Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival

Came here on the first day of the festival, with my friend who is a Half Moon Bay native. We got there around 8:30 am, and all of the parking was basically already pretty full. We found a spot about a 10 minute walk away, but I suggest getting here even earlier if you want options!
Overall the festival had some great attractions, vendors, food, and activities. We watched the parade, which features a lot of local business and organizations, went through the haunted house which is put on by the local children’s theater (and is actually pretty well done), and tried a few snacks and things along the way. If you’re planning on purchasing drinks, they do require you to purchase a wine/​champagne glass, as well as tokens which equal one drink. A little pricy but I guess it’s nice to be able to take a souvenir with you.
This was only my second time coming to the Festival, but overall it was a fun experience!

I spent a long time trying to cross on Hwy 92 and found it necessary to turn off at Skyline Blvd.

First time here for my hunnie and I. We were Lucky enough to foLLow our good friend and her famiLy to HMB’s annuaL pumpkin festivaL.
Traffic here is no joke. There was bumper to bumper traffic aLong both ends of the freeway so be prepared to be patient.
First of aLL, parking is super annoying and be prepared for a waLk and/​or sheLLing out money. Depending on what car you have, you will be charged $ 10-​$ 20/​per car.
SecondLy, Come through with shoes that you don’t care for. The dirt became mud when it started to get wet and tracking all that mess in the car (aLong with cLumps of hay) is not fun.
Third, Come dressed up! There were festivaL-​goers of aLL ages in HaLLoween costumes or decked out in orange attire with fLamboyant accessories.
There is fun for aduLts and kids ranging from mugs of beer, gLases of wine, and a fun parade where candy is handed out to kids.
Weather got pretty bad so we ended up Leaving right after the parade. There didn’t seem to be too many vendors seLLing food so it was kind of a bust for me in that aspect.
Depending on my mood, I may or may not decide to come back. It’s nice to say experienced it once but i don’t think it was great enough to entice me with a future visit.

The festival itself is always a blast. However, they have got to figure out better parking. If it takes two hours to get out then it makes one wonder if it is worth the hour drive there?
Also, better beer is always good

MINI PUMPKIN DONUTS, WHAT!!!
Definitely my first time coming to the festival and I must say that it was a lot of fun. I mean, shieeeeeeeeet… I couldn’t resist them mini pumpkin donuts. Lol.
My man friend and I left San Jose around 8:45 am on a Sunday to make sure we don’t get caught up in the highway 92 traffic. Well, we reached 92 and there was a little bit of traffic but we weren’t in traffic for long. We parked at those $ 10 parking lot, walked to the festival and saw lots of humans.
Festival had a ton of vendors, music, Pumpkin flavored food (mini pumpkin donuts yo!), wine, beer (Half Moon Bay Brewery Calf-​eine Stout yo), haunted house and kids activities. Oh one more thing, LOTS OF DOGS. So I was reading the festival information on the website before coming here and they wrote «no pets allowed» HA! These residents obviously DGAF about the policy. I did see a lady who was holding her super pretty grey cat on a leash that my man friend pointed out to me. Yup. Cuteness overload.
The weather was beautiful — sunny but a breeze. We went to Sam’s Chowderhouse afterwards for some psot-​Festival nomnoms and it did not disappoint. Shieeeeeeeet.

Irregardless of how good or bad the actual festival might be, the HORRIBLE TRAFFIC is enough reason to NOT GO to this festival… It’s just not worth it.
Actually, the HORRIBLE TRAFFIC ruins the day for someone who just wants to go to a pumpkin patch and not the festival itself, because the entire Highway 1 and 92 intersection is gridlocked for the ENTIRE DAY!
The town is too small and the streets just can not handle the amount of traffic. There are no back roads or ways to avoid the grind.
We were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for 2.5 hours round trip from the peninsula.
The festival itself was basically way over priced arts and crafts.

