Washington already crowned its 1,006-pound pumpkin champion. Oregon’s about to race theirs across a lake. California just wants to carve yours into art.
Forget the perfectly round pumpkin sitting on your porch. Somewhere on the West Coast right now, growers are hauling thousand-pound gourds onto industrial scales, hollowing them into boats, and handing them off to a guy who’s spent 36 years turning them into art.
Three states, three completely different relationships with the giant pumpkin. Here’s where each one is taking theirs this October.
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Washington already handed out the trophy
Spokane didn’t wait for October to crown a winner. At this year’s Spokane County Interstate Fair, grower Joseph Baird rolled in a pumpkin weighing 1,006 pounds and won by a landslide.
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His closest competitor barely broke 499 pounds — less than half of Baird’s entry. The fairgrounds’ all-time record still belongs to a 1,126-pound pumpkin grown back in 2021, so there’s a ceiling left for someone to chase next year.
There’s something satisfying about a contest that lopsided. Baird didn’t just win his division — he made everyone else’s pumpkin look like a decoration.
Oregon is about to race theirs across a lake
Oregon skips the scale and goes straight to competitive sport. On October 18, the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta takes over Tualatin Commons, where costumed paddlers climb inside hollowed-out, thousand-pound gourds and race them across the lake.
This year’s theme leans into tattoo art — ravens, serpents, black cats, and a returning jester mascot cover the 2026 poster, designed by local artist Brenna White. It’s exactly as strange and delightful as it sounds.
Thousands of spectators show up just to watch grown adults try to steer a vegetable in a straight line. Bring a folding chair, because a hollowed-out pumpkin is not exactly known for its handling.
California turns theirs into edible sculpture
Half Moon Bay treats its pumpkins less like produce and more like raw material. The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off lands on October 12, and the winning gourd heads straight into the following weekend’s Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.
Farmer Mike — locals call him the Picasso of pumpkin carvers — has spent more than 36 years turning that champion pumpkin into sculpture, live, in front of a crowd. The festival itself runs October 17 and 18 on Main Street, free to attend, with roughly 250 artisans, four stages of live music, and a Saturday parade that puts the winning pumpkin on display.
Pie-eating contests, costume competitions, and a Sunday-morning Pumpkin Run round out the weekend. Our guide to Half Moon Bay covers the rest of the town if you’re making a weekend of it.
If you only make it to one of these three, this is the one that turns into an actual festival.
So which one would you actually plan a trip around — the weigh-in, the regatta, or the carving?
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get to whichever one you pick, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
