You’re walking through the gardens of a massive Baroque palace and suddenly, there’s a canoe made of a giant hollowed-out squash floating past you. It's weird. It’s glorious. Honestly, if you haven’t been to the Ludwigsburg Germany pumpkin festival, you’re missing out on the most beautifully absurd celebration of agriculture on the planet. This isn't your local patch with a hayride and some lukewarm cider. This is the Kürbisausstellung—the world's largest pumpkin exhibition.
Every year, from late August through early November, the grounds of the Blühendes Barock (Blooming Baroque) in Ludwigsburg transform. Over 450,000 pumpkins are trucked in. We’re talking about more than 600 different varieties. Some are tiny enough to fit in a child's palm; others are literally heavier than a small European car. It’s a sensory overload of orange, green, and yellow against the backdrop of a palace that looks like it was ripped straight out of a fairy tale.
What actually happens at the Ludwigsburg Germany pumpkin festival?
Most people think they’ll just see some carved faces and go home. Wrong. The organizers choose a new theme every year—think "Fire," "The Jungle," or "Underwater World"—and then they build massive, towering sculptures out of pumpkins. Imagine a giant shark or a life-sized Elvis Presley, all meticulously covered in gourds. It’s a feat of engineering that sounds ridiculous until you’re standing right in front of it.
The heart of the event is the food. Forget "pumpkin spice" lattes. Here, the flavors are deep and savory. You have to try the Kürbissuppe (pumpkin soup). It’s creamy, slightly spicy, and usually served with a drizzle of dark, nutty pumpkin seed oil. Then there’s pumpkin sparkling wine—yes, really—and pumpkin bratwurst. If you’re feeling adventurous, hunt down the pumpkin popcorn. It’s a bizarrely addictive snack that hits that sweet-salty spot perfectly.
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The heavy hitters: Giant pumpkin weigh-offs
If you want to see where things get serious, show up for the German and European Weigh-offs. These happen in October. Farmers from all over the continent spend months pampering their Atlantic Giants, feeding them hundreds of gallons of water a day. Some of these pumpkins put on 30 to 50 pounds in a single 24-hour period. It’s insane.
The current world record holder for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown is Stefano Cutrupi from Italy, whose behemoth weighed in at 1,226 kg (about 2,702 lbs) back in 2021. While records aren't broken every single year, the atmosphere at the weigh-off is electric. It’s like a heavyweight boxing match, but with more dirt and much higher stakes for the agricultural community.
Racing in a vegetable
Then there’s the Pumpkin Regatta. This is usually the highlight for anyone who likes a bit of chaos. Local athletes and brave tourists hop into giant, hollowed-out pumpkins and try to paddle across the palace lake. They use actual oars. The pumpkins are unstable, heavy, and prone to tipping over. Watching a grown man in a pumpkin boat desperately trying not to capsize in front of thousands of cheering fans is peak entertainment. It’s messy. It’s cold. It’s the kind of thing you only see at the Ludwigsburg Germany pumpkin festival.
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Planning your visit: Timing is everything
Don't just show up on a random Tuesday and expect the regatta. The festival is long, but specific events are staggered. If you want the sculptures at their freshest, go in September. If you want the competitive weigh-offs or the giant pumpkin carving (where artists use chainsaws to turn 1,000-pound gourds into masterpieces), aim for mid-to-late October.
The weather in Baden-Württemberg during October is... temperamental. One minute it's crisp and sunny, the next you're huddled under a Baroque archway dodging a drizzle. Wear boots. The garden paths can get muddy when thousands of feet are tramping through to see the "Pumpkin King."
- Buy tickets online in advance. The lines at the gate on weekends are legendary, and not in a good way.
- Bring cash. While Germany is slowly embracing cards, many of the smaller food stalls inside the festival grounds still prefer "Bargeld."
- Arrive early. The palace grounds open around 9:00 AM. By 1:00 PM on a Sunday, the crowds are thick enough that you'll spend more time looking at the back of people's heads than at the squash sculptures.
Getting to Ludwigsburg
It’s an easy trip. Ludwigsburg is just a short S-Bahn ride (the S4 or S5) from Stuttgart’s main station. It takes about 15 minutes. Once you get to the Ludwigsburg station, it’s a pleasant 10-15 minute walk through the town center to the palace. You’ll see the signs; honestly, just follow the people wearing orange scarves or carrying decorative gourds.
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Beyond the orange: The Baroque Palace
Don't ignore the palace itself. The Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg is one of the largest Baroque buildings in Europe. It has 452 rooms and two churches. If the pumpkin crowds get to be too much, take a guided tour of the interior. The Contrast between the muddy, earthy pumpkin festival outside and the gilded, opulent mirrors and chandeliers inside is striking. It gives you a sense of the history that anchors this quirky event.
There's also the "Märchengarten" or Fairy Tale Garden. If you have kids, this is non-negotiable. It’s a vintage-style theme park area within the gardens where you can ride a boat through a "forbidden" forest or visit Rapunzel's tower. It’s charmingly old-school and fits the whimsical vibe of the pumpkin exhibition perfectly.
Why it actually matters
At its core, the Ludwigsburg Germany pumpkin festival is a celebration of biodiversity. You'll see varieties you didn't know existed—the "Turk's Turban," the "Musquee de Provence," and the weirdly lumpy "Knucklehead." It’s a reminder that food isn’t just something that comes in a plastic wrap at the grocery store. There’s a massive amount of labor and passion behind every one of these plants.
Farmers like the Jucker family, who are the masterminds behind the event, have turned what could have been a simple farmers' market into a cultural phenomenon. It supports local agriculture and keeps traditional farming techniques alive in a world that’s increasingly digitized.
Actionable Steps for your trip
- Download the VVS app: This is the local transport app for the Stuttgart area. It’ll tell you exactly which train to catch and if there are delays.
- Check the event calendar: Visit the official Kürbisausstellung website before you book your flight. You don't want to arrive the day after the pumpkin smashing (which is the literal end of the festival where they break open the giants to harvest seeds).
- Book a hotel in Stuttgart: While Ludwigsburg is cute, staying in Stuttgart gives you more options for nightlife and dining once the palace grounds close at night.
- Try the pumpkin pesto: Most people go for the soup, but the jarred pumpkin pesto sold in the shop is a game-changer for a quick dinner once you get back home.
- Pack a reusable bag: You will inevitably buy a "Hokkaido" pumpkin or some ornamental gourds to take back to your Airbnb. They are heavy. A sturdy tote bag is your best friend here.
Don't expect a polished, corporate theme park experience. Expect dirt. Expect the smell of roasting seeds and damp leaves. Expect to be genuinely impressed by what people can do with a vegetable. The Ludwigsburg Germany pumpkin festival is weird, wonderful, and worth every second of the flight to Germany.