Every year, Ludwigsburg Palace transforms into the ultimate pumpkin paradise, hosting the world’s largest pumpkin festival. This epic celebration showcases everything you can imagine related to pumpkins. From sculptures made entirely from pumpkins to any pumpkin-flavoured food you can imagine and even a canoe regatta with hollowed-out pumpkin sailboats! If you’re a fan of pumpkins, Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is certainly the place to be.
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If you find yourself in Stuttgart or the Ludwigsburg area during autumn, the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is a must-visit destination. With plenty to see and do, all set against the stunning backdrop of Ludwigsburg Palace, it’s the perfect way to celebrate the season.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival: Everything you need to know
What you need to know
- Where in Ludwigsburg does the festival take place? It’s held in the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace
- When does the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival take place? The festival runs from the end of August to the beginning of November
- Do you need to pay to get in? Yes, I’ve listed the prices below.
How to get there
It’s really easy to find the pumpkin festival in Ludwigsburg:
- By public transport: Bus lines 421, 427, 430 or 444 to the stop Residenzschloss will leave you directly outside of the palace.
- On foot: If you’re walking from Ludwigsburg Station there are signposts along the way guiding you to the palace. The route isn’t complicated and it only takes around 15 minutes to walk.
- By Car: Parking is available at Mömpelgardstraße Parkplatz, and Parkhaus im Marstall. If you’re coming from Stuttgart you can take the B27 road up to Ludwigsburg.
Opening times
In 2024 the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival runs from August 23 to November 3. The festival is open daily from 7:30 am – 8:30 pm.
The Dream Paths event takes place from October 26 to December 1 and is open daily from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm.
Be sure to check the website for any unforeseen closures.
Entry fee
The entry fees for the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival also include your entry to the palace gardens and are as follows:
- Adults: 13.00€ on weekdays, 14.00€ on weekends and holidays
- Children (4-14): 5.50€ on weekdays, 6.00€ on weekends and holidays
- School children & students (15-28 with ID): 6.00€ on weekdays, 7.00€ on weekends and holidays
- Family ticket (1 adult, 2 children): 22.50€ on weekdays, 25.50€ on weekends and holidays
- Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children): 34.00€ on weekdays, 38.00€ on weekends and holidays
- Additional children on the family ticket: 4.00€ on weekdays, 4.50€ on weekends and holidays
Tickets for the Dream Path event are as follows:
- Adults: 13.00€
- Children & students with ID: 6.50€
My tips for visiting
- Get there early: The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is very popular and keeps growing every year. The event gets busier throughout the day so avoid the crowds and get there early!
- If you want to buy a pumpkin, bring something to carry it in: Lugging around a big pumpkin all day isn’t ideal. If you’re wanting to bring one home, bring a cart or bag to carry it in.
- Check which day the events are on: I’ve listed what there is to do in the next section. Most of the big events are only on specific days, so be sure to check the website.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival overview
The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is a highlight of the Blühendes Barock (Blooming Baroque) Festival, held in the gardens of Ludwigsburg Palace. This epic event showcases all things pumpkin, with around 400,000 pumpkins on display, representing 800 different varieties. The grounds come alive with pumpkin sculptures, featuring everything from giant radios to toadstools and birds. With plenty of delicious food and drink, as well as lots of different activities to try there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy.
What to do at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
There’s loads to see and do at the festival, here’s a run down of just some of the activities:
- Pumpkin carving: Of course, there’s pumpkin carving at a pumpkin festival! During weekends and holidays from September 21 – November 3 you’re able to buy and carve your own pumpkin to take home.
- Giant pumpkin carving (Professional): On October 12 & 20 see professionals carve out their giant pumpkins and vote for the best ones!
- Weighing of the giant pumpkins: The giant pumpkin weighing championship takes place on October 6th with the current record being over 1000kg!
- Germany’s largest pumpkin soup: Around 2000 litres of pumpkin soup will be made on September 28 & 29 with proceeds going to social projects in Ludwigsburg. A great reason to whip up 555 litres of soup!
- Pumpkin regatta: Between September 21-22 there’s a regatta like you’ve never seen before. Canoes are left at home and sailors take to the water instead in giant hollowed-out pumpkins.
- Pumpkin slaughter: On November 3 the giant pumpkins are cut open so their seeds can be collected.
- Pumpkin variety show: Turns out there’s more to pumpkins than just the big orange ones. The pumpkin variety show displays over 800 varieties of all different shapes, sizes and colours and is open from September 7.
Dream Paths
From October 26 to December 1 you can experience Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival after dark as the Dream Path event opens. A 1.5km illuminated trail with lights, lasers and audio effects brings the castle, the gardens and of course the pumpkins to life.
Food and drink at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
You can’t go to a pumpkin festival and not try out some of the pumpkin-flavoured offerings! From ice cream, soup and jam to pasta, cookies and even champagne, even those claiming not to enjoy pumpkin flavour are sure to find something they enjoy here. If you’re really struggling though, don’t worry. There’s also the Rose Garden cafe open in the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace.
Summary
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is the ultimate pumpkin festival in Germany. It’s the perfect place to celebrate the season and is the ideal day out with plenty to keep everyone entertained!
