If your personality changes radically at the sight of the first orange leaf on a sidewalk, we might just have found your next outing. Just a few kilometers from Brussels, the Château de Grand-Bigard park is about to take on the airs of an autumn fairy tale. From September 25 to November 1, 2026, Pumpkimania returns with thousands of gourds, monumental sculptures, and enough pumpkins per square meter to make you forget we're still in Belgium.
Thousands of pumpkins in a castle park
This concept comes to us from Jucker Farm, in Switzerland, which has been imagining impressive pumpkin exhibitions for several years now. The idea? Large structures made of wood and metal wire are completely covered with pumpkins and squashes of different shapes, sizes, and colors, forming veritable life-sized sculptures. And when you know there are more than 800 varieties of gourds, the palette is slightly more extensive than Halloween orange!
een. For the 2026 edition, Pumpkimania has chosen a theme perfectly suited to the season: the magic of the forest. Foxes, owls, deer and other woodland inhabitants will appear as gigantic vegetable creations throughout a stroll in the castle gardens. All surrounded by thousands of pumpkins and decorations designed to transform the gardens into a charming autumn forest.Voir cette publication sur Instagram
You can paddle on the pond... inside an actual giant pumpkin
But Pumpkimania doesn't just line up pretty gourds for the photo ops. Every weekend, various activities complement your visit. You'll be able to buy your own pumpkin and carve it on-site, with work tables and tools available from 10:30am to 5:30pm. Specialized artists will also create sculptures directly into giant pumpkins. And then there's our personal favorite activity—probably because it seems to have been dreamed up after a particularly strange dream: paddling across the castle pond from inside a real giant pumpkin.
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These Pumpkin Boat Rides are organized on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am to 5pm, for both children and adults when the size and condition of the pumpkins allow for safe navigation. However, the number of pumpkins suitable for adults will be limited this year due to a poor harvest. Cinderella had her pumpkin carriage. In Brussels, they've opted for the pumpkin canoe instead!
A pumpkin weighing several hundred kilos will even be weighed
The launch of Pumpkimania will also feature quite a spectacular tradition. On Saturday, September 26th, Belgian growers will come to present their largest pumpkins in a weighing competition. The competition will begin at 2pm and the owner of the heaviest specimen will take home €1,000. A special prize of €300 is even planned for the pumpkin whose weight comes closest to... 300 kg. At the end of Pumpkimania, Sunday, November 1st, the giant pumpkins will be opened so that growers can recover their seeds. Their flesh w
it was then distributed for free to visitors, subject to stock availability. No waste, and potentially plenty of soup.View this post on Instagram
Even the menu gets into fall mode
Because spending a day surrounded by pumpkins without eating anything pumpkin-based would have been pretty inconsistent, the event also features its own Pumpkimania Kitchen. This year's menu includes: pumpkin soup, pumpkin fries paired with a touch of candied chestnuts, and the "Pumpkipanini"/b>. Dishes are prepared using pumpkins sold on-site. So we're literally one step away from maximum autumn vibes. The only thing missing is a cozy blanket, but that might be slightly awkward to carry while paddling.
And for Halloween, the château completely changes its atmosphere
Those who prefer the spooky season vibe over cottage-core autumn will want to wait until the end of October. From October 24th to November 1st, Pumpkimania switches into Halloween mode and opens daily until 7pm. A frightening trail stretching nearly a kilometre will then take over the grounds with animated puppets, lighting and sound effects, and decorations specially designed for Halloween. Visitors are also encouraged to come in costume. If you visit Pumpkimania during the day, the Halloween experience is included in your ticket. An evening-only ticket is also available from 6pm for €10 per person. Between the colours in September and the Halloween atmosphere at the end of October, so all that's left is to choose your side. Or come twice. We're absolutely not judging.
Pumpkimania 2026
Grand-Bigard Castle, Isidoor Van Beverenstraat 5, 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium
From September 25 to November 1, 2026