One-Ton Pumpkins Make City Festival Too Gourd To Ignore.
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mjdon@pm.me
PITTSBURGH, PA, September 18, 2025 (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — Pittsburgh has produced many champions over the years and, in 2024, that list got bigger in perhaps the most unusual way ever. The city took title to the largest pumpkin grown in the world last year—2,731 pounds nurtured by Enon Valley, PA grower Dave Stelts—and crowned king at one of the nation’s largest giant pumpkin events: Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkins Festival.
The all free festival, presented by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine [LECOM], enters its eighth consecutive year and happens Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18-19, in the Stacks Courtyard—part of the 3 Crossings campus in the Strip District on Railroad Street.
As pumpkin patches go, this one exudes whimsy…with fruits weighing over a ton and measuring five-feet high and wide—scattered profusely over the event’s elongated footprint like mythical props in a fairy-tale playland. “We’ve become the most prolific place in the country spotlighting these mammoth pumpkins and the staged entertainment starring them,” says Michael Dongilli, event producer.
The event is well known world-wide for its “punkin’ dunkin’ drops,” elevating 2,000–pounders over 200-feet and releasing them in seismic free-falls into a pool of water that literally shakes the ground on impact. “We do it four times over the weekend and currently hold the world record –a teeth-shattering 230-foot drop.”
Elsewhere, a true test of mettle challenges spectators gourd grit in the extremely popular “punkin’ pull” where a 1,000+ pound cucurbit on a wheeled cart outfitted with bull rope awaits those willing to pull it nearly 60 feet uphill in the fastest time.
Perhaps the most memorable takeaway after the drops are the massive sculptures created by the top giant pumpkin carvers nationally. Traditionally, the event used a four-person team to produce one prolific pumpkin picture all hand-carved and intricately chiseled.
New this year, four carvers will compete against each other, similar in style to the popular Food Network program, Halloween Wars. “We’re calling it the LECOM Gourd Games and all four carvers will have a set time to complete their masterpieces within the theme–weird science. A team of celebrity judges, along with online spectator voting, will determine a winner.
While drops, pulls and carvings dominate the day, the event offers an engaging line-up of activities enticing to spectators of all ages including:
- LECOM Costume Caper 5K Run/Walk—top 3 finishers, male and female, in eight age categories take home glass pumpkin trophies…all entrants receive a medal, tech t-shirt and special post-race treats…plus special prizes reward scariest, funniest and most original costume-wearers
- Squash-sling—yep, insert your pumpkin, aim, pull and release for one funny fling
- Cozy carriage rides—majestic Percherons from Misty Lane Farms provide enchanting rides all day
- Brilliant bales—talented muralists spray–paint dynamic scenes on pumpkins and giant round hay bales weighing nearly 1,000 pounds
- Glass class—glass–blowers from Vessel Studio Glass demonstrate this centuries–old technique and sell exquisite Fall–themed pieces
- Pie eating contests—no hands, no utensils, nothing but a face plant into the pie is allowed
- Selfi-stations—featuring authentic looking characters to capture that perfect picture
- Vendor variety—70+ craft, food/drink and other vendors add charm and ambiance
