Seriously sizable pumpkins to go on hefty display in Half Moon Bay

FINDING A MEGA PUMPKIN? You can, if you turn on a movie that takes place in a fairytale landscape, the sort of whimsical destination where gourds grow as large as houses. Games, too, can sometimes feature fanciful fruits and vegetables, and playing a tiny field mouse, or another adventurous critter, means you'll spend a lot of time gazing up at gargantuan produce. But for real-life pumpkins that are powerfully plump-a-licious, you'll want to make for the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival. The name says so much: You'll encounter all sorts of autumnal imagery there, including carved pumpkins, pumpkins on canvas, and pumpkin treats. But the jaw-dropping-est of the bunch? Look to the colossal contenders, the biggest pumpkins to compete at the annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-off.

"MONSTER GOURD": The eye-popping victor of the 2024 showdown, which took place Oct. 14, was a 2,471-pounder grown by four-peater Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota. As is tradition, The Grand Champion Pumpkin, and four other fabulously gargantuan gourds, will be on display at the Art & Pumpkin Festival, which sprouts around the heart of Half Moon Bay on Oct. 19 and 20. Live tunes, photos with all sorts of pumpkins (giants and otherwise), pie-eating competitions, chances to show off your costume, and a variety of lighthearted, oh-so-Halloween-y happenings will festoon the venerable celebration. Entry is free to the festival, too. For the full schedule and all of the enormous pumpkin action you're seeking, curl, like a vine, through this informative site now.