In Switzerland, pumpkins are turned into large-scale artistic compositions, in Germany they hold races on giant fruits, and near Brussels an entire park is transformed into a fairy-tale forest with foxes, owls and deer. Autumn festivals bring together creativity, gastronomy, craft and unusual competitions, offering travellers a chance to see a familiar season from an unexpected side.
Switzerland: when the harvest turns into art
Every autumn, the Juckerhof farms in Seegräben and Bächlihof in Jona become venues for one of Switzerland's most notable seasonal exhibitions. Here, pumpkins of various shapes, sizes and shades are transformed into large-scale themed compositions that can be admired while strolling through the farm grounds.
The theme for 2026 is "Gute Reise!" (Have a good trip!). Among the sculptures are a Volkswagen Bulli car, a suitcase and scenes inspired by journeys by land and water. Artist Pit Ruge and his team create structures that are then decorated with multicoloured pumpkins, selecting the fruits by colour and shape. Natural diversity becomes part of the artistic concept: some pumpkins resemble items of clothing, while others form the surfaces of objects and help convey the characters' personalities.
The exhibition offers more than just visual impressions. Guests can sample seasonal dishes, take part in pumpkin-carving workshops and attend special evening events, when lanterns and illuminated compositions change the appearance of the display.
What makes this project especially interesting is the combination of creativity and rural life. To get to know the works, you don't need museum halls or special knowledge: it is enough to stroll among the autumn landscapes and watch how an ordinary harvest turns into recognisable images.
The exhibition at Juckerhof in Seegräben runs until 25 October, and at Bächlihof in Jona until 1 November 2026.
Germany: races in which the boat weighs hundreds of kilograms
In Germany, the pumpkin season extends far beyond exhibition grounds: in two cities — Ludwigsburg and Mechernich — giant fruits become participants in unusual water competitions.
In Ludwigsburg, in the Blühendes Barock gardens by the residential palace, the annual Kürbisregatta takes place. In September 2026, around 60 participants competed in rowing giant hollowed-out pumpkins, covering the distance and trying to keep their balance. Here it is not enough simply to row fast: the shape and stability of each fruit affect the course of the race, and one unlucky movement can end in an unexpected dip.
In Mechernich, in the Eifel region, another pumpkin regatta was held, in which 44 people took part. The principle is the same: instead of ordinary boats — giant pumpkins turned into watercraft. Participants have to handle the paddle, keep their balance and not lose their pace all at once. The spectators, meanwhile, can only follow the race and wait to see who reaches the finish first and who tests the water temperature.
Behind this amusing picture lies considerable preparation. First you need to grow a fruit of suitable size, then carefully remove the flesh and shape the hull of the boat. And although such competitions look more like entertainment than serious sport, winning requires coordination, endurance and the ability to handle a very unusual watercraft.
In Ludwigsburg the pumpkin programme is not limited to the regatta: competitions in weighing giant fruits and in artistic carving are also held here. Thus the harvest becomes at once an object of competition, a material for creativity and an occasion for an autumn celebration.
The result is a kind of pumpkin-themed triathlon: one fruit impresses with its size, another turns into a sculpture, and a third takes to the water. And a change of clothes here is perhaps no less important than a sporting attitude.
Belgium: a forest grown from pumpkins
In the park of Groot-Bijgaarden Castle near Brussels, the Pumpkimania festival is taking place. In 2026 its theme is “The Magic of the Forest.” Thousands of multicoloured pumpkins are turned into figures of forest animals: among them are foxes, owls and deer. The compositions create a fairy-tale atmosphere in which the autumn harvest becomes the material for an entire fantastical world.
One of the main heroines of the festival is a giant pumpkin weighing 772 kilograms, presented at the traditional weighing in September. Its dimensions clearly show how far the passion for growing pumpkins can go: for gardeners it is the result of months of work, and for visitors it is a chance to see a fruit that is hard to imagine in an ordinary kitchen.
The grounds also host pumpkin-carving workshops and gastronomic events. Visitors can get acquainted with seasonal products, look at themed compositions and spend time among the autumn decorations.
The festival continues until 1 November 2026. In the last days of October the park supplements the programme with Halloween events, combining autumn decorations, light effects and themed entertainment.
From exhibition to kitchen: the pumpkin has more than one role
These festivals have different characters, but they share one principle: the harvest becomes the basis for collective creativity. In Switzerland it is primarily artistic compositions and seasonal gastronomy. In Germany — an exhibition, sporting competitions and records. In Belgium — fairy-tale decorations, craft activities and family recreation.
The pumpkin remains an important part of local cuisine. Soups, baked goods, gnocchi, risotto and other seasonal dishes are made from it. At the festivals there are also more unusual options — for example, pumpkin French fries and sweets with pumpkin seeds.
But behind the gastronomy and entertainment there is another side to the autumn holidays. Such events help local farms attract visitors after the end of the summer tourist season, support producers and create a space for residents and guests of the region to meet. The agricultural product becomes part of a cultural experience, and a trip out of town becomes an opportunity to see how harvest traditions gain a new continuation.
Autumn full of unexpected discoveries
Pumpkin festivals offer different ways to spend an autumn day: stroll among unusual sculptures, try seasonal dishes, get acquainted with local traditions or become a spectator of a competition in which an ordinary boat gives way to a giant fruit.
One pumpkin becomes a sculpture, another turns into a boat, a third goes to the scales to set yet another record. And after the exhibition, many fruits return to their original purpose — they become ingredients in autumn dishes or a source of seeds for the next harvest.
For travellers, such festivals are an opportunity to discover a less obvious side of Europe, beyond the usual city routes and well-known attractions. Here impressions are made up of seasonal landscapes, local cuisine, creative ideas and traditions that each region develops in its own way.
And if a pumpkin is already capable of racing, turning into a sculpture and becoming the heroine of a fairy-tale garden, then an autumn trip out of town can certainly turn out to be more interesting than it seems at first glance.
