Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival Guide 2025

The Great White North Pumpkin Fair is easily the highlight of my fall every year. Originally I came for the pumpkin drop; who wouldn’t want to see a 400 pound gourd dropped on a car!? But I continue to return every year for more than just that incredible spectacle. It’s been nearly a decade since my first visit and I’ve distilled down the schedule to make for the perfect day. Here’s my Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival Guide for 2025.

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When is The Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival

The Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival is conveniently held the exact same time every year: the first weekend in October. For 2025, the dates are October 3rd-5th. Though a full weekend of pumpkin festivities sounds amazing, I recommend going for the Saturday if you can only attend one day.

Getting Around The Smoky Lake Pumpkin Fair

All the events around Smoky Lake are walkable for most people; it’s my preferred mode of transport around town as I like to see the fall foliage and decorated houses. For those who have mobility issues, tire easy, or have young children there is a shuttle service that stops at all the main attractions. Here is a pdf of last year’s map to understand the layout.

Great White North Pumpkin Fair Official Schedule

There is a plethora of activities in and around town to enjoy over the weekend which I don’t have it in me to attend them all. This schedule is a list of my persona favourite spots to hit at a reasonable easy pace. Crowds still feel overwhelming to me however this is a manageable agenda.

11:00 am – Pumpkin Park

We aim to arrive around 11am in order to fit in all the important bits without feeling rushed. After parking along Railway Drive either on the street or in the grassy area (weather dependent), we usually meet up with friends in Pumpkin Park. Firstly because it’s an easy to locate spot but also I insist on seeing it every year as I cannot resist kitsch.

The park consists of large fake pumpkin statues that you can climb and pose on. These photos are deceptive as this area is crawling with people. I recommend getting photos later in the day when it’s cleared out. Here’s the full post for my pumpkin spice outfit.

11:30 am – Curling Rink Perogy lunch

One thing I’ve learned is that eating early is always a good idea at this festival because it gets busy. Nothing is worse than being hangry in a massive line. Though there are a plethora of food trucks over by the midway, my number one choice is getting a perogy plate the curling rink down the block from Pumpkin Park.

Sadly I do not have a photo of the perogy plate but I will be sure to take one this year and add it in. For any vegetarians out there, you can ask to replace the side of meat with extra perogies. The staff are lovely and accommodating.

12:30 pm – Show ‘n’ Shine

Once sated by the perogy plate, we walk down White Earth Street to check out all the classic cars in the Show ‘N’ Shine. It’s nice eye candy to take in while making our way to the main festival area. Since the cars out from 9am to 3pm, I like to pass through it as most of the action is happening in the latter part of the afternoon so there’s never enough time afterwards to see anything.

Once past the car lined mainstreet, we take a left down 46 street and another left on 53rd ave admiring the neighbours festive decorations.

1:00 pm – Farmer’s Market & Midway

You never know what pumpkin themed item you might find at the farmer’s market. From pumpkin flavoured treats to homemade pasta, I never leave without finding something special. The name is true to the market, there are legit farm stalls full of fresh produce there too – including pumpkins for carving!

As for the midway, there is a mix of small fair rides and classic games to check out. This can eat up a lot of time but I try and budget around an hour for this area before moving on to the threshing demo a short walk away.

2:00 pm – Threshing Demo

Do not overlook the threshing demo, it is fascinating to see in person! Watching old machinery chop grain kernels from wheat stalks is thrilling. And they even pass out baggies of the edible grain kernels to the crowd. We cooked ours and used them in an salad.

While waiting for the demo to begin, we toured the barn full of farm equipment adjacent to the display. If this farm chic mannequin isn’t enough to convince you to check it out, I don’t know what else will. 

2:30 pm – Pumpkin Weigh Off & Auction

The pumpkin weigh off begins at noon but I prefer to catch the tail end of it when the real action begins. With that said, if you want to get a good seat and cannot stand, I suggest going a little earlier than this.

The threshing demo is a short walk away from the arena where the weigh off is held. Inside is where you’ll find all the Smoky Lake Pumpkin Fair Merch such as t shirts, hoodies, patches, and more. For all the kitschy souvenir fans out there, this is for you.

There’s something so satisfying seeing oddly shaped pumpkins being forklifted onto a stage and guided by youth in festive orange jumpsuits to a massive scale. The energy is electric! It’s had to believe a vegetable can grow this large, photos do not do it justice.

When the weigh off is complete, the public can get photographs with the collosal gourds as well as the smaller ones behind the curtain. Seeing them up close is a must.

3:30 pm – Food Truck area

Usually around this time I’m ready to take a break and sit down for a bit. The food truck area outside of the arena is impossible to pass by without spotting at least one delicious treat I need.

4:00 pm – Choose Your Own Adventure

Typically this is the point in which we slowly walk over to the pumpkin drop area to get a good spot HOWEVER, this could also be an excellent time to check out the corn maze. I have yet to go to the maze, but this might be my year!

5:00 pm – Getting Good Pumpkin Drop Seating

If you want front row seats to the greatest spectacle in the county, I suggest arriving at least 30 minutes early. The ground is quite rough so having a blanket to spread out is the way to go. Bring snacks and good company to pass the time.

5:30 pm – THE PUMPKIN DROP

This is the highlight of the festival. If seeing a pumpkin lifted onto a scale wasn’t thrilling enough, then watching it suspended in the air and dropped onto a vehicle certainly is. 

That hollow thud is SO SATISFYING. I look forward to this moment every year. Here’s a still from a video I took:

You can watch my full pumpkin fair vlog over here.

Smoky Lake Pumpkin Festival Guide

Of course there are many other things happening in and around town to check out beyond what I’ve listed above. But I find that unless you’re arriving much earlier or attending multiple days, it’s way too much to fit in. 

To avoid the traffic heading out onto the main highway, we take 50th street out to highway 855 to get back to Edmonton. It’s a scenic route that passes by Métis Crossing, a stunning property that I hope to stay at one year during the pumpkin festival. That way I would be able to fully immerse in all the weekend has to offer!

photographs – jesse sand + sandy joe karpetz