PumpkinFest 2025 - Oct 3, 4, 5!
EVENT INFORMATION
The Wizard of Pumpkinfest announces: follow the yellow trail to Pumpkinfest on the grounds of Patee Park and Museum properties!
Can you believe it? Pumpkinfest is 29 years old this year! Be sure to mark your calendars for October 3rd, 4th, and 5th for this annual free event! Pumpkinfest is held on the grounds of the Pony Express Museum and flows north to Patee Park. Watch us throw the switch to light up Pumpkin Mountain at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. Put on your favorite Halloween costume and participate in the parade, sponsored again by St. Joseph Hy-Vee. Midwest Central Outdoor provides great prizes awarded to winners of the children’s costume contest. The parade begins at 11 am in the Patee Market parking lot on Saturday, October 4th. Special thanks to Rent-All for support. NEW EVENT: 2025 make a scarecrow for Scarecrow Row! Details available at www.ponyexpress.org/pumpkinfest.
Some of the Main Stage lineup includes the Knobtown Skiffle Band, the Phil Vandel Band, BJ’s magic act, Will Stuck storytelling, Truth Academy Dancers, Huntz Family, Doc’s 100 Proof Band, Cade Polsgrove, and Jerry MacCoux. Gazebo entertainment includes Creatures by Theresa, Benton High School Orchestra, Julia and BJ Talley, Friends of the St. Joseph Library Book Giveaway, Carter Hewins, Hailey Hatley, and much, much, more! What a lineup - drop by and enjoy the festival and the free entertainment!
Please stop by and visit our many vendors during the festival, including Paul Kirkam’s Balloon Art and the HighBall Rides. Stop by and see some of your favorites from past years. We have food trucks galore dishing out their delicacies to hungry customers on 9th Street, by Patee Park.
Please bring little ones on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the Children’s Tent for free baby pumpkins and decorations or to the Pumpkin Shop where they can spend a little money to purchase gifts for family and friends. Orrick Acres returns with its beloved petting zoo. Saturday from 1 to 4 pm, take a trip back in time during a visit to the Pony School - a one-room schoolhouse built like those from the 1860s. The Pony Express Prospectors will be back again this year, demonstrating how to pan for gold and other club activities all three days!
Financial assistance provided by the St. Joseph, MO Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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VENDOR INFORMATION