Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival

For one weekend every October, Half Moon Bay turns its historic Main Street into a long street fair. Artists sell pottery, jewelry and paintings from tents. Bands play on several stages. Food booths sell pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and plenty of other fall treats. The stars of the show are the giant pumpkins, some of them heavier than a small car, parked near the center of town after their weigh-off earlier in the week.

The 54th Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival ran on Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the Visit Half Moon Bay event calendar. On November 2, 2026, the 2026 edition was over and the 2027 dates had not been posted. This page gives the 2026 facts as a guide and explains how to plan for next year. For the rest of the coast, see our Half Moon Bay day trip guide.

What the festival is

Half Moon Bay calls itself the pumpkin capital of the world. The fields along Highway 92 and Highway 1 turn orange every fall and the festival grew up around the harvest. Today it mixes three things.

• Art and crafts. Artists and makers fill booths along Main Street with handmade work.
• Food. Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread share space with seafood and the usual fair food.
• Giant pumpkins. Prize-winning pumpkins from the weigh-off go on display for the weekend. They are the most photographed thing in town.

Past festivals have also included a Great Pumpkin Parade on Saturday at noon on Main Street, live music and kids' activities. On Sunday morning the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run starts before the festival opens and charges its own entry fee. Programs change from year to year, so check the schedule each fall.

The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off

The weigh-off comes first, on the Monday of festival week. In 2026 it was held on Monday, October 12, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., per Visit Half Moon Bay. Growers from California and other states haul in pumpkins on pallets and forklifts lift them onto a giant scale one by one. The 2026 listing promised $9 per pound to the winner and a special $30,000 prize for a world record pumpkin.

The festival lists the current record at 2,749 pounds, grown by Minnesota grower Travis Gienger and weighed at the 50th weigh-off in 2023. The weigh-off falls on Indigenous Peoples' Day, the second Monday in October. It draws a smaller crowd than the festival weekend.

Planning for 2027

When we checked on November 2, 2026, no 2027 dates had been announced. The pattern is consistent, though. Recent festivals have fallen on the weekend after Indigenous Peoples' Day:

We found no published rule for when the organizers announce the next year's dates. The festival's own website still showed an older edition in early November 2026 and its security certificate had expired, so we do not link to it here. Watch the Visit Half Moon Bay calendar and the City of Half Moon Bay's event notices from late summer. If you are booking a coast inn for festival weekend, wait for confirmation or pick a refundable rate.

Getting there from Palo Alto

There is no train to the coast. Most Palo Alto visitors drive. Take Interstate 280 north to Highway 92 and follow it west over the hills, about 25 miles and roughly 40 minutes in normal traffic. On festival weekend Highway 92 is the bottleneck. Westbound traffic can crawl from mid-morning and eastbound traffic backs up in the afternoon.

• Leave early. Arriving by 8:30 or 9 a.m. avoids the worst of the westbound line.
• Or come late. The last two hours of the day are calmer, though some food booths sell out.
• Use the right exit. The festival has warned that eastbound Highway 92 can only be reached from Highway 1, not from Main Street, during the event.
• Consider the long way. Highway 84 through Woodside and La Honda, then north on Highway 1, avoids Highway 92 but takes much longer. Our scenic drives guide describes it.

In past years, many lots near downtown were run by local nonprofits that charge a parking fee. Bring cash and a card. SamTrans buses serve Half Moon Bay from the bayside. The festival has pointed visitors to them before, but check routes and weekend frequency before relying on the bus.

With kids

The festival is built for families. Children like the giant pumpkins, the parade and the craft activities. Arrive early, see the pumpkins first and set a meeting point in case you get separated in the crowd. The pumpkin patches along Highway 92 often open alongside the festival, which makes a good stop on the way home. Closer to Palo Alto, the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch is a gentler October outing for younger children.

Where to eat

Booths on Main Street cover lunch on festival day. If you want a table, book or eat early. A few places we confirmed open in November 2026:

• Sam's Chowder House serves chowder, Maine lobster, local crab and fish and chips, with oysters and clams from a raw bar.
• Half Moon Bay Brewing Company has its original brewpub at Pillar Point Harbor and a newer location on Main Street.
• Moonside Bakery at 604 Main Street sells pastries, breads and coffee right on the festival route.

Our Half Moon Bay food guide lists more restaurants, from harbor seafood to Main Street cafes.

Making a day of it on the coast

The festival fills a morning or an afternoon, which leaves time for the coast. Pillar Point Harbor, a few miles north of Main Street, has fishing boats, a breakwater walk and seafood restaurants. The state beaches just west of downtown are good for a walk on the sand once the festival crowds thin out. Heading south, Highway 1 runs past farm stands and quiet beaches toward Pescadero. Our beaches guide covers the best stops within an hour of Palo Alto. Pack a warm layer for the beach even on a sunny day.

More fall events

The pumpkin festival is one of several harvest events on our food festivals calendar. For Halloween in town, see our Halloween guide. For the season as a whole, see Palo Alto in October. If you would rather not drive home after a long day on the coast, you can compare Half Moon Bay inns for a night by the ocean.

Frequently asked questions