Pumpkins take centre stage at Germany’s biggest autumn festival

This year’s festival features more than 100,000 pumpkins in 500 varieties from around the world, alongside fifteen towering pumpkin sculptures and an array of pumpkin-based foods — from sweet treats to savoury dishes.

Now in its 22nd year, the Klaistow Pumpkin Festival has become one of the largest in Europe, attracting up to 12,000 visitors on weekends and more than 5,000 during weekdays. The event began in 2004, around the same time that Halloween traditions such as pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating began gaining popularity in Germany. Each year, organisers select a different theme, bringing creativity and storytelling to the sprawling farm.

This year’s theme celebrates women’s power, with striking sculptures made entirely of pumpkins depicting figures such as Marge Simpson, Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Elsa from Frozen, and Bertha Benz. Families wander between the colourful displays, sampling pumpkin delicacies and learning about the crop’s journey from the Americas to Europe centuries ago.