Published on octobre 28th, 2025 | by Paddleworld
Giant Squash Makes a Giant Splash
With enough dedication, anyone can row a boat…and apparently, anything can be a boat – even 500-pound gourds!
Every October, thousands of onlookers gather around the lake at Elk Grove Park to watch a scene straight out of a storybook: full-grown adults carve supersized squash into boats, drop them into the water, and line up for a race.
This unmistakably autumnal spectacle is part of the Elk Grove Giant Pumpkin Festival, an annual event hosted by the Cosumnes Community Services District in Elk Grove, California, on the first weekend of October. The parks and recreation department first created the harvest celebration around an international Giant Pumpkin contest. Back in 2006, festival organizers were looking for ways to bring more pumpkin attractions to the growing event. They learned of a pumpkin regatta held in Nova Scotia, Canada, and decided to recreate it since the festival takes place around a small lake. Between the regatta, the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, and all the classic attractions of a family-friendly festival, there’s no shortage of sights to see!
« A few loyal contestants even grow pumpkins specifically for the Regatta. »
31 years later, both the festival and the pumpkins keep growing larger! Recent festivals have attracted over 50,000 visitors and numerous 1-ton pumpkins. The 2025 festival even broke its previous Weigh-Off record with a gourd weighing a monumental 2,147 pounds.
While the three heftiest pumpkins from Saturday’s Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off must remain on display throughout the weekend, the other giants (weighing between 500 to 1,000 pounds) may be entered into the Regatta on Sunday. A few loyal contestants even grow pumpkins specifically for the Regatta.
Turning pumpkins into watercrafts is no small task – and contestants only have a few hours to do it! Pumpkins are buoyant, but it is impossible to guess which part of the pumpkin will be floating above the water. So, with the help of a forklift, skippers place their gourd in the water, mark the water line with a permanent marker, and then bring it back onshore to begin the carving process. Though they must use their own tools, contestants often receive help from their families in hewing out enough room for their legs and torso. Then, it’s time for the main event.
« There are no guarantees when you’re relying on a gigantic fruit to carry you across a lake – but it is always entertaining! »
Armed with nothing but an oar and sheer determination, the pumpkin pilots must paddle across the lake (roughly football field-sized), pick up a flag at the dock, and make their way back, all while obeying the most difficult rule: stay inside the pumpkin! This most important rule makes the event more of a balancing act than a speed race. While the pumpkins are surprisingly seaworthy, they are not fond of being steered, nor is the lake a fan of all the activity. Some pumpkins tip over and force their skipper to swim back with the boat in tow; others veer off course and end up soaking their skipper in the lake’s fountain. There are no guarantees when you’re relying on a gigantic fruit to carry you across a lake – but it is always entertaining!
Though it’s far from the only event of its kind, the Giant Pumpkin Festival’s Pumpkin Regatta is the only one in all of California. From concept to contest, this race is an event for the community, by the community. Its one-of-a-kind passion and excitement even reach an international community: videos of the race have gone viral twice, once in 2023 and again in 2025.
Learn more at CosumnesCSD.gov/GPF and become a friend of the festival on social media @ElkGroveGPF.
Words: Aela Veerkamp, Assistant Communications Specialist – Cosumnes Community Services District
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