A weekend of eating, launching and smashing pumpkins at Monster Pumpkins Pittsburgh

Fall in Pittsburgh is synonymous with foliage, apples, rainy days and, now, enormous pumpkins. The Monster Pumpkins Festival came to Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 19-20, bringing local business and culture together in the name of pumpkins.

Hailed as “The Greatest Growth On Earth” by Monster Pumpkins’ official website, the festival is dedicated to enormous pumpkins. Gourds big and small decorated the festival’s gates and welcomed guests into the world of thousand-pound pumpkins. A large display stood under the Monster Pumpkins banner with four enormous pumpkins carved in a circus theme, with intricacies down to the handle of a pumpkin-clown car and a spherical pumpkin-clown nose. The scene featured a lion jumping through a hoop, a monkey trying to slip from his cage, a snake sliding around his enclosure and two clowns in a toy car leading the circus to their next destination. The entire scene was made from pumpkins, all carved by experienced craftsmen. 

The main pumpkin attractions of the festival were the pumpkin drops, with the first pumpkin of the festival falling at 2 p.m. on Saturday. A crane raised the 1,500-pound pumpkin up 200 feet in the air, dangling above a pool filled with water awaiting the “Pumpkin Splash.” An emcee clad in a Halloween-themed suit drew the crowd to view the pumpkin drop from a safe distance, providing entertainment while the crowd buzzed with anticipation. The crowd counted down from 10 and watched the pumpkin fall from the sky into the pool of water, resulting in a seismic bang and loud screams from those watching. The pumpkin shattered into the water, spraying pumpkin and water across the splash-zone. Festival attendee and lifelong Pittsburgh resident Grace Winters found the pumpkin drop to be the highlight of the festival and something to look forward to. 

“You can’t beat the drop, the pumpkin drop. It’s so much fun,” Winters said.

Monster Pumpkin offered not only viewing opportunities but also hands-on activities with the pumpkins. Horse-drawn carriage rides from Misty Lanes Farm were offered on both days of the festival, which gave participants a scenic view of the festivities and incoming fall foliage. Lovely Lady Lydia performed flow and fire shows, and Vessel Studio Glass Blowing did live demonstrations of their timeless “free-blowing” technique while selling items for the crowd to purchase. Additionally, Point-Park University sponsored a 1,000-pound pumpkin pull for those looking to test their strength, offering a T-shirt and gift card for the winner. 

For those looking for something more active, the Costume Caper 5K took place on Saturday, where participants dressed in costume and ran to win pumpkin-themed medals, shirts and other items. Awards for scariest, funniest and most original costumes were given out to the best-dressed participants. 

Two different food events were offered to those skilled in eating anything pumpkin-related, the Pumpkin Pie Plunge and the Pumpkin Pig-Out. The Pumpkin Pie Plunge had one rule — no hands — and awarded whoever could finish eating the fastest. The Pumpkin Pig-Out debuted on Sunday, Oct. 20, and featured a three-course eating competition, where eaters were challenged to take down pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin funnel cake and pumpkin gelato. Whoever could finish the pumpkin-themed feast the fastest took home a grand prize of a trophy, gift card and tee.

For attendees not looking to stuff their face but still craving some pumpkin-themed fun, the famed Squash Sling offered fun for those looking to launch small gourds. Excited participants got their turn to launch small pumpkins at a target and watch them explode, celebrating fall in an orange, guts-filled fashion. 

The festival offered events for people of all ages and appealed to its younger audiences with a visit from the Little Mermaid, a pedal tractor pull, areas to play with pumpkins and more. The pedal tractor pull let kids ages 3-8 drive a mini farm tractor weighted by a wagon and pumpkin and gave candy for their efforts. “Color With Chrissy” was also available for face painting as additional children’s entertainment. 

The festival had a variety of local food vendors, giving attendees options for every craving and lifestyle. Items ranged from traditional festival food like funnel cake, corn dogs and chicken tenders, to hibachi steak, strawberry-hibiscus agua fresca, customizable mason jar lemonade, loaded French fries and much more. Festival attendee Allie Huss was looking forward to the food and was excited to explore. 

“So far, the food looks great, and I can’t wait to get something to eat,” Huss said. 

The festival had food, shops and business stalls from organizations around Pittsburgh. Vendor Tiffani Shema found the vending experience to be smooth, with easy communication from Monster Pumpkins and great customers. 

“Wonderful people,” Shema said. 

Some festival attendees felt as though the festival was too “corporate” and could’ve featured more pumpkin-themed items. Monster Pumpkins was set in an industrial area, and many booths were large conglomerates or businesses looking to sell items like insurance, energy and home improvement items like cabinets and windows. Jillian Schaefer, a festival attendee, felt there was a lack of pumpkin-themed events and activities and will not be returning to the festival. 

“I was expecting more pumpkins and maybe some activities other than booths … I just expected, honestly, more pumpkin-themed activities other than the drop,” Schaefer said. 

Monster Pumpkins ended on Oct. 20 and is likely to return to Pittsburgh next year to ring in the fall season.