Autumn Pumpkin Festival
Our Autumn Festival weekends are September 24 & 25, October 1 & 2, October 8 & 9, October 15 & 16, and October 22 & 23. During these weekends we will have a variety of fall activities in addition to the corn mazes, petting zoo, and fun farm. Autumn Festival activities include:
- Lots of autumn photo opportunities
- Pumpkin picking
- Maize flour pounding
- Corn husk figurine making
- Burlap scarecrow making
- All regular maze attractions (corn mazes, petting zoo, pig races, tractor wagon rides, fun farm activities, etc.)
Autumn craft activity stations take place from 10 am to 4:30 pm.
Standard admission rates apply. The Calgary Corn Maze will donate $1 to the Alberta Cancer Foundation for each child that comes in costume during our Autumn Festival weekends.
Our pumpkins are grown in a few locations (a smaller patch at the maze, a larger patch 40 minutes northeast of Calgary). Growing pumpkins around Calgary is tricky due to our unpredictable weather. However, our dedication to growing and supplying great pumpkins has made us one of Calgary's largest destinations to pick a fall pumpkin. Since there is such a high demand, we also have certain varieties of pumpkins supplied to us from southern Alberta, BC, and Washington.
Pumpkins are typically harvested in mid-September and placed into greenhouse storage so that they can ripen (this is standard practice for pumpkins grown in central Alberta). We bring them back from the greenhouse to our site starting the last weekend in September so that our corn maze visitors can pick a fall pumpkin. Pumpkins are placed in the field and around the site on weekends, and in our pumpkin house. It is important that we keep them in a heated indoor area during the nights and pumpkins cannot withstand cold September and October night time temperatures.
The types of pumpkins we have available (while supplies last) are:
- Jack O'lanterns - Our Jack O'lantern sized pumpkins range between $.40 and $.50 per pound. The average weight of our pumpkins is 17 lbs (about 5 lbs bigger on average than your store bought pumpkins), so our average pumpkin will be approximately $7.
- Mini Pumpkins - We have Wee Be Little mini-pumpkins that are great for decorating, carving, or cooking. Mini-pumpkins are approximately 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 lb in size. The cost is $1.00 per pumpkin (including the cost to decorate them). Supplies are limited.
- Pie Pumpkins - Great for pies, carving, or its hulless seeds are great for roasting. Pie pumpkins are 7 inches in diameter, and 2 to 3 lbs in size. The cost ranges from $3 to $4 depending on pumpkin size and pie pumpkins range from 2.5 to 6 lbs in size. Supplies are limited.
Since our Autumn Festival takes place at the time of year to give thanks, we donate all pumpkin proceeds to local charities. Autumn Festival weekends are typically our busiest days of the season, therefor pumpkins are only available to maze visitors (admission is required).
