The World’s Biggest Pumpkin Festival in Ludwigsburg DE.
It’s that time of year again. Everything is about to turn orange and pumpkin flavoured. So on that note, may I introduce you to a little known festival in the south of Germany. The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival.
Yes, that’s right, a pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg. Big pumpkins, small pumpkins, carved pumpkins, multicoloured pumpkins, record-breaking pumpkins. You get the gist, right?!
We’ve talked about Ludwigsburg on here before. It’s a pretty city north of Stuttgart. One that’s a particular favourite of mine. It’s baroque-style architecture, pastel-coloured buildings and grand square are all reasons to visit. But the pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg is the cherry on the cake.
This marrow themed festival takes place every year in the extensive gardens of Ludwigsburg Palace. It’s a whole day trip’s worth of entertainment. Especially for children.
Part of the palace gardens have been turned into a fairytale adventure. There’s a maze garden, mini train and sick-inducing ride, along with interactive fairytale sets.
Did you know?
In German the pumpkin festival is called the Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg.
A more precise translation is Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Exhibition or Pumpkin Display. But Pumpkin Festival is definitely a better translation. It’s a big, old celebration of the pumpkin!
So what’s this pumpkin festival all about?
Ludwigsburg’s pumpkin festival is the largest pumpkin festival in the world. Pumpkin lovers come from all over to celebrate the marrow. There are carving competitions, record-breaking competitions, 3D pumpkin art displays and pumpkin food.
Each year a theme is selected which sets the mood for the exhibition. In 2022 that theme was the rainforest. This year, 2023, the theme is fire.
When is the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival?
There’s plenty of time to visit the pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg. It starts at the end of August and ends at the beginning of December.
It’s an unusually long festival and some pumpkins do rot while on display. But it’s a great place to celebrate this autumnal vegetable.
This year (2023), the festival is open from:
25th August to 3rd December
Where is the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival held?
Ludwigsburg is a small city in the south of Germany. Just a little to the north of Stuttgart. The city is beautiful with a sophisticated vibe. It’s dominated by Ludwigsburg Palace to one side of the city centre.
And in the baroque palace’s grounds is where you’ll find the pumpkin exhibition. Ludwigsburg Palace gardens cover 75 acres. Fountains, flowers and a fairytale garden. That’s what you’ll find on an average day. But come August, you’ll find the grounds covered in over 50000 pumpkins. Now that’s a lot of pumpkins.
The exact address of the pumpkin festival is:
Blühendes Barock
Gartenschau Ludwigsburg GmbH
Mömpelgardstraße 28
71634 Ludwigsburg
Germany
What can you do at the Pumpkin Festival in Ludwigsburg?
The exhibition has something for everyone. Just have a look at this list:
World-class pumpkin carving.
This only takes place on a few days but if you do catch it, it’s very impressive. These carvers are artists in their own-right. When I visited I saw the product of this competition, and an impressive gorilla head with fantastic teeth stared back at me.
3D art built using just pumpkins, think giant 3D sculptures of orangutangs or beatboxes.
Pumpkin food.
You’ll find the usual pumpkin soup – which was fabulous, thank you for asking. But you’ll also find local specialities such as Pumpkin Maultaschen (the best description is giant ravioli). There’s also the usual soft drinks and beers. Rest assured – the food area has plenty of beer garden-style seating.
Record-breaking pumpkins.
Expect exactly what it says on the tin. Ginormous pumpkins – albeit hugely deformed. Rolled onto pallets because they are that big.
Pumpkin displays.
Did I mention that you can expect to see about 450 varieties of pumpkins at this event?! There’s some very photogenic displays of these pumpkins. And luckily for us, the pumpkins are displayed with their variety name.
What are the opening hours of the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival?
The opening hours are very accommodating:
Open daily from 7:30 am – 8:30 pm
Visit during the week to avoid crowds. If you can only visit at the weekend, visit early in the morning or later in the afternoon.
Top tip – if you visit after 5:30 pm you can get a reduced Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival ticket.
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How much does a ticket to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival cost?
An adult ticket will set you back €11.50 but this gives you access to the Ludwigsburg Palace Gardens, Fairytale Garden, and the Pumpkin Festival.
A child’s Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival ticket costs €5.50
There are two different family tickets you can buy which will save you a couple of euros.
An adult’s ticket after 5:30 pm costs €7.50
What else can you do in Ludwigsburg?
Ludwigsburg is a city with a population of over 90000. While you might not have much time to discover the city once you’ve looked around the whole of Ludwigsburg Palace Gardens, it’s still worth visiting the city centre.
Ludwigsburg Marktplatz is one of my favourite market squares in Germany. It’s where the Christmas market is held every year. The square is bordered with beautifully coloured buildings. On either side are two churches opposite one another. It’s a good place to get a coffee and people watch. And lucky for you, it’s very close to Ludwigsburg Palace.
For more information about the largest pumpkin festival in the world, visit the official tourism site for Ludwigsburg.
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