First pumpkin festival! Great weather.
More of a street festival than a pumpkin festival. I felt like there should have been more of a focus on food (but probably because I was starving and there just weren’t that many options). The street booths were typical though, nothing too special. Street performers (British guys from Pacifica?) were entertaining and people seemed to enjoy them.
Parking was so-​so. Lots of free spaces and lots of $ 10 or $ 15 options with some that give the money to local organizations, which is awesome!
Traffic though. Man, that traffic. Didn’t expect so many people from SF or even Sacramento to come over to the festival. Leaving is worse than getting in. Plan for two hours if you’re trying to get out after 2 PM or so…

Too crowded. Didn’t even get to see winning pumpkin. It was behind curtain and you had to pay to get photo with it. Ridiculous. Poor vendors could hardly sell anything and it seen like there was some true art there but it was too crowded to see it. No where to sit to attempt to enjoy the food. Wouldn’t bother to go again.

I ended up at the festival unwillingly. There was NO sign warning drivers that were driving through that Johnston is NOT a through street. (One car being allowed to cross the festival every 15 min is not a thru street.) The side streets should have been entirely blocked off to through traffic. Instead we sat on Johnston for an hour to go two blocks and finally parked and pulled our hungry toddler out and went to the nearest restaurant in the festival. I hope someone in city planning will see this and fix it. I would like to actually WANT to go to festival — not be sucked in unwittingly by craptastic planning.

I’ve lived in the Bay Area my entire life and finally at 43, I ventured down to the famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.
I’ve heard that you’ve got to go EARLY or traffic can be a nightmare so I had every intention of doing that. But, we ended up getting a late start and left the house around 9am. Yes, we hit traffic but honestly it’s wasn’t bad and it only took us about an hour from our front door to the festival.
Parking is a little hit or miss. We paid $ 10 for the whole day which really isn’t to bad and it wasn’t a dirt lot where your car gets covered in dust.
The festival itself it large. Lots of vendors selling cool things, live music on several stages, plenty of KidZone areas for families with younger kiddos and of course, lost if folks in costume. Although we didn’t watch the parade, we saw quite a few fantastic costumes. My favorite was a mom and her two daughters dressed as Sock Monkeys. Adorable!
The crowds were kinda overwhelming. At some parts it was literally shoulder to shoulder which makes enjoying the vendor booth kinda tough. My biggest disappointment was the lack of pumpkin food vendors. Sure there where a few but I had much higher expectations.
We tried the pumpkin Mac-​n-​cheese which was good but all it had was regular Mac with a sprinkling of pumpkin spice and pumpkin seeds. My daughter got the pumpkin ice cream and that was pretty yummy too. Where was the pumpkin chili, pumpkin soup, pumpkin curry, pumpkin risotto, roasted pumpkin, candied pumpkin etc? Corn dogs, Brussel sprouts and clam chowder have no place here.
I must say that the crowd was incredibly friendly with lots of families. But be warned, with families come
Strollers … I HATE strollers at these types of festivals. But I also know that babies can’t always be held and toddlers need to be locked in. So it’s just something you gotta be patient with.
The traffic going out of HMB was pretty rough but only until you passed the pumpkin farms. So if you’re planning to go, expect traffic and lots of crowds and just relax with some good tunes and take it slow.

If there was a way to give this a 3.7 star review, I would. The arts and crafts is by far the best of the area. It features artists from the greater Bay Area that I would have never taken the time to look for online. This year (2015) there’s plenty of soap vendors, pumpkin flavored drinks and food. There’s outdoor furniture, window reps, jewelry makers etc.. Get here early, as in by 7:30am, or else parking is impossible and forget about the nightmare traffic. I still think it’s worth the drive.

If you’re looking for handcrafted food, you might find it here.
The Best Tasting Pumpkin Pie stand had a stack of Costco pumpkin pies. The pumpkin chili was just a giant can of chili from Costco with pumpkin and cinnamon added it it. Pumpkin Mac and Cheese courtesy of Velveeta.
If you want overpriced processed commercial food, you’ll find it here.
You may be fortunate enough to find a couple of baked goods that are homemade, but those are the treasures you have to dig for. Otherwise this would have been one star review.

Best festival ever. Lots of great vendors with a little bit of everything.
Delicious food selections. Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, Pumpkin Rolls, Pumpkin Ale, Apple-​Pumpkin sausage. and much much more.
Lots of kid friendly activities. Pancake breakfast.
Plenty of porta-potty’s.

