🎃 Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival 2026! 🍂 HUGE Pumpkins, Amazing Crowds & Fall Fun!

The Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival began in 1971 as a small local fundraiser organized by the Main Street Beautification Committee (founded by Dolores Mullin and Edie Phillips) to help restore and revitalize downtown Half Moon Bay. Key Milestones in Festival History • 1971 (First Festival): Originally launched as the Spanishtown Art and Pumpkin Festival, the first event drew about 15,000 visitors with roughly a dozen artists and basic food/drink service at the I.D.E.S. grounds. • 1973: The event officially changed its name to the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. • 1974 (The Weigh-Off Origin): A rivalry with Circleville, Ohio (after a dispute between mayors over who was the true pumpkin capital) sparked the famous World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The very first winning pumpkin weighed a modest 132 or 174 pounds, a stark contrast to modern record-breakers like Travis Gienger's 2,749-pound giant in 2023. • 1986 (Farmer Mike): Master carver "Farmer Mike" Valladao first took the stage to turn giant Atlantic Giant pumpkins into 3D sculptures, becoming a long-standing festival staple. • 2020 (Pandemic Pause): The festival was canceled for the first time due to COVID-19, pushing the milestone 50th festival to 2021. • Traditions & Scale: Today, the Saturday tradition features the Great Pumpkin Parade at noon (led by annual Grand Marshals), a Halloween costume contest, live music stages, and massive community fundraising that reinvests hundreds of thousands of dollars into local schools and downtown preservation. Pastorino Farms was founded in 1957 in Half Moon Bay, California, by Enrico Pastorino and his wife, Lorraine. Family and Immigration Roots • Enrico Pastorino: Born in Italy (Cogoleto) in 1910, he arrived in San Francisco in 1919. • Arrival in the Bay Area: The Pastorino family has roots in the San Francisco Bay Area dating back to 1919. Evolution and Operations • Wholesale Flower Nursery: The business began as a wholesale flower nursery located off San Mateo Road (Highway 92) in Half Moon Bay. • Pumpkin Patch & Barn: In 1971, son Hank Pastorino expanded the operations to include a seasonal pumpkin patch and a decorative barn. • Generations: The farm is a multi-generational family operation managed across three to four generations, with involvement from Enrico's descendants including Hank, Scott, and other family members (such as T&E Pastorino Farms led by Gene and Stan Pastorino). • Diversification: Facing economic challenges, rising labor costs, and import competition in the floral industry, the family diversified into retail shops, seasonal events (pumpkin patches in October and Christmas celebrations), and farm attractions like train rides and pony rides. https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/273/Po... #HalfMoonBayPumpkinFestival #PumpkinFestival2026 #CaliforniaFallFun