The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta began in 2004 when the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers sought a location for an end-of-season paddle featuring a few giant pumpkins. What started as a small gathering has since evolved into the award-winning West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, hosted at the Lake of the Commons, which now attracts tens of thousands of attendees each year.
Over the past two decades, the Regatta has earned a national reputation as one of Oregon’s most anticipated fall events, drawing spectators from the Pacific Northwest, across the U.S., and even Canada. It has garnered significant media attention, being featured on platforms like Wild Travels on OPB, CNN, and The Travel Channel, and has been recognized as one of the “Seven Best Fall Festivals in the United States” by National Geographic and one of the “Top 24 Fall Festivals in the U.S.” by US News & World Report.
The Regatta boasts a variety of activities, including kids’ costume contests, pumpkin bowling, pumpkin golf, clown shows, souvenirs, delicious hot food, and much more.
A special thanks goes to the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG), whose members generously supply the pumpkins that make the Regatta possible. For more information on the PGVG, growing giant vegetables, or participating in the Terminator Weigh-Off, visit their website at www.pgvg.org.
Admission to the festival is free as are most of the activities.
Schedule of Events
10:00am Welcome and Sponsor Recognition
10:15am Tualatin High School Marching Band Pep Rally
11:00am Mz Pearl Variety Show
11:30am Dancing Witches (East Side)
12:00pm Pumpkin Races 1 & 2
1:00pm Mz Pearl Variety Show
1:00pm Dancing Witches (East Side)
1:30pm ZomBees performance (East Side)
2:00pm Pumpkin Races 3, 4, & 5
3:00pm Kids’ Costume Contest
3:00pm ZomBees performance (East Side)
4:00pm Event Closes
Pumpkin Races
The pumpkin races will be at 12 pm and 2 pm
12:00 pm:
Heat One: This race is for members of the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers. This fabulous club grows the pumpkins for the Regatta. They paddle their own pumpkins or can have a friend paddle for them.
Heat Two: This race is for our Sasquash Sponsors and invited special guests.
2:00 pm:
Heat Three: Tualatin Police, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue and paddlers from the online paddling quest
Heat Four: These races are for the people
and Five: that were selected from the online paddling quest.
Getting there:
The Pumpkin Shuttle is back! Park in one of the many lots along the route and hop on the Pumpkin Shuttle which drops you off just two blocks from the event. Parking is available at Kaiser Permanente, Bellagio’s Pizza, The Oregon Clinic, and Hedges Green Shopping Center.
Please respect the no parking signs and our neighbors that are open for business that day.
ADA parking is available at 8460 SW Nyberg Street on the west side of the lake.
Bike Valet – Ride your bike and park in the FREE bike valet located at the corner of SW Nyberg Street and 84th Ave in the RECS parking lot.
Activities
- Pumpkin Bowling – Knock down bowling pins using a pumpkin in one of four bowling lanes.
- Pumpkin Golf – Try to hit floating golf balls into pumpkins in the lake.
- Pumpkin Tic Tac Toe – Look for tic tac toe around the lake and play with mini pumpkins.
- Pumpkin Checkers – Stop and play pumpkin checkers at one of the boards set up around the lake.
- Pumpkin Decorating sponsored by Tualatin Together.
- Kids’ Costume Contest. Sign up begins at 10:00am at the Information Tent. Limit of 25 kids per age group.
- Clown extraordinaire Heather Pearl will be back to entertain the crowd with Mz. Pearl’s Variety Show.
- Zombie Shoot Out – Sponsored by Impact Action Sports.
- Face Painting
- Craft Tent – Sponsored by Willowbrook Arts Camp.
- Professional Pumpkin Carvers – Watch pro carvers Tom Lindskog and Tim Pate work their magic.
- Giant Pumpkin Selfie Station– Snap a pic with the top three winners from the Terminator Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off.
- Regatta Swag – Visit the Pumpkin Regatta Store to pick up t-shirts, posters, stickers, and more!
- Strolling Entertainment – Keep an eye out for strolling entertainment by the Tualatin High School Marching Band, ZomBees Acapella Group, PDX Dancing Witches, Roaming Pirates, stilt walkers, and Ryse Thomas’s giant puppets!
- Giant Coloring Mural
