A pumpkin regatta is a water-based racing competitions where competitors row in giant pumpkins, often over 1,000 pounds. [1] The events often coincide with fall festivals and Halloween celebrations. [2] [3]
A pumpkin regatta is a water-based racing competitions where competitors row in giant pumpkins, often over 1,000 pounds. [1] The events often coincide with fall festivals and Halloween celebrations. [2] [3]
The first pumpkin regatta was organized by Danny Dill and held in Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1999. [4] The launch of the Windsor Pumpkin Regatta then inspired the creation of pumpkin boat races across the United States. By 2001, a pumpkin regatta was hosted in Goffstown, New Hampshire. [5] In 2004, Ron Wilson and Jim Sherwood launched the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, which has been held in Tualatin, Oregon annually. [2] [4] In 2005, pumpkin regattas were held in Maine, on the Damariscotta River, and on Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. [3] [6] The Wisconsin regatta is organized by horticulture faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [6] The regattas now regularly feature thousands of spectators and are attended by people from across the United States and Canada. [2] Pumpkin regattas have also been held in Burlington, Vermont; Taunton, Massachusetts; and in the United Kingdom and Germany. [7] [8] [1]
