25th Annual Pumpkin Festival at Kidspace

The 25^th Annual Pumpkin Festival at Kidspace Children’s Museum, hosted by the Circle of Friends, returns to Brookside Park on October 19 and 20 from 9:30am to 5:00pm. Families can take part in carnival games, bounce houses, fall crafts, petting zoo, fun photo opportunities, and visit the pumpkin patch while enjoying live performances from local dance and musical groups. Entrance to Pumpkin Festival is free and tickets will be available for purchase for food and activities. Proceeds benefit Kidspace Children’s Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Pumpkin Festival has become a staple event for the Southern California region and this year Kidspace is celebrating 40 years of kid-driven learning and family experiences that create lasting memories. Kidspace has welcomed more than 5 million guests since its inception and is proud to have more than 6,000 member families.

Pumpkin Festival is organized by the Circle of Friends, the museum’s volunteer support group, and offers the youngest children a fun and safe way to celebrate fall. Festival co-chairs Chelsea Dickerson and Amy Hasquet are proud to be a part of this community-building event that has become a greater Los Angeles fall tradition hosting nearly 20,000 guests over the weekend. “We are incredibly grateful for our Circle of Friends. They spend months preparing for this amazing event and all the hard work pays off each year,” says Kidspace Chief Development Officer, Christine Franke. “Brookside park is filled with joyful families having fun together while money is being raised for the museum’s Kidspace for All access programs.”

In addition to supporting Kidspace, this community-based event welcomes more than 500 children from underserved communities, proudly known as VIPs (Very Important Pumpkins). The Circle of Friends provides each VIP with tickets and vouchers to be used for activities and food, as well as an admission pass to return to the museum for a future visit. Dickerson says, “Seeing the VIPs arrive and the excitement in their faces is the most rewarding aspect of Pumpkin Festival. Through the generous donations from our Circle members and the broader Pasadena community, we are able to treat all of our VIPs to pony rides, games, crafts, and lunch.”

Along with this year’s food trucks, the festival will feature an assortment of food vendors including In-N-Out Burger, Teri & Yaki, Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ, Kona Ice, and Pizza on Wheels. “This year we are thrilled to welcome the addition of food trucks to the festival including Surfer Taco, Farm Cup Coffee, and The Dough. These trucks are regulars to the Pasadena area and they are excited for a chance to give back to the community and Kidspace,” says Hasquet.

Pumpkin Festival is sponsored in part by Beat Buds, Everest Properties, Farm Cup Coffee, JACMAR Foodservice, Kaiser Permanente, KIND Bars, Kona Ice, Little Tikes, Nestle, New York Life, Outlook Newspapers, Pasadena Now, Pizza on Wheels, Power Crunch, Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ, Stratford School, Teri & Yaki, The Dough, The Surfer Taco, and Vital Proteins.

Kidspace Children’s Museum is
located at 480 N. Arroyo Blvd. and will be open during the festival. Free parking is available in Lot I in Brookside Park, adjacent to the Rose Bowl. For more information, visit kidspacemuseum.org/pumpkin, instagram.com/kidspacemuseum, facebook.com/kidspacechildrensmuseum, twitter.com/kidspacemuseum, or follow #kidspacepumpkinfest.

KIDSPACE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL LIVE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE