Coastside autumn arrives in force next week: the 54th Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival fills historic Main Street on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17–18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission, organizers and KQED reported Thursday.
Event spokesperson Ronan Fowler told KQED that growers are bringing a "very, very large" pumpkin that could challenge the world record if weather cooperates through the weigh-off. The festival's own 2026 release puts the mark to beat at 2,749 pounds — set in Half Moon Bay in 2023 by Minnesota grower Travis Gienger — and notes a $30,000 total prize package if someone breaks it. Last year's champion, Brandon Dawson of Santa Rosa, took first with a 2,346-pound pumpkin.
Romo leads the parade; weigh-off comes Monday
Former San Francisco Giants reliever Sergio Romo, a three-time World Series champion, will serve as honorary grand marshal of the Great Pumpkin Parade at noon Saturday, Oct. 17, according to the festival's grand-marshal page and media kit. The procession runs north on Main Street from Miramontes to Mill, featuring the newly crowned weigh-off winner, floats, bands and community groups. The 53rd Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off itself is Monday, Oct. 12, starting at 7 a.m. at the IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, with first place paying $9 per pound, the festival and weigh-off sites say.
Organizers also list 275 juried artists and craftmakers, four music stages, more than 20 nonprofit food booths, pie-eating contests, and Farmer Mike Valladao's 40th year of giant-pumpkin carving. Sunday's 48th Pumpkin Run benefits Senior Coastsiders. A new Moonlight Movie Night screening of the giant-pumpkin comedy Grow was set for Oct. 10 at John L. Carter Memorial Park.
How not to live on Highway 92
KQED's traffic guide quotes Fowler saying backups have eased since the chaotic 2024 weekend and that Sunday is usually calmer than Saturday. He urged arrivals as early as 6 a.m. for the 7 a.m. pancake breakfast, sticking around for dinner instead of joining the 5 p.m. exodus, and — for South Bay and many Peninsula drivers — heading south on Highway 1 toward Highway 84 and La Honda rather than fighting northbound 92. SamTrans buses and bike parking are alternatives; pets other than service animals are not allowed. Bring cash for parking, layers for fog, and an empty bottle for free water at Kelly and Purissima, organizers advise.
For Bay Area day-trippers, the pitch is familiar: giant gourds, Giants nostalgia and harvest food — if you plan the route before Main Street fills.