The 2026 Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival in Germany kicked off on August 22 at the Baroque Garden in Ludwigsburg and will continue until November 1. The festival showcases around 450,000 pumpkins of 600 different varieties, along with creatively crafted pumpkin art sculptures, offering a variety of delicious food and entertaining activities for visitors to enjoy.
As the world’s largest pumpkin festival, the theme of this year’s event is “LET’S PLAY.” A team of artists meticulously constructed 15 giant sculptures using tens of thousands of pumpkins, featuring iconic cartoon characters such as Super Mario, Barbie, LEGO figures, Pokémon, Transformers, and a giant teddy bear. Some sculptures are interactive, allowing children to sit in wooden go-karts or pose inside Barbie’s packaging box for photos.
Throughout the exhibition, there will be pumpkin carving contests, pumpkin fairy tales, pumpkin regatta races, giant pumpkin weighing competitions, and Halloween-themed activities taking place in rotation.
Moreover, the dining area within the exhibition area offers a variety of unique autumn pumpkin dishes, including popular choices like pumpkin fries, pumpkin soup, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin burgers, and Schwabian specialty pasta – German Maultaschen, among other seasonal delicacies.