The scene is like something out of a quirky fairy tale with elements like an elegant 18th-century Baroque palace, dinosaurs fashioned out of more than 450,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds, and Rapunzel’s braid dangling from a cobbled tower…
This unlikely trio came together at the world’s largest pumpkin festival, held on the grounds of the Ludwigsburg Palace in Germany. With just days to go before we departed for our Southeast Asian sabbatical last autumn, we accompanied my parents, and their fluffy canines Gigi and Meg to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Fest (Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg).
It was a late afternoon plentiful with prize pumpkins from around Europe, specimens grown around the world, and pumpkin products and dishes to tempt even the pickiest of palates. (Think sparkling wine, strudel, pasta, muffins, and quiche infused with pumpkins.)
Each year, there’s a different theme. One year organizers paid homage to undersea critters, last year it was dinosaurs, and this year, I hear there’s a tribute to Switzerland. I imagine that there will be Swiss Army knives and timepieces fashioned out of pumpkins.
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it fitting to enjoy these scenes from a pumpkin festival’s past.
If you’re in Germany this fall, the fest goes through early November!
Where in the World?
Planning Pointers:
- The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival takes place annually at the Ludwigsburg Residential Palace in Ludwigsburg. The city of Ludwigsburg is located about 16 km (10 miles) north of Stuttgart.
Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All rights reserved.
Travels With Tricia 
Rather amazing…pumpkin concoctions. Quite the festival.
Forgot to add…nice that you and your folks could do this together.
It sure was a great afternoon together; my mom’s always in the know about the fun events in and around their home. :) Wish we could make it in time to enjoy the fest this year!
What an entertaining festival. My children would love it.
You still have time, Rachael. :) I believe this year’s fest runs through the 5th.
Looks like so much fun! Love the pictures!
Judy, I think you’d love all the pumpkin products they had for sale – pasta, muffins, quiche and more. Will you be testing out any pumpkin-inspired recipes on your site this fall?
I would definitely love this!
Pumpkin recipes: There are so many pumpkin recipes I love. A month or so ago I prepared a pumpkin recipe, and then this past week I made a brownie with a graham cracker pumpkin pie spice combination. Still preparing something soon : )
Thank you for asking and the inspiration!
Judy, I’ll have to dig a little deeper into your recipe archives, because I seem to have missed the pumpkin recipe from last month. Eventually, we’ll have to cook up the pumpkins we just carved. :)
Cool shots, boy that’s a lot of pumpkins, thanks Tricia.
Many thanks, Mark.
Marvelous pumpkin festival! Some of them seem huge!
I included the image of my parent’s dog so that one could sense how large they really are. I think some of them tipped the scale at 700 kilograms!
Tricia, I have to admit, I am a tad bit jealous and homesick while going through your photos on this post. Autumn is my favorite season back home because of the fall foliage, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cute coats and boots! Not to mention the excitement leading up to the holidays!
Antoinette, yes, we’re getting geared up for the trick-or-treaters tonight.
For how much longer will you be in South America? Perhaps the homesickness you’re feeling can be erased when you consider the good work you’ve done in Peru.
The pumpkin soup, fall foliage and fun fall clothes will be waiting for you next year. :)
There is a real fascination with pumpkins – every where. Down the road from The Farm we see fields covered with pumpkins and the children choosing their favorite. In Ontario (where we spend time) they grow pumpkins that are enormous. Last year l,808.5 pounds. Shades of Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Love your photographs of some very strange pumpkin creations. Virginia
Virginia,1,800 pounds? That’s incredible!
We just finished carving our 4 creations this past weekend – Wink, Schmooo, Moustache and Cat. Did you do any carving this year? Tonight, the little trick-or-treaters come. Having been away from the US for 10 Halloweens, it’s fun to see the custom again. :)
Alas and alack Tricia – there is only 3 young children the length of our road. Their parents take them into the village for trick or treating. I quite love seeing the children in their dress up costumes, so we are driving to my brothers (45 min away) to spend Halloween with them and their two young boys. Of course I am going in costume. I have an exotic silk ensemble (tunic and skirt) from Indian. The Good Husband is going as “men in black”. Virginia
Virginia, I do hope you will post pictures of your exotic costumes and traditional evening. :) Safe travels and have fun tonight! (I’m sad that my German Dirndl / traditional dress is in Germany tonight, otherwise I’d love to be in costume while helping give out goodies.)
Danke, ein gutes Wochenende wünschen wir.
LG. Wolfgang
Vielen Dank, Wolfgang – Alles Gute von Oberammergau!
Wow quite an amazing and colorful festival. Fascinating indeed!
Thanks & regards.
My pleasure, Dilip! Our current spot in Germany is looking drastically different from this one — we’ve almost gotten a meter of snow in the Alps! Makes me long for warmer locales. :)