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Girls with squash, c.1940
Home » Events » Squash & Pumpkin Festival

Squash & Pumpkin Festival

This season, join us at the Garden Museum to shop, sample and share in the joys of squash and pumpkin. 

In partnership with Pennards Plants, the first Squash & Pumpkin Festival at the Garden Museum will be a celebration of autumnal abundance. Browse and buy unusual varieties, or pick up some seeds to grow your own. Our Food Learning team will be rustling up some tasty samples to inspire your home cooking, plus you can discover vegetable science in our learning space.

The pinnacle of the festival will be the Squash & Pumpkin Competition! Bring your entries in the morning to be judged in the following categories:

  • Largest pumpkin/squash: £100 prize
  • Ugliest pumpkin/squash: £25 prize + runner up prizes of seeds
  • Children’s competition: make an animal using a pumpkin/squash as the body. Goody bags for all entries, plus prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Winners will be announced at 3pm.

Festival Schedule

10.30am-4pm
Museum and Festival open.
Nave: Vegetable Science ‘Fungal Fizz experiments’ and ‘Squashed Squash under the microscope’.

11am-12pm
Clore Learning Space: Family activity, make a pumpkin paper plate. Suitable for children 3+.

12pm-12.45pm
Learning Studio: Live cooking demo and talk on squash varieties including squash risotto sampling!

1.30pm-3pm
Learning Studio: Drop-in tasting of 3 dishes using various squash and pumpkins.

2pm-3pm
Clore Learning Space: Family activity, make a pumpkin paper plate. Suitable for children 3+.

3pm
Nave:  Pumpkin Prize giving.

Image: Girls with squash, c.1940