Masses of pumpkins – but it's more of a cozy harvest festival than a scary Halloween, the organiser says.
The Vinholdt Andersen family from Boeslunde love playing games, which is why the pumpkin festival's competitions are right up their alley. Here, mother Jeanette, father Dennis and seven-year-old Alma compete in can throwing with pumpkins. (Photo: © Freja Engkilde. DR.) Right now
Pumpkin bowling. Can throwing with pumpkins. Puzzle room with pumpkin mysteries. Pumpkin laboratory. And all sorts of other things with pumpkins.
Everything is built around pumpkins at ‘Denmark's largest pumpkin festival’, as they call themselves. It takes place at Havnepladsen in Skælskør this week.
This is the sixth year in a row that the pumpkin festival has been held, and more people come each year, says Mette Kimer, who is the organiser of the festival.
- There have never been as many guests as this year. The first year we just wanted to do a cozy local event. But even then we could see that there was a demand for it. And it keeps getting bigger and bigger, she says.
It is free to participate in the pumpkin festival, so Mette Kimer does not know the exact number of visitors, but she estimates that around 8,000 come by over a week.
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Pumpkins are a hit
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The Vinholdt Andersen family from Boeslunde are crazy about pumpkins, and they have been to the festival for several days, says mother Jeanette, who is there with her husband Dennis and their seven-year-old daughter Alma.
- We have of course also carved pumpkins, and yesterday we got to draw on some pumpkins down here.
And the festival has also inspired pumpkin-based dinners, says Jeanette Vinholdt Andersen.
- Yesterday I chose to serve pumpkin soup. I'm not sure my husband thinks it's that great, but when you add bacon on top, it's okay, she says.
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More harvest than Halloween
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However, there is not much Halloween or spookiness about the festival. And that is entirely intentional, says organiser Mette Kimer.
- We make a big point of there being no spookiness here. There are plenty of people who are really, really good at that, but we deliberately choose not to do it. Here it's a harvest atmosphere.
- You can play, and you can eat pumpkin. You can also make volcanoes in pumpkins. I don't think you can do that many other places. So I think we've hit on something here, she says.
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