Don’t Miss The Biggest Pumpkin Festival In Oregon This Year, The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta

There are fall festivals, and then there are fall festivals. We're not talking about a few sorry pumpkins and tractor rides; we're talking about costumed contestants racing inside hollowed-out, thousand-pound pumpkins. Started in 2004 by the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers who wanted to do a small paddle with a handful of gigantic gourds (you know, like you do), the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Tualatin, Oregon, now attracts thousands of spectators each year, and is easily the most fabulous fall festival in the country!

If you've ever wondered what a bunch of giant, hollowed-out gourds would look like floating down the river, well, it would look something like this:

This is the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, and it's the most colossal and creative celebration of fall in the country! Mark your calendars: the 2022 regatta happens October 15 and 16 at Lake at the Tualatin Commons in Oregon.

Every year in Tualatin, Oregon, costumed contestants lower themselves into enormous, hollowed-out pumpkins for the Annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta.

These are not your average orange gourds; these behemoths weigh hundreds and hundreds of pounds, and some are big enough to hold two people!

Along the way, some paddlers will undoubtedly capsize. Some will spin futilely in circles. And a few might fill with water and require heroic bail-outs.

Things can get quite serious out there on the lake, with racers fiercely paddling their behemoth boats.

Rain or shine, scores of raincoat-clad spectators will cheer as racers paddle their pumpkins to the finish line with true heart and soul.

After the regatta’s triumphant finale, you'll want to stick around for a festival that's every pumpkin lover's dream, with events like pumpkin bowling, pumpkin golf, pumpkin pie eating contests, and a giant pumpkin weigh-in.

The pumpkin pie eating contest is always a hit at this epic fall fest.

And the intricate, hand-carved pumpkin art is not to be missed, either!

This unique festival is an exuberant celebration of fall; an only-in-Oregon event that's as wild and wonderful as the Beaver State herself.

Did you know about this epic pumpkin regatta in Oregon? It certainly is something you have to experience! Learn more about this year's West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta by visiting the official event website or Facebook page.

For more seasonal fun in the Beaver State, put these nine hidden gems on your fall bucket list.