Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

October 15-16, 2011 — 9 AM to 5 PM World Pumpkin Capital Celebrates Epic 41st Anniversary Festival

What:
41st Annual HALF MOON BAY ART & PUMPKIN FESTIVAL, Oct. 15-16. 

The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest and autumn splendor with a special display of gigantically enormous, heavyweight champion pumpkins, three stages of smashing entertainment, non-stop live music, the Great Pumpkin Parade, a bone-chilling Haunted House, harvest-inspired crafts, homestyle foods, expert pumpkin carver Farmer Mike sculpting a monster 1,200+ pound pumpkin into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, photos with the grand champion mega-gourd, pie-eating and costume contests, pumpkin carving for fun (not a contest), “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands”, the Take 5 Lounge with giant screen TV, festival-label wine and Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale. Admission is free.

Kicking off the Big Week, the SAFEWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF—the Super Bowl of weigh-offs—will be held on Monday, October 10 (7 a.m. on the IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay), with a bonus mega-prize of $5,000 awarded to any grower that breaks the world record plus $20,000 in additional prize money at stake in this “heavyweight championship” of gargantuan gourds. The World’s Greatest Gourd Growers compete for the coveted title and top prize of $6 per pound to the winner. Defending champion Ron Root of Citrus Heights, CA, obliterated the field in 2010 with his ungodly, gasp-inspiring 1,535-pound Atlantic Giant. The grand champion gourd, along with the top five pumpkins, will be displayed at the Art & Pumpkin Festival, October 15-16.

• Live Music and Entertainment on three stages … the sensational lineup includes everything from contemporary country, Latin rock, salsa, blues, folk, and classic rock ‘n roll music by some of the Bay Area’s biggest name bands. Performing on the IDES Main Stage are The California Cowboys, Bump City, Willie G, Jim Stevens & Friends, The Cocktail Monkeys, Lovefool, Extra Large, and Caravanserai. The Ritz-Carlton Gazebo Stage will feature Top Secret, Rockin’ Down the Hiway, Kaye Bohler and The Bay Area Heat. Street performers include Kaweh, HeartStrings Music, Emerson, Bob “Stickman” Culbertson and Jeffrey Michael. The Family Stage will showcase talented young performers from Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” and “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands” featuring the musical genius of up-and-coming rock bands.
• Food & Drink … pumpkin-infused treats like pumpkin pie, pancakes, ice cream, smoothies, cheesecake, sausage, churros, cookies and bread, along with hearty stews of artichokes and Brussels sprouts, tamales, macaroni and cheese with pumpkin seeds, corn-on the-cob, roasted turkey legs, hot beef sandwiches, baked potatoes, fried calamari, clam chowder, Half Moon Bay Winery’s festival-label wine and Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale made with locally-grown pumpkins that are roasted with a secret blend of spices.
• Events and Contests … Pancake Breakfast (both days, 7 AM), Costume Contest (Saturday, 10 AM), The Great Pumpkin Parade (Saturday, 12 noon), Pie-Eating Contests (Saturday and Sunday, 2 PM), “Smashing Pumpkins: Battle of the Bands” (Saturday and Sunday, 3 PM), 5 & 10k Pumpkin Run (Sunday, 8 AM), Pumpkin Carving for fun/no judging (Sunday, 10 AM).