Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival

recently attended the Elk Grove Pumpkin Patch, and it was an enormous event packed with fun and activities! This was my third time going, and I love it more every year.The giveaways were abundant and added a special touch to the day. One of the most unique and exciting activities was the pumpkin races on the water--such a creative and entertaining sight! The people were incredibly friendly, which only enhanced the warm, family-friendly atmosphere.Despite the hot day and the lengthy parking lines, I found free parking in a nearby neighborhood, which was a big plus. The great family vibes made it all worthwhile.The Elk Grove Pumpkin Patch is a fantastic place for families to have fun and make lasting memories. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Being a local Elk Grovenian and living here for 20+ years, I have never been to the ever popular and famous GPF. Why? I don't know but perhaps I was influenced by someone years back telling me it's not worth coming because there's hardly anything. Boy were they wrong!! I enjoyed every minute of the GPF. Sure it's mostly for kids but I as an adult, with no kids, I still had fun going. There are plenty of food vendors, coffee vendor and a variety of desserts (ice cream, kettle corn, shaved ice). The cooling desserts are much needed on a hot day in October like it was this past weekend. Don't forget to bring a water bottle, hat & sunglasses since you'll be at the park for a couple hours. The vendors are all spread out in Elk Grove Park so there's an ample amount of walking to experience all that there was to offer at the GPF.My friend and I got there close to opening on Sunday morning which is the last day. We did hit a bit of traffic, however, traffic was moving and we weren't stuck on the street for more than 5 minutes. If you go early, you'll find good paved parking. If you go later, you'll be parking in the unpaved areas. Parking was $10 and it is all day or you can chance it and park in the neighborhoods. I was most excited to see the pumpkin regatta but we didn't get to see it because I think they started rowing the pumpkin boats slightly before 12 pm (12 pm was scheduled time). I did see them carving the pumpkins when we arrived at 10 am.There's plenty of photo ops for little kids and adults in the pumpkin village and there was also a scarecrow contest. Many of the vendors give out useable freebies which can be used during the festival or later on. There were also other small businesses that had their own booths such as arts & crafts, trinkets, hand made soaps & bath bombs etc. Plenty of things to do for the whole family of all ages. Just a note, there are 2 different events for Saturday and Sunday. The pumpkin weigh-in occurs on Saturday along with some other fruits & veggies weigh-ins. Sunday is the pumpkin regatta and the big splash after the regatta. There are also different events at the main stage and smaller stages too. Next year, I'm coming on Saturday to watch the pumpkin weigh-in. The winners for the pumpkin weigh-in were present on Sunday with their awards, and there was a final standing for all participants.

The pumpkin festival is always such a great time! Great event for the kids and family! Parking is $10 to get in and they prefer cash. So many fun activities and great food! The even is dog friendly so bring your pups! This is one of my favorite yearly traditions. Lots of vendors there as well, pumpkin throwing, art contest, live music, and a pumpkin race! Definitely recommend!

I was looking forward to coming here, but it was rather overwhelming for me! It felt like there so many vendors in a crowded space. Also the 90 degree weather probably didn't help during this year's October weekend. I think about half of the event is shaded whereas the other half is in the direct sun. It can get pretty hot especially for young kids who want to play on things. We got here at 10am when they opened, but it took about 10-15 minutes to park due to the lines of cars. They have a variety of things to do here such as a petting zoo for $5, carnival rides, food trucks, arts and crafts, various vendors, pumpkin contests, and bounce houses which cost tickets. The lines for the bounce houses were kind of long, and it took my daughter less than 5 minutes to get through the bounce house. It just didn't feel worth it to me. It was very crowded at this event and sometimes it was hard to walk through, especially with a stroller. The food trucks were just okay to me--nothing stood out and it was all the typical food trucks you see at a fair. There were some vendors with interesting products and many of them gave away free things which was nice. I just don't think I'll come to this event annually as it is way too crowded.

Our family looks forward to the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival every year. Parking can be a bit of a nightmare. It's $10 and cash only. They were seemingly understaffed this year as it took much longer to get to the parking area than in recent years. There are countless fun activities for the children, including amusement rides, countless booths, food, inflatable bounce houses and slides, petting zoo, the pumpkin regatta and giant pumpkin weigh in, and more. The Cosumnes Fire Department always does an amazing job educating the children on fire safety and having fun activities for them to participate in. Many cultures and ethnicities are represented at the various food booths with food ranging from carnival food to gyros, lumpia, nachos, Nashville hot chicken, pizza, shrimp, tacos, and more. There were also sweet treats such as bundt cakes, cookies, cotton candy, ice cream, and more. Drinks ranged from horchata, lemonade, soda, and water. Overall, it was a pretty well organized event. I think it would be advantageous to have more people assisting with the parking passes and to consider accepting credit cards to keep the line moving and eliminate the need to constantly make change. We're looking forward to next year's event and hope Mother Nature blesses us with some cooler weather than we experienced this year.

