The Great Pumpkin Carve 2026 (October 15-17, 2026)

The Great Pumpkin Carve 2026 Thursday, October 15th, 02:00pm – 9:00pm Friday, October 16th, 02:00pm – 10:00pm Saturday, October 17th, 12:00pm – 10:00pm PURCHASE SPONSORSHIP NOW Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food Join us for a three day ‘Chadds Ford tradition’ where over 70 giant pumpkins are carved & lit by local artists on Thursday night and will be lit and displayed on Friday & Saturday. All three nights enjoy a ‘Haunted Display’, raffle prizes and live music from “Kenny Thompson & Friends”. Food, local craft beer and wine are available for purchase. Dates: October 15-17, 2026 Hours: Thursday 2-9 pm Friday 2-10 pm Saturday 12-10pm https://youtu.be/6oArG8jLw0w*Parking is FREE: Follow signs to General Parking to the Meadow next to the Chadds Ford Historical Society. Police are at Creek Road / Route 1 traffic light and the entrance and exit to the parking lot for traffic flow. Furry Friends: We do love the furry family members, but we ask that you leave your dogs at home during your visit to the Great Pumpkin Carve. With the footing, crowds and night-time setting, we want to keep them safe, so we are not allowing dogs at the event. Service Dogs are allowed. *This is an outdoor event where the Pumpkin Patch area is in a grassy meadow where there can be divets and unlevel ground. The Haunted Trail is in the tree grove area where there is uneven ground and roots. We ask that you wear comfortable footwear and dress for outdoor weather. Unfortunately, the area of the property where the event will take place is hard for wheelchairs and power scooters to maneuver on stones and in a field. We apologize for this and hope our visitors understand, since this is an ongoing concern we have with our outdoor events.https://youtu.be/h1ocbJ7t3no*HAY RIDES: Due to wet conditions in the meadow area at this time of year, we made the decision to no longer have Hay Rides at the Pumpkin Carve. The soft ground makes it difficult for the tractors to maneuver – we apologize to any hayride lovers that look forward to them every year at the event. Thank you for your understanding. Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food Local Food & Adult Beverages at the Great Pumpkin Carve Food Vendors BBQ Clubhouse BBQ Kamal Rhodes Check out their website Top Dog Concessions Truck 1 Chicken Wraps / Italian Sausage George Malin Check out their website Yo No Se Tacos Mexican Jose Luis Caltzalco Check out their website Kettle Express Variety Bill Conrad Check out their website Fletcher’s Kitchen Variety Devin Fletcher Check out their website Billy’s Pretzel Wraps Variety Bill Fisher Check out their website The Meat House Variety Scott Gagnon Check out their website SPECIALTY FOOD VENDORS Mochiatsu Donut Donuts/Bubble Tea/Korean rice dogs Igor Tarasyuk Check out their website KJ Foods Funnel Cakes Katrice Wilson Check out their website Rosie’s Kettle Corn Kettle Corn Stacy D’Agostino Check out their website Travelin Toms Coffee Coffee Mike Cardile Check out their website Top Dog Concessions Truck 2 Lemonade / Soft Pretzels Goerge Malin Check out their website Petruccis Ice Cream Ron and Chris Littlewood Check out their website Adult Beverage Sly Fox Beer Corey Reid Check out their website CF Winery Wine Sofia Mac Tough Check out their website Mead Steve Occhiolini Check out their website Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food Pumpkin Carve Artisans Pennsylvania Distilling Company www.penndistilling.com Too Fat Cats Quilting Revolution Bees LLC www.revolutionbees.com Wolfpack Creation www.wolfpackcreation.com Swarmbustin’ Honey www.911honey.com Dough Sweet www.doughsweet.com River Road Candle Works www.riverroadcandleworks.com Sylphic Designs Pickledude www.PKLdude.com Chester County Cart Company www.chestercountycartcompany.com Liberty & Co. www.libertyand.co 2 Pour Carvers Fair Weather Trading Company www.fairweathertradingcompany.com Lady Ellens Fine Ware https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyEllensFineWare?ref=dashboard-header Allison Cosmos The Art and Design of Allison Cosmos 949-371-3957 http://www.allisoncosmos.com Instagram Pinterest Facebook Flowers in Bloom www.flowersinbloompa.com Flowers in bloom | Facebook. Lo’s