Founded in 1903, Circleville Pumpkin Show is one of Ohio’s oldest festivals. It brings in over 400,000 people each year who come to eat pumpkin foods, enjoy the parades and entertainment, shop among the vendors and more!
2026 DATE: October 21-24, 2026 (TENTATIVE)
Location: Downtown Circleville
Website: https://www.pumpkinshow.com/
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This post documents my experience on October 18, 2025.
You can also read about my 2010 experience at
https://ohiofestivals.net/circleville-pumpkin-show/
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The Circleville Pumpkin Show began in 1903 when the Circleville’s mayor, George Haswell, tried to bring together those who lived in the country with those in the city.
He asked farmers to bring their best and biggest produce to down on certain days so that those in the city could appreciate it.
More than 120 years later, farmers are still bringing their best produce to the show…
…showcasing enormous pumpkins…
…selling seeds and gourds….
…and providing plenty of photo ops.
But the Circleville Pumpkin Show isn’t quite the same as it was when it started.
Along with the addition of the Pumpkin Man in 1976…
…who still skates around today…
…the festival has expanded from 3 to 8 city blocks…
…offering a large assortment of carnival rides…
…games…
…exhibits of competing baked goods, arts, canned foods and more…
…and multiple stages for live music…
…and all sorts of competitions.
Spread out throughout the show…
…groups and organizations held booths, offering health info and awareness…
…political promotion…
…and support for local artists…
…while gift vendors sold jewelry…
…seasonal decor…
…plenty of T-Shirts…
…some beautiful glass pumpkins…
…and an abundance of booths selling hats, blankets, accessories and more.
But shopping wasn’t why people came to the show.
They wanted the pumpkin food.
Early in the morning, a line formed…
…to get inside Lindsey’s Bakery…
…for a peek of their giant pumpkin pie…
…and a taste of their delicious pumpkin donuts.
But there were also pumpkin cupcakes and bread…
…pumpkin fudge, taffy and brittle…
…pumpkin floats with pumpkin ice cream…
…roasted pumpkin seeds…
…pumpkin elephant ears and funnel cakes…
…pumpkin whoopie pies and hot pies…
…pumpkin carmel corns and kettle corns….
…and so much more.
There were even pumpkin treats for dogs…
…pumpkin sauces to accompany your corn dog…
…pumpkin hot chocolate…
…and savory pumpkin dishes like chili, pizza…
…and burgers…
…a personal favorite of mine…
…and one I highly recommend.