Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival-The Best Fall Festival in Germany
The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is THE fall event to hit in Germany. There aren’t as many fall farm festivals or pumpkin patches here, but going to a castle and looking at pumpkin displays is the a great alternative. The festival has everything from a gorgeous setting, pumpkin food and drinks, and impressive and interactive pumpkin sculptures!
Ludwigsburg is just outside of Stuttgart, Germany-about a 30 minute drive. The festival takes place at Schloss Ludwigsburg, the city’s palace.
Address: Schlossstrasse 30, 71634
In 2024 the festival runs from August 23-November 3. Beginning on October 26, the festival will come alive with light displays at night as well as part of the garden’s Leuchtende Traumpfade.
The festival is open everyday from 9:00-8:30. The gastronomy (food vendors) and shops don’t open until 10:30 and close at 5:00.
Looking to plan more great travel in Germany? Make sure you read this post about Garmisch-Partenkirchen!
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What to do at the Pumpkin Festival
Upon entering the palace grounds, you will be greeted with a grand royal garden. At our visit in late September the flowers were blooming and beautiful! The palace really is lovely and would make a great place to visit any time of year-festival or not.
The pumpkin festival is set up behind the palace. Once you walk around the back you’ll start seeing vendors selling pumpkin foods, a marketplace where you can buy different types of pumpkins, and giant pumpkin sculptures inline with that year’s theme.
Wander around taking in the pumpkin art and find your way to the gastronomy area where you can try all kinds of pumpkin dishes like pie, bread, soup, spaghetti, even pumpkin fries (pommes)! The pumpkin soup and the pumpkin secco (sparkling wine) are two can’t miss dishes.
Also on the palace grounds is the Märchengarten which is a fairytale area. There are little houses and displays set up telling some of Germany’s favorite children’s stories. You can even find Rapunzel’s Tower where you can yell to Rapunzel to let down her hair (and she will). There are many interactive things in this part of the palace, so don’t miss it, especially if you are visiting with kids!
The palace grounds are quite expansive and you can also find a pond, old carousel, some cages with birds, a Japanese garden and more.
Special Events at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
Make sure to check the website for special events happening during the festival. Here’s a list of special events during the festival:
Pumpkin Fairytale time is every Saturday and Sunday.
Pumpkin Regatta, where people get inside giant pumpkins and race on the water is Sept. 21& 22.
German Pumpkin Weighing Championship is on October 6.
European Pumpkin Weighing Championship is October 13.
Giant Pumpkin Carving Festival October 20.
Halloween Pumpkin Carving for everyone October 26, 27, and 31.
More events here!
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How to Get to the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival
If you take the train to Ludwigsburg, you can walk to the palace in about 10-15 minutes from the main Ludwigsburg Hauptbahnhof.
If you come by car, you can park on the street if you find a spot or park at a nearby garage and walk.
It is best to arrive in the morning, close to the opening time. This helps you beat the crowds. By 11:30 AM the lines for food were quite long. We got our food around 11:00 with no wait and plenty of seating available. The festival crowds only get larger through the day. We left around 2:00 when the masses were showing up.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival Tickets
You can purchase tickets at the palace when you get there or online. There is also a ticket machine located at Mömpelgardstrasse.
We arrived in the morning and didn’t have to wait more than 5-10 minutes but by the time we were leaving around 2:00, there was a long line of people waiting to purchase tickets.
The general prices are:
16 EUR per adult (weekends & public holidays)
7 EUR per child (weekends & public holidays)
under 4 is free
Family tickets available. Save a few euros per ticket if you purchase your tickets online instead of at the cash desk.
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival Tips
Bring cash! Cards were accepted almost everywhere in the festival in 2023, but the coffee stand only accepted cash. It’s also a good idea to have some cash for parking just in case. One year I wasn’t able to get the parking app to work.
Arrive early. As mentioned earlier, the festival gets more crowded as the day goes on. It’s best to be there earlier than the masses. We recommend eating early if you can to avoid waiting in line for food and searching for open tables. Come on a weekday if at all possible, the crowds are WAY less.
Bring your own snacks and water. Even though there are places to buy food and drinks, with kids it's always best to have extras on you for whenever the tantrums strike.
Wear comfortable shoes. The festival and grounds are quite large and you will do a lot of walking. If it has rained recently, the grounds can also be muddy.
Bring a wagon or stroller to haul home pumpkins. There is a marketplace with many varieties of pumpkins for sale. It’s a great place to buy some pumpkins to bring home for your fall decor. Having some wheels makes it easier to carry them out.
Hotels Near the Pumpkin Festival
This modern one-bedroom apartment located walking distance from Schloss Ludgwigsburg is a good option for families.
This 4-star hotel is closer to the center of Stuttgart and more things to do. Hotel has apartment style rooms.
Or use the map below to help you find a good fit for an accommodation.
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Overall the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival is truly an enjoyable event for all ages! This year made our third visit and we surely would come back again. If you can’t make a visit in the fall, consider coming in the spring when the palace has an Easter display, summer when they do sand sculptures.
Have you visited the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival before? Tell me below in the comments!
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