A guide to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival (The World’s Largest!)
If you like fall foliage, unique events, and pumpkins, the Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg (Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival) is an event that you have to attend!
Ludwigsburg, in Southwestern Germany, hosts the world’s largest pumpkin festival and if you are traveling to Germany during this time it is definitely worth a trip!
There are more than 600 varieties of pumpkin on display, and it will challenge your idea of what a pumpkin is! The annual exhibition runs from late August to early November, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to see it. I lived in Stuttgart for two years, so I was able to go twice and both times it was a great experience (although one time was very cold!).
Getting to Ludwigsburg and the Pumpkin Festival
Ludwigsburg is about 15 km north of Stuttgart and easily accessible by train and bus. If you take the train you’ll have a 1.5 km walk to get to the entrance of the gardens, so you may want to jump on a bus if you have young children or limited mobility.
Follow to signs to the Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg, the huge palace. One part of the gardens is south of the palace but the festival is in the larger area northwest of the palace. There can be a long line at the entrance, so it’s best to go early or late in the day and to buy your tickets online in advance. Once you enter you are free to walk around the grounds wherever you wish.
The event takes place in the baroque gardens of the beautiful Schloss Ludwigsburg, a palace built in the early 1700s. If you haven’t been to this palace before then I’d definitely recommend touring it also, but you’ll need to purchase a separate ticket.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival Dates and Prices for 2026:
August 22 – November 1, 2026
Adults: Monday-Friday: 15 € Weekend and Holiday: 16 €
You’ll save 1 € by buying tickets online. Here are details of other discounts for various groups and families.
The biggest draw of the festival are the pumpkin sculptures, basically scenes made out of hundreds of pumpkins. There is a theme for the pumpkin statues each year. In 2023 the theme was fire and in 2024 it was Girl Power. Some of the statues fit in perfectly and some of them are a bit of a reach, but it’s nice to know that there is a different theme each year. They do reuse some of the sculptures, so if you go multiple years you’ll see them again, although there are always some new ones.
On weekends there are special activities. You can see pumpkin carvers at work making hilarious displays. One day there is even a regatta with competitors paddling pumpkin boats! I didn’t see this one, but the video I saw made me think it’s definitely something I want to see in the future! Who knew that pumpkins floated?!
There is also a competition for the biggest pumpkin in Europe. The winners are on display and they are huge (like over 200 kg huge)!
For a few euros you can stock up on gourds and pumpkins to take home to eat or decorate your house. There are also stands where you can buy goodies to take home like pumpkin pasta, pumpkin oil, pumpkin-shaped candy, and items to declare your love of pumpkins.
Of course, there is pumpkin-flavored food available, too! Things like pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin pie might not be a surprise, but you’re in Germany so there are also pumpkin bratwursts, pumpkin spaetzle, and pumpkin prosecco. Plan to enjoy lunch here or at least a snack!
Tips for Visiting the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
- Bring water, layered clothing and sun protection. The gardens are vast and there is a big difference in temperature between the sun and shade.
- Sample the food, but be prepared to wait. There are long lines for food over the lunch hour.
- Wear good walking shoes.
- Go earlier in the season. Pumpkins rot, and as you can imagine, the exhibits look best with fresh pumpkins.
- Try to avoid weekends and holidays. These days can be so crowded that the crowds will negatively affect your experience.
The pumpkin festival has been going on for 25 years and this is truly one event that the whole family will enjoy! If you plan to go you may also like to know The Best Things To Do In Stuttgart or attend the Cannstatter Volksfest that is happening around the same time.
