The Great Pumpkin Farm’s Fall Festival will celebrate its 24th year as Western New York’s favorite fall destination when it opens at 10 a.m. on Sept. 14.
For seven consecutive weekends, the Fall Festival offers something for every age, including: amusement rides; hayrides; corn maze; the pumpkins and mum patch; pumpkin cannon; shooting gallery; homemade donuts, pies, cookies and pastries; Halloween decorations; and special events, such as the World Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest, the Trebuchet Contest and Oinktoberfest, New York State’s BBQ Cook-off – and so much more!
This year, the Great Pumpkin Farm has once again declared opening weekend – Sept. 14 and 15 – to be Armed Forces Weekend, in collaboration with WNYHeroes, Inc. The regular admission fee will be waived for active duty and retired military, police or fire department personnel who present proper identification to WNYHeroes representatives at the gate; they will also be permitted to bring one guest for free.
WNYHeroes representatives will also be on hand at an informational booth in the Event Center at the Great Pumpkin Farm.
Kicking things off on Armed Forces Weekend, there will be dinosaurs -- animatronic Vinnie and Teddy roaming the Corn Maze from noon to 4 p.m. both days in search of prey, and The Balloon Experts will be around, too, making their incredible balloon characters.
All attractions will be up and running on opening weekend. New features added this year include a Superheroes-themed Corn Maze and The Witches Brew Bar, which will be open every weekend, with live music inside or out (depending on weather). View the schedule.
The Great Pumpkin Farm is located at 11199 Main St. in Clarence and features plenty of free, onsite parking.
Festival Hours: 10 a.m. to dusk, weekends beginning Sept. 14-15.
Admission: $8 per person; children 2 and under admitted free.
(Discounted tickets ($6.50) can be purchased at all Buffalo & Rochester Wegmans locations.)
The admission fee includes the Magic Show with Mike & Annie; Cackling Hen Revue Show; petting zoo; face painting; cow train ride; tractor-drawn hayride; children and adult pie-eating contests; scarecrow-making contest; pumpkin decorating contest; mummy-wrapping contest and kids’ craft area.
Coupons with paid admission include: $2 off the Corn Maze; $1 off Panning for Gems; Boo Barn; Zombie Train; Jumbo Pillows; Pumpkin Slingshots (not available Oct. 20).
For More Info: Complete event information is available at www.greatpumpkinfarm.com.
WEEKDAYS AT THE GREAT PUMPKIN FARM:
The Great Pumpkin Farm will also be open weekdays, Sept. 16 through Oct. 31, from 10 a.m. to dusk. There is NO admission on weekdays, except on Columbus Day, Oct. 14.
The Pumpkin Palace is open weekdays and features Halloween decorations, a bakery and candy store. Guests can purchase pumpkins; cornstalks; gourds and cider. There’s also a petting zoo, hay maze and playground. Group tours are also conducted during the week for school and community organization groups.
About the Great Pumpkin Farm and the Fall Festival
Since 1996, when it first hosted the World Pumpkin Weigh-off and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for the first 1,000-pound pumpkin, the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence has grown. Its annual Fall Festival is Western New York’s largest fall family event in the region, and includes popular events such as OINKtoberfest, New York State’s Official BBQ Cookoff; the Pumpkin Trebuchet competition and the Pumpkin Farm Olympics.
