Harvest Pumpkin Festival Family Day
- Date
- Time
- 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- Cost
- Free admission and free family activities
- Location
- Interior Provincial Exhibition Fairgrounds (3315 Pleasant Valley Road, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0)
Harvest Pumpkin Festival Family Day brings the community together for pumpkin-themed activities, science fun, wetland displays, the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In, and the Great Pumpkin Launch.
Join us on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at the IPE Fairgrounds for Harvest Pumpkin Festival Family Day, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Enjoy giant pumpkins, pumpkin launching, live demonstrations, hands-on activities, entertainment, great food, and plenty of fall fun. Admission and family activities are free.
The Armstrong Farmers Market runs from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM in front of the Horticulture Building.
Full festival programExplore the Scarecrow Trail
Pumpkins, launching & fall photos
- Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In: entries from 9:00 to 11:00 AM; winner announced at 11:00 AM.
- Great Pumpkin Launch: trials at 12:00 PM; competition at 1:00 PM.
- Harvest Photo Op — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: bring your camera for fall photos, including photos with the giant pumpkins.
Hands-on activities & demonstrations
- Okanagan Science Centre: build and test mini catapults.
- Moo-Bile Dairy Classroom — 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM: milking demonstrations, crafts, a scavenger hunt, and more.
- KG Woodcraft with Kamron Garbe: live woodcarving demonstrations.
- Iron and Hammer Forge with Michael Lobsiger: live blacksmithing demonstrations.
- DragonFly Make & Take with Marilyn Bridge — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: in the Horticulture Building; one dragonfly per person.
- Quilting For You with Susan — Pumpkin Gnome Make & Take, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM: in the Horticulture Building.
- Homespun Haven with Sharon Eliason: Make-and-Take Felting Kits.
- Armstrong Preschool — Kids Fall Art Make & Take, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: in the Horticulture Building.
- Girl Guides: cookies and a Kids Make-a-Treat activity.
- Wetlands Group: educational display and kids activity.
- Glad Tidings / Community Cares: Operation Christmas Child display and plate/mask decorating.
- Vision Overhead Doors: Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin, free drinks, and a fall display.
Entertainment & more to explore
- Armstrong Legion — Pumpkin Cornhole, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Square Dancing with Will Cullen — 10:00 AM: behind the Horticulture Building, moving indoors if the weather requires it.
- Stef Be Tuned — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: roving entertainment and balloon twisting.
- Face Painting with Christine Turpin — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department: check out the big fire truck.
- 1602 Designs: stop by for a visit.
- Happi Dani — Tea Tasting, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Thank you to the Armstrong Kin Club, proud sponsor of the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-In and Great Pumpkin Launch. Watch for their 50/50 too!
Start at the HPF Welcome Booth
Say hi to the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce volunteers, make your guess in the Candy Guess, and fill out an entry for an HPF Door Prize.
Come hungry
Food and treats will be available from Armstrong Lions Club, Shabbang, PV Blvd Coffee, and Black Sheep Baking Company.
Bring your family, friends, and camera for a day of fall fun!
The Great Pumpkin Launch team registration deadline was Friday, October 2. See the complete Great Pumpkin Launch event listing.
A glimpse of past festivals
Pumpkin-filled entrances and community gatherings from previous Harvest Pumpkin Festivals. Select a photo to view it full size.
Festival supporters
Harvest Pumpkin Festival is proudly presented by the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce.
We gratefully acknowledge the Government of Canada for funding support that helps make Harvest Pumpkin Festival programming possible.
Thank you to Askews Foods Armstrong, Armstrong Kin Club, and Armstrong Regional Cooperative for their community funding support.
