicious, festival highlights:
- Kick of your morning at the 7:00 am pumpkin pancake breakfast located at Mac Dutra Park, on both Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th. Traditional pancakes are also served, as are sausage, orange juice and Peet’s Coffee. Cost is $10 per person.
- Put on your best scary face and enter the costume contest. The competition takes place on the 19th at 10:00 am in the Half Moon Bay Library parking lot, and all ages are invited to enter with fantastic prizes awarded to the winners in each age group. Costume contest entrants are invited to walk down Main Street at noon in the Great Pumpkin Parade.
Grab a good spot and watch the Great Pumpkin Parade, Saturday at noon, featuring this year’s Grand Marshall; former San Francisco Giants first baseman J.T. Snow. Along with costumed characters, this years’ parade includes a huge, mosaic pumpkin weighing in at over 6000 pounds.
Gobble up a heaping helping of pumpkin pie at the Pie Eating Contest. Two separate contests will take place each day, one for those ages 11 and under at 2:00 pm and one for ages 12 and over at 2:15. The pie eating contest is a festival favorite for observers and participants alike. The pie eating contest will be located in the Bank of America parking lot at 620 Main Street.
- Don’t miss the specialty food booths lining Main Street where you will find every mouth-watering pumpkin treat imaginable. Sample tempting delicacies such as pumpkin fudge, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin cheesecake, or try a traditional fall favorite like pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll or pumpkin bread. Kids will go crazy for the pumpkins smoothies, and locally brewed pumpkin ale will also be on hand for the 21 and over crowd. In addition, local favorites including clam chowder and fresh-steamed artichoke hearts sautéed in garlic and olive oil are served along with a variety of other delicious festival faire.
- Enjoy musical entertainment found on three separate stages throughout the festival. From the country crooning of The California Cowboys to the soulful sounds of Big Cat Tolefree to some good old’ rock ‘n’ roll, the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival has something for everyone.
- Learn to dance and take in some of the country’s most talented young singers at the Safeway Family Stage; 10:00 am to 1:30 pm in the Bank of America parking lot. The Radio Disney Road Crew will be there to keep the party hopping and play fun games with the kids, and everyone will walk away with an awesome prize.
- Catch Farmer Mike, “the Picasso of pumpkin carvers” working his magical pumpkin carving skills on both Saturday and Sunday. Farmer Mike’s pumpkin sculpting talent draws a consistent crowd of onlookers to his stage in the Coastside County Water District lot, 766 Main Street.
Scream in delightful dread while you make your way through the Haunted Johnson Barn. This year, actors from the Coastside Young Actors Workshop will be dressed as undead pirates on a ghost ship, offering a bone-chilling performance for those brave enough to enter. The Haunted Barn is open during festival hours with an admission fee of $7.00 per person; children 3 and are under free.
- Be amazed by the sheer size of this years’ largest pumpkins. The pumpkin weigh-off happens on October 14th, and the grand champion, along with its 5 runners up, will be on display throughout the weekend. Drop by the photo booth and get your picture taken with the “Grand Champion Gourd”, the largest pumpkin at the festival. For $15, you’ll walk away with a framed 5X7 memory of your visit to the festival.
- Browse the craft booths for locally-made, harvest themed crafts and beautiful fine art. Presenting over 250 top artists from around the country, Halloween and fall décor may take the spotlight however jewelry, leather goods, blankets, stained glass, clocks, paintings and a variety of other gorgeous and interesting goods are on hand.
| The festival is presented by the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee, with collected funds supporting local renovation and Main Street rejuvenation projects. Click Scan Share is a proud sponsor of the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. For more information, contact us. HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL OCTOBER 19–20, 2013 – 9AM TO 5PM MAIN STREET, HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA |
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