Cal Poly Pomona's annual PumpkinFest is set to return for weekends from Oct. 10 through Oct. 31, opening its gates from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for hayrides, a corn maze, a petting farm and a patch full of pumpkins ready for picking. The festival takes place at Cal Poly Pomona's Kellogg Ranch, located at 4102 S. University Drive in Pomona, and is run largely by the university's own students.
The festival's headline draw is its sheer volume of pumpkins, though sources differ on exactly how many. According to NBC Los Angeles, PumpkinFest features 30,000 university-grown pumpkins, while Kids Guide Magazine reports that Cal Poly Pomona's College of Agriculture grows 40,000 pumpkins for the annual event. Either way, visitors will find plenty to choose from, with pumpkin prices ranging from $5 to $25 or more depending on size and variety, per the same NBC Los Angeles report.
Beyond the patch itself, the festival packs in a mini corn maze, a sunflower patch, the Jr. Farmers Discovery Zone and a cow train pulled by an antique tractor. Cal Poly Pomona describes the event on its own site as offering “a giant corn maze to a petting farm,” with plenty of activities beyond the pumpkins themselves, according to Cal Poly Pomona. Admission also covers a hayride, children's activities, agricultural demonstrations and exhibits, live entertainment and photo opportunities, per Kids Guide Magazine.
Themed Weekends Roll Out Through October
Each weekend of PumpkinFest carries its own theme this year. The festival kicks off Oct. 10-11 with Pumpkinzania, featuring pumpkin-themed activities, demonstrations, displays and crafts led by Cal Poly Pomona, according to the NBC Los Angeles report. The following weekend, Oct. 17-18, brings the Insect Festival, with live insect displays and educational demonstrations covering agriculture, pollinators and ecosystems.
Indigenous Agriculture Weekend follows on Oct. 24-25, featuring demonstrations, displays and presentations about Indigenous agriculture, foodways, culture and knowledge. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and the broader Cal Poly Pomona community will both take part, per the seed report. PumpkinFest then wraps up Oct. 31 with Halloween at PumpkinFest, bringing Halloween-themed activities, crafts, demonstrations, displays and costumes to close out the season.
Shopping, Snacking and Getting There
The 909 Open Market will provide food trucks and vendors throughout the run, while the Farm Store separately offers specialty pumpkins, gourds and gigantic pumpkins for sale, according to NBC Los Angeles. Cal Poly Pomona notes on its festival site that shoppers can also browse a Marketplace curated by 909 Market. Pumpkins and petting-farm feed cups cost extra beyond general admission, the NBC Los Angeles report notes.
General admission runs $18 per person plus a ticket fee when purchased online, or $22 per person plus a ticket fee at the gate, per the same account. Children younger than 2 are admitted free. Parking is free, with accessible parking available adjacent to the festival in Lot U on South Campus Drive.
Student-Run Event Funds Farm Operations
PumpkinFest is planned, designed and operated by Cal Poly Pomona students, and proceeds from the festival support the Huntley College of Agriculture's farm operations, student clubs and outreach activities, according to NBC Los Angeles. The university also hosts schoolchildren, scout troops and other community groups for weekday field trips to the pumpkin patch throughout October, per the same report. Students can pick up discounted passes at the Farm Store by showing their Bronco student ID, according to Cal Poly Pomona.
Tickets and additional information for the 2026 festival are available at pumpkinfestival.cpp.edu. Cal Poly Pomona's event joins a broader lineup of Southern California pumpkin patches opening this fall, including Pumpkin City's Pumpkin Farm in Laguna Hills, which Pumpkin City says opens Oct. 1 with rides, games and an Oktoberfest Beer Garden running through Oct. 31.