Love this time of month, there is a lot of community love involved with putting on this festival. All the early birds line up early for some pumpkin pancakes outside Cunha’s Country. Things you don’t want to miss is the parade on Saturday, the giant pumpkin contest and the live bands. Lots and lots of vendors, people wine and art! My personal favorite was being out side that nice grocery store Cunha’s Country Store, there was a band outside the store that played great country music ever and there sandwiches are amazing. There are many food vendors out there to choose from I guess I rather have a giant sub and be safe :) for 6.50 you defiantly get your money’s worth.
You have to plan ahead for traffic it is insanity! If you can stay in half moon bay and just walk :)

Being that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, I always feel the need to do something festive to honor it. My normal celebratory event is a haunted house with friends, but not this year. I chose to enjoy the HMB Pumpkin & Art Festival with my best friend & godson. It had been years since I had been to the festival so I was excited to experience it all again. The weather was unusually warm so not sure if this was the reason for the large turnout, but it was packed (and hot!).
The festival is free to attend, but food, drinks, etc. all cost. There were lots of arts & crafts booths to shop from, food vendors including pumpkin specialties, as well as wine & beer vendors. My friend & I opted to purchase a commemorative wine glass to enjoy some mimosa’s. We walked around & visited one of the few designated children areas for her son to enjoy. The festival had everything from face painting, rock climbing, to bouncy houses for the kiddos.
Around noon the annual parade starts with a plethora of people in costumes, farm tractors, large pumpkin displays, & HMB locals representing their community. The parade seemed like a local tradition & very family-​oriented. The parade was well organized & crowd control by local police was well handled. I’d say the only (small) issue is navigating through the crowds, if you have a stroller this can be daunting! It’s definitely a festival that I’ll attend again, especially with children.
**A word of advice — go VERY early or take back roads in otherwise, you’ll be stuck in traffic for an hour at least.

We’d had the Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival on our list for years & years but notorious traffic rumors kept us away… until this year
We were smart enough to book a B&B & make a staycation out of it… so parking issues were therefore nonexistent & we could focus on the festival itself.
SUPER crowded — and the stroller-​brigade was utterly brutal! On Sunday we actually had to escape the festival early due to all the screaming meanies. My ears couldn’t take it anymore
Saturday’s parade was cute & we got to see the new North American record-​holding, largest pumpkin… but the people lining the streets were very cutthroat about protecting their spots. 1 tall, mountainous, guy in particular absolutely would not let this teeny girl in front of him — telling her she should have come there 3 hours earlier to pick her spot like he did. Wow!
But guess there are these kinds of people everywhere you go so let’s focus on the PUMPKIN!
We actually found there were more HMB shops & arts & crafts booths offering pumpkin & halloween-​themed goodies than there were actual food stands w/​pumpkin
I scored some cute glass pumpkin earrings & a fun, floppy sparklie-​pumpkin hat. We also tried on some other pumpkin hats that were funny. The Mr found a cool pumpkin t-​shirt…& we saw the master pumpkin-​carver in action!
But if we combined all the shops, the local restaurants where we had dinner, & the festival itself, have to say we were the Bubba Gump of pumpkin!
Final tally for the festival: pumpkin pie, pumpkin chai, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin mini-​donuts, pumpkin custard donuts, pumpkin soup, pumpkin salad, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin cake, pumpkin masala, pumpkintini, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin roll, fried pumpkin, pumpkin ale.
It was an A-​OK, Great Pumpkin kind of weekend! Not sure I’m aching to go back immediately but maybe in a few years?

This is by far my favorite Art and Wine Festival!
What a great way to kick off Autumn.
I have been coming here with my family since I was a kid and now I bring my family.
There are a ton of vendors, music, pumpkin flavored food, a haunted house, kids activities…
Overall a great festival.
Traffic can be an issue and parking as well, but if you plan ahead you will be fine.
Fortunately, in all the years I have been coming here I really seem to luck out in both of these areas.
We take Hwy. 17 to PCH and it is a beautiful drive.
Note: Stay OFF highway 92!