Logo Embroidery & LV’s Crafts & Designs www.Loslogoembroidery.com Custom Inlays by Chel www.Chelsinlays.com The Neon poodle www.theneonpoodle.com Philip Marc Sons of Liberty www.philipmarcsonsofliberty.com PHILIP MARC SONS OF LIBERTY PhilipMarcSonsofLiberty.com philipmarcsol2@gmail.com 609.320.7457 Check out our new Etsy Shop! Shirts, hats, magnets and more! https://www.etsy.com/shop/PMSonsofLiberty Signboards: PhilipMarcSonsofLiberty.com Follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/philipmarcsonsofliberty Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philip_marc_sons_of_liberty/ Follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pmsol1776 EARLY AMERICAN LIFE MAGAZINE’S “BEST TRADITIONAL ARTISANS IN AMERICA” 2015-2024! Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food Live Music Schedule Thursday, Oct 16th 2pm – 5:30pm “The Wayne Rangers” (Blue Grass) 5:30pm – 9pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music) with special guests Max and Denise (Acoustic with an Edge) https://maxanddenise.com/ Friday, Oct 17th 2pm – 6pm “The Wayne Rangers” (Blue Grass) 6pm – 10pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music) with special guests The Sin City Band: Scott Birney, Stevie Hobson, Dave Berry (Good time music for everyone!) Facebook https://share.google/emFNUyGEacBALhBR1 Saturday, Oct 18th 2pm – 6pm “The Wayne Rangers” (Blue Grass) 6pm – 10pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music) with special guests the “Chadds Ford Allstars!” “Kenny Thompson & Friends” are Kenny Thompson, Kevin Delaney, Billy Graham & Karen Hennigan “Kenny Thompson & Friends” is the band that has provided music for The Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Great Pumpkin Carve for the past 33 years. The “Pumpkin Carve History” link tells about how the event got started. The music began and grew in a similar manner to the Carve itself. Local musicians were inspired to bring their instruments, join in the event, and entertain the crowd. Kenny recalls Caleb Cressman & Brandywine Bill, as well as some of the carvers themselves, including Pete Renzetti and Jimmy Lynch being among the first. Kenny Thompson, along with his bandmates from the Rural Rhythm String Band, Dave Culgan, Leo McDermott, Chris Ferrier, and Eric Paulson, were among the earliest players to jump on that proverbial bandwagon. In fact, Kenny believes he may be the only person to have played every Carve except that first one! As the event grew, it moved to various local venues, and whoever showed up was welcome to play. And many did! It was in 1992, when the Chadds Ford Historical Society gave the festivities a permanent home and expanded it to a three-night event, that “Kenny Thompson & Friends” became the official band of The Great Pumpkin Carve of Chadds Ford. In addition to Kenny, the band’s nucleus has been Kevin Delaney, Billy Graham, and, in more recent years, Karen Hennigan. In 2023 they were honored to be the subject of the cover story in the October issue of Chadds Ford Neighbors Magazine. The article gives more details about the history of their role providing music for the Carve over the last 33 years. Every year they call on some of the area’s best musicians to come out and become “Friends” for an evening. Mark Schultz and the Wayne Rangers Mark Schultz and the Wayne Rangers are a dynamic ensemble rooted in the rich traditions of American and world roots music. Known for their performances, the group blends bluegrass, old-time, country, folk, swing, klezmer, and Celtic influences into a harmonious and energetic sound. Led by the talented, the band features tight vocal harmonies, impressive instrumental work, and a deep appreciation for musical storytelling. The Wayne Rangers (Mark Schultz, Lewin Barringer, Larry Feldman and Ron Greenstein) bring authenticity and charm to every stage. Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food About the Pumpkins When the Great Pumpkin Carve started in front of the old Chadds Ford Inn, the native pumpkins were provided by SIW Vegetables, a historical farm located right here in Chadds Ford. They weighed between 150 and 400 pounds. Most of them were of the variety “Prize-Winner,” a drought resistant pumpkin that tends to be bright orange. There were also a few “Atlantic Giants” which tend to be paler and sometimes a less regular shape. In 2025, SIW Vegetables decided to retire from the farming business, so we had to venture into Lancaster County to find a farmer who started growing the pumpkins for the event in 2024. A Huge thanks to H.G. Haskell and the entire SIW crew for their steadfast support for over 50+ years! Pumpkin Carver Registration Every year, 70+ carvers participate in our popular community event, The Great Pumpkin Carve! Carvers are registered on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to submit your form as soon as possible. SEE BELOW for the 2025 Carver Registration Registration is closed Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Media Food Sponsorship Opportunities at The Great Pumpkin Carve The Great Pumpkin Carve offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities for businesses and individuals. If you are a business looking for ways to enhance your public image and increase visibility in the community then this well attended and highly popular event is right for you. If you are an individual who likes to take part in this annual tradition, then sponsoring a pumpkin is a fun way to share the joy of Halloween. PURCHASE SPONSORSHIP NOW Be an “Event Sponsor” This historic event draws in 10,000+ spectators over the three days. Be a part of this wonderful event by being an “Event Sponsor”. Click the below link to download the form. Mail the form and payment to the Chadds Ford Historical Society by Friday, October 11, 2025. 2025 PC Sponsorship Opportunities.pdf Sponsor a Pumpkin For just $100 you can sponsor a pumpkin and get your business name in front of thousands of people. Each sponsor is listed on a sign posted next to one of the carved pumpkins. Pumpkins are selected randomly. Click the below link to download the form. Mail the form and payment to the Chadds Ford Historical Society by Friday, October 11, 2025. Sponsor a Pumpkin Form.pdf Volunteer Our volunteers help to make the event as successful as it is and we couldn’t do without them! Sign up to help out and get in for free the day of your volunteer shift! Volunteer for Event Thank You To Our 2025 Great Pumpkin Carve Sponsors Banshee Sponsors Phyllis Recca Foundation WSFS Bank PS Orthodontics Headless Horseman Sponsors Chadds Ford Complete Services Pollock Music Lessons Broomhilda Sponsors RBC Wealth Management Ducklings Early Learning Center – Pocopson The Henderson Group Wegmans Food Markets Many Thanks for Ongoing Support From Chadds Ford Tree Service Chadds Ford LIVE Raffle Donations Each year, the Great Pumpkin Carve features a variety of raffle items donated by the community. These might be baskets of goodies, coupons for services or restaurants, crafts / works of art or tickets to sports events. Thousands of visitors check out the prizes and take a chance to win their favorite choice(s). Its a great way for businesses to promote their product or service along with helping support the historical society. If you are interested in donating to the raffle, click the link below to download the donation form which contains instructions. Thank you! Contacts Events@chaddsfordhistory.org for donations Raffle Form_PC 2025 Music About Registration Sponsorship Volunteer Raffle History Artisans Food History of the Great Pumpkin Carve Each year at the Great Pumpkin Carve, over 70 carvers gather to sculpt, saw and chisel giant pumpkins – some weighing up to 400 pounds – before crowds of enthusiastic onlookers. This unique Chadds Ford tradition began in the early 1970’s when Andrew Wyeth and his son, Jamie, were convinced to carve pumpkins for decorating the inside of the Chadds Ford Inn (today Brandywine Prime). Other Chadds Ford artists joined in the carving and, within a few years, the event spread from the Inn’s front porch all the way across the lawn of the Chadds Ford Gallery. As the Pumpkin Carve grew it moved to larger and larger venues, finally landing in the meadow behind the Chadds Ford Historical Society in 1992. The Great Pumpkin Carve is held as an annual fundraiser for the Chadds Ford Historical Society. Videos and Media Coverage https://youtu.be/2XBLc75lFt8https://youtu.be/7trjMrnugtchttps://youtu.be/h1ocbJ7t3nohttps://youtu.be/6oArG8jLw0w