Every autumn, the baroque gardens of a palace near Stuttgart fill with hundreds of thousands of pumpkins. They’re stacked into towering sculptures, arranged into scenes, and floated in a race across a lake. Nearby, a grower unloads a truck carrying a single pumpkin that weighs close to a metric ton, while a crowd waits to see whether it will crack under its own weight. It sounds like a joke, but it’s one of Germany’s best-loved autumn events, and it happens to fit perfectly with the season in which Germans embrace pumpkins without any of the spooky baggage of Halloween.
If you’re looking for German pumpkin festivals, the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Exhibition is the one to know, and a few smaller options are worth adding.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Exhibition: The World’s Largest
The Kürbisausstellung at Blühendes Barock Ludwigsburg is billed as the largest pumpkin exhibition in the world. It’s held in the garden grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace, a roughly 30-hectare baroque park north of Stuttgart, and it’s run by the Swiss company Jucker Farm.
2026 dates: August 22 to November 1, 2026, with the motto “Let’s Play.” That means it’s still open as you read this, with a little over two weeks left.
What you’ll see: Thousands of pumpkins are turned into large figures and scenes scattered across the grounds, and the theme changes every year. The program also includes carving demonstrations, family activities, and food built around the pumpkin. Past menus have featured pumpkin soup, Kürbis-Maultaschen (pumpkin-filled pasta pockets from the Swabian kitchen), pumpkin bread, and pumpkin sparkling wine.
The pumpkin regatta: One of the best-known events is the Kürbis-Regatta, in which people paddle across the palace lake in hollowed-out giant pumpkins. Check the official program for current dates.
Parking and crowds: The park has limited parking, particularly on weekends, so public transport from Stuttgart is easier. Check the official site for ticket prices and hours before you go.
The Giant Pumpkin Championships
The exhibition is also home to Europe’s giant pumpkin weigh-off, a serious competition that draws growers from across the continent.
In 2026, the European championship went to Matthias Wirsching, who also won the German title, with a pumpkin weighing 981 kilograms. Fourteen pumpkins competed, and organizers said it was a difficult year because of heat, with some fruit bursting before the weigh-in. Second place went to a 942-kilogram entry.
Ludwigsburg has also hosted three world records in the past: 954 kilograms in 2014, 1,191 kilograms in 2016, and 1,226 kilograms in 2021. Growers typically harvest only moments before transport, so the pumpkin stays hydrated until the scale, and moving a giant pumpkin by road is an event in itself.
If you want to see giant pumpkins up close, the weigh-off takes place during the exhibition, but the 2026 championship has already happened, so plan for next autumn.
Smaller Pumpkin Festivals and Farm Events
Ludwigsburg is the headliner, but pumpkins are a seasonal tradition across Germany, and smaller events show up in most regions from September to early November.
Farm pumpkin days: Many farms and garden centers host a Kürbisfest or pumpkin season with pick-your-own patches, carving corners, and soups and cakes made on site.
Local markets and harvest festivals: Autumn fairs and harvest celebrations, often tied to Erntedank, usually include pumpkin displays and food stalls.
Pumpkin carving workshops: Community centers, museums, and family venues often run carving sessions in October, a good alternative to Halloween parties.
To find one near you, search for “Kürbisfest” or “Kürbisausstellung” with your region or city name, and check local event calendars.
Pumpkins in the German Kitchen
German pumpkin season is as much about food as it is about carving. Hokkaido pumpkins, whose skin softens when cooked and doesn’t need peeling, are the standard for soups. Styrian pumpkin seed oil, a dark green oil from the Austrian region of Styria, is a regional specialty drizzled on soups, salads, and even vanilla ice cream. Pumpkin also appears in pickled form, in stews, and baked into breads and cakes. Our German pumpkin recipes include a classic soup you can make at home, and our Halloween recipes cover more seasonal ideas.
Pumpkin Festivals vs. Halloween
German pumpkin festivals are not Halloween events, even if they overlap in time. They’re rooted in the harvest and in food, and they’re friendly to families of every age. That makes them a good way to enjoy the season if you’d rather skip costumes and haunted houses. For the scarier side of the season, see our list of Halloween events in Germany, or read our overview of Halloween in Germany.
Tips for Visiting
Go on a weekday if you can. Weekends are busy, and parking at Ludwigsburg is limited.
Dress for the weather. It’s an outdoor event in late autumn, so bring layers and sturdy shoes.
Eat there. The food is part of the experience, and pumpkin soup is the classic.
Check the official site first. Programs, prices, and hours change, and the exhibition closes on November 1.
Combine it with a palace visit. Ludwigsburg Palace is one of Germany’s largest baroque residences, and it’s a short trip from Stuttgart.
FAQ
Where is the largest pumpkin festival in Germany? The Kürbisausstellung at Blühendes Barock in Ludwigsburg, near Stuttgart, is described as the world’s largest pumpkin exhibition.
When does the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Exhibition run in 2026? From August 22 to November 1, 2026, under the motto “Let’s Play.”
Can you see giant pumpkins in Germany? Yes. Ludwigsburg hosts the European giant pumpkin championship each autumn, and the 2026 winner weighed 981 kilograms. The 2026 weigh-off has already taken place, so the next chance is autumn 2027.
Are German pumpkin festivals the same as Halloween? No. They’re harvest and food celebrations, family-friendly, and unrelated to Halloween’s costumes and scares, even though the seasons overlap.