Came with the gf to the HMB Pumpkin festival last Saturday. I’ve been here a couple times, so I was somewhat prepared for the chaos on the road and at the festival. Patience is MANDATORY for this event!!!
Things to be prepared for:
1.) 92 is a parking lot (be prepared to wait at least an hour from ²⁸⁰⁄₉₂ all the way to the festival). So, going super early is helpful.
2.) Parking is a challenge, but can be made easy if your willing to pay (typically $ 10 – 20, the higher the closer you park to the festival). Keep in mind there is free parking, just be prepared to walk.
3.) This is a VERY popular event and there are LOTS of people. My major grip is all the strollers. Seriously people, this really kills the festival. I’m talking traffic jams from freaking strollers. RIDICULOUS! It took my gf and I forever to get around, just because of the strollers.
4.) The crowd is diverse. I would say the demographic is mostly families than anything else, probably 30 – 40’s but you have your outliers.
5.) Drinks are the highlight of this event, so bring lots of cash! Wine is $ 5 – 6 for a glass, then you have to get a $ 5 token for the drink. Beers are $ 5 – 6. Be prepared for the lines.
Overall, I don’t mind this festival. Its worth it to checkout every 4 – 5 years, last time I went was in 2009; pretty much the same olé thing, nothing new except more strollers and traffic jams. The festivals in the peninsula seem better, just my observation!

Here’s the thing.
This festival is so big that there will always be a huge crowd and some logistical difficulties. You have to know what you are doing.
I always go at 6 am. You can get prime parking and in and out of a breakfast spot without waiting an hour. If you leave past 8, plan on being in 2 hours of traffic.
The most fun «pumpkin» part is watching Farmer Mike carve his huge pumpkins. There aren’t a ton of physical pumpkins but you can get pumpkin beer, pie, smoothies, ice cream etc. The vendors are always fun to look at, if you like buying art from these sort of events then this one will give you more than your share of choices.
Parking won’t be free. Deal with it. If you’re there early, you can at least get into a lot for $ 10-​$ 20.
I love the pumpkin festival and I’ll continue to go each year.
Also, don’t take dogs. I learned the hard way. The sheriffs walk around asking you to pick them up or put them in strollers because people frequently get bitten. Luckily my dog is small and we had a stroller.

I have been going to this festival for a while and every year it seems to lose something.
I concur with other Unilocalers who note that pumpkins are not the focus of the festival. That’s unfortunate. It seems like there should be events such as pumpkin carving contests, pumpkin pie eating contests etc. Instead, it seems to be more of an arts and crafts event, and even the arts and crafts are not Halloween themed (for the most part).
If I were a child at this event, I would be unhappy. Can’t they do a hay ride? How about at least a big slide? Bobbing for apples? Or maybe a costume contest? Corn maze? Pumpkin patch?
Here are the particulars:
1. Parking. There has got to be a better way. Yesterday when we left, it was all out fighting to maneuver into the street. And I’m not kidding-​people yelling at each other and laying on their horns. You can pay $ 5 or $ 10 to park in a lot, but it will still be terrible getting in and even worse getting out.
2. Adults. Please proceed to the information booth, where you will purchase a wine glass for $ 5, along with several (at least 3 – trust me, it’s a long day) $ 5 tokens. Then get thee to the wine stand with haste. Designate a driver. Repeat as necessary.
3. Hoods. This is the first year I’ve noticed a distinct hood factor. Drunks yelling at other drunks and whatnot – even in front of the kiddos. The later it gets, the worse it gets. Dislike.
4. Food. Ugh. The saddest part. The offerings include garlic fries, sautéed veggies (green beans, brussels sprouts, and artichokes), sausage sandwiches, mac ‘n’ cheese, burgers, turkey sandwiches, clam chowder, tamales (sold out both days), kettle corn… Notice I haven’t mentioned anything pumpkin flavored yet? Well, they do sell pumpkin logs (with cream cheese icing), pumpkin ice cream (delicious), pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pie and pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese. Do they at least sell pumpkin seeds? No. Pumpkin beer? No. Pumpkin-​flavored coffee? Nope.
5. Souvenir Pictures. Yes, you can have your picture taken with a big-​ass pumpkin. 3 pictures = $ 20.
6. Wifi. Okay, not necessary I realize, but there was little to zero internet connectivity. Doesn’t make or break the event of course, but it does kinda bug. If you get separated from your party, good luck.
7. Cheddar. Remember to get lots of $$ from the ATM before you show up. Long lines at the BofA.
8. Weather. Man, it was darker and gloomier than «The Bell Jar.» And frakking cold! Clearly it’s no one’s fault, just an FYI.
+1 for Teasy the clown.
Look, this isn’t terrible, it just could be so much better. It’s a lot of effort for a so-​so payoff. Get there early and leave early.