River Prairie Ginormous Pumpkin Festival

The 2021 River Prairie Ginormous Pumpkin Festival celebrates giant pumpkins and their growers. The Festival will usher in the fall season to the Chippewa Valley with giant pumpkins lining River Prairie Park. Confirmed events include a giant pumpkin weigh-off, pumpkin run, rubber ducky race and pumpkin dessert contest.

Same as last year, every grower that attends will be asked to pre-register for the event through a fillable registration form, available online. Registration is free. A registration form will be required for each and every entry, whether it be a pumpkin, squash, tomato, long gourd, etc. The registration form includes a place for providing your over-the-top (OTT) measurements for pumpkins and squash.  Included in the registration form is a sign-up form for scheduling an unloading time slot if you are entering a giant pumpkin or squash (Atlantic Giant). Unloading will happen between 6 AM and 11 AM and growers will sign up for 5-minute time slots to unload their pumpkins, meaning there will be 60 unloading slots available. If there are more than 60 registrants, adjustments will be made to the schedule and sign up as necessary.  They ask that growers living near the weigh-off sign up for the early slots to allow travel time for those coming from farther away.  The City will provide lunches for the growers. At this time, they are anticipating a normal weigh-off but will make adjustments, if necessary, for COVID-19 safety. The site record is currently held by Jim Ford at, 2015 pounds. There will be a premium of $500 paid to the winner of the contest if it beats the site record!

Prize categories include Pumpkins, Watermelon, Long Gourd, Field Pumpkins, Squash, Tomato, Marrow, Bushel Gourd, Mayor's Choice Award, Closest Weight Prize, and the Howard Dill Award.   For more information, please visit rpgiantpumpkinfest.com.