Myriad Botanical Gardens is putting a Mother Road spin on its biggest fundraiser of the year, transforming the downtown Oklahoma City park into a pumpkin-covered tribute to Route 66. This year's Pumpkinville festival carries the theme Road to Route 66, celebrating America's Mother Road with seasonal displays, pumpkin murals of famous roadside landmarks, and the thousands of pumpkins that have become the event's signature.
According to News 9, the festival will feature pumpkin murals inspired by some of Route 66's most iconic stops, including the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Pops Arcadia, the Wigwam Motel in Arizona, and the Cadillac Ranch in Texas. The displays run Thursday through Monday and are designed to let visitors explore Route 66 sights and stories without leaving the 15-acre downtown garden. Kelli Hayward Walsh said Pumpkinville brings families, neighbors and visitors together to celebrate the season and explore Route 66 sights and stories, according to the same report.
Why Route 66 Anchors This Year's Theme
The choice of theme is no coincidence. Route 66 was officially established on November 11, 1926, meaning 2026 marks its 100th anniversary, and Oklahoma's stretch of the highway includes more than 400 drivable miles, more than any other state along the route, according to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. Route 66 helped define the American road trip and has deep historical roots in Oklahoma, giving the Myriad Gardens Foundation an obvious hook for its fall centerpiece event.
The centennial push extends well beyond the garden gates. Ahead of 2026, the state established the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission and allocated grant funding to help local municipalities and attractions prepare for an expected surge of tourists, according to a statement from the Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor's office cited by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Myriad Botanical Gardens had already leaned into the theme earlier this year, anchoring its May Splendor in the Gardens fundraising dinner around Route 66 as well, according to the Myriad Botanical Gardens event page.
A Fundraiser With Deep Roots Downtown
Pumpkinville is more than a photo backdrop. First launched in October 2012, the festival has grown over its history into the Myriad Gardens Foundation's largest annual fundraiser, per the event's listing on Downtown OKC. Michelle Furrer said every visit helps support the Myriad Gardens Foundation's mission to keep the gardens thriving as a place where people of all ages can learn, explore and connect with nature, according to News 9. Pumpkinville proceeds support the nonprofit's educational, aesthetic, cultural and economic development mission, funding horticultural displays, educational programming, and year-round community experiences at the garden.
The scale of past installations gives a sense of what organizers are capable of building each fall. In 2025, the festival's Museum of Pumpkinville theme used more than 50,000 pumpkins and gourds, while 2024's Mythical Creatures theme, which Hoodline covered when it transformed the gardens that year, used more than 30,000, per figures reported by MetroFamily Magazine. Myriad Botanical Gardens itself dates back to a 1960s downtown revitalization plan designed by architect I.M. Pei, officially opening in March 1988.
Rides, Pumpkin Painting and a Pooch Parade
Beyond the murals, Pumpkinville includes family activities such as unlimited rides on Mo's Carousel, pumpkin painting, storytelling, sensory-friendly night options, and the Spooky Pooch Parade, according to event details compiled by OKC Mom. General admission tickets typically run $9 to $10 per person, with free entry for members and children 2 and under, and Myriad Gardens is offering a $10 discount on first-year membership dues this year as part of its campaign to promote free entry to the festival.
The festival's reputation extends beyond Oklahoma City. In September 2022, Pumpkinville was voted the No. 1 fall festival and pumpkin patch in the country in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest, according to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. With the Route 66 centennial drawing extra attention to Oklahoma this year, organizers appear to be betting that the Mother Road theme will pull in both longtime Pumpkinville regulars and out-of-state visitors tracing the historic highway through the state.