We were actually driving to a different event and saw traffic back up for blocks from the freeway to get into Elk Grove Regional Park, so I had to google wth was going on there. I had never heard of a Giant Pumpkin Festival or Pumpkin Regatta, but it caught our interest and we decided to attend the following day. It costs you $10 for parking and we brought our dog with us. It was incredibly packed but while creeping slowly along the road to get in we saw lots of open space in the area near the dog park where we always take our pup and were excited we would be able to park there since that was where we wanted to start our day anyway. When we were approached by one of the many young volunteers in a bright orange shirt after entering and asked "Did you pay yet?" we advised we hadn't and gave them $10 but I made sure to ask about the parking. We were told "I have no clue. I think there are spaces or they are trying to make more spaces." Uhhhh, ok. As we approached the dog park, it was blocked off by two more young volunteers in orange tops and a sign that said "VIP Parking" but I stopped to ask if we would be able to park to take our dog to the dog area and they responded "No one told us anything. I literally have no idea if you can park here." Because they didn't move we continued and were corralled into a field on the other side of the venue to park. I understand that the majority of the people involved in parking were young volunteers, but maybe have some sort of briefing or give them direction on what to do? My real frustration comes from the "Event Staff" however. During the Regatta, they had they area blocked off for safety, but the staff all stood in a line at the water's edge blocking any view for people watching. I had hoped they would only do this at the beginning but they literally followed the competitors along the water videotaping and taking photos. Two different patrons can be heard in the background of the video I tried to take of what I could see, complaining that the event staff were in their way. It was honestly not even worth trying to watch. Quite disappointing. One of the staff also rudely bumped in to us later while walking and was unapologetic and another was standing in the pumpkin patch invading peoples space. Overall, the staff is the reason I can't give this event a better rating. There were food trucks and we were able to get a snack when we first arrived after about a 15 minute wait, but by the time we were ready to eat, the lines were just too long. The pumpkin patch was cute and they had pony rides and face painting and lots for kids to do, so I understand now why families would be interesting in coming to spend the day. If I had small children or if I didn't mind the heat so much I would probably return but my experience unfortunately wasn't very enjoyable. I will, however, be enjoying some fresh pumpkin seeds tonight so there is a silver lining to every cloudy day.

I'm that girl that's into pumpkin everything, so when I heard about this event at Sacramento's Farm to Fork event, I knew I had to check it out considering it's also close to me. Parking is $10 in the lot, but we saw people park in the neighborhood nearby, so if you don't mind walking a bit farther, that's a great free option. This event is definitely catered to families, and there are lots of kid-friendly activities like carnival games, petting zoo, corn pit, and rides. I went with my boyfriend and we still enjoyed all the interesting booths dispersed throughout the park, seeing the interesting pumpkin food options in the food court, and seeing all the gigantic produce in the produce and pumpkin growing contest. The 1st place pumpkin weighed a little over 2,000 lbs! There are nice photo ops throughout the event, like the Pumpkin Village, Elk Grove Auto Mall which offers a free photo booth for a 4x6 photo, and Explore Elk Grove which offers a photo booth with some props for your own photo strip. There are many food truck/stand options, including Nash and Proper, Cousin's Maine Lobster, garlic fries, BBQ, and Mexican food, but I had lunch right before coming here so I didn't opt for any of those. We read on Sinful Treat's banner that they're the festival's pumpkin pie supplier so we got a slice of their pie for $5, and it was very rich and tasty. It's nice you can adjust the amount of whipped cream on your pie, so I asked the lady for a little. If you're looking for a fun family event, or if you're just into pumpkin things like me, I'd recommend the Great Pumpkin Festival. I read the festival is only during the first weekend of October, so if you miss it this year, check it out next year!

Great event to bring the kiddos to. Love that there is a pumpkin patch and plenty of activities for the children and adults. Definitely stop by the "Pumpkin Food" court to try some yummy pumpkins treats! I got to try the pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cinnamon roll and pumpkin bread. All super delicious and nothing beats supporting the local business community. GPF only happens the first weekend of October! Come early to beat the crowd! :)

What a great way to spend a weekend with family! The event was extremely well-organized and easy to access. The Consumes CSD did a great job with organizing for the crowds and the schedule was easy to follow. Thanks to those here who posted a correct address! Our daughters had a blast and we'll definitely be back again next year!

I went to 9950 Elk Grove Blvd! Wrong address! Its just an empty field! It's 9950 Elk Grove Florin rd! Please change your address!!