Quick Facts
Half Moon Bay’s World Heavyweight Championship of Godzilla Gourds Celebrates 50th Anniversary Event on Monday, October 9, 2023!
Spectators Welcome!
735 Main Street
Half Moon Bay, CA
Prize at $9 Per Pound
at Stake for a
World Record Breaking
Pumpkin
Live Stream on
Half Moon Bay is an Official GPC Site
No weigh? Weigh! Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths!
The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, October 9, at the 50th Annual Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off — the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” — in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California and and this year organizers, in association with title sponsor Safeway, are upping the ante big time to celebrate the world’s greatest gourd growers.
Weigh-Off organizers and title sponsor Safeway are offering the world’s biggest top prize of $9/pound for the 2023 weigh-off champion. Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay.
The weighing of pumpkins will begin around 7am and anticipate ending the weighing around 11am followed by the awards presentation and luncheon.
Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn — a special $1,000 prize will be awarded to the “Joe Cotchett Family Most Beautiful Pumpkin”.
Additional special bonus prizes include: Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000; Biggest Coastside Pumpkin — $1,000.
Using forklifts and special harnesses, the gargantuan gourds will be carefully placed on a 5-ton capacity, industrial-strength digital scale under the watchful eye of officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner's Office of Weights, Sealers, and Measures. Half Moon Bay’s Weigh-Off will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site.
WEIGH-OFF LOCATION:
IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay CA. Get directions
LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK:
Follow the Weigh-Off Livestream on Facebook.
DELIVERY OF ENTRIES:
Growers are responsible for bringing their entries to the weigh-off by 7:00 a.m. Weigh-Off staff will move the entries using brute strength manpower, special harnesses and forklifts. All entries will be handled with care. See the Official Rules.
WEIGHING:
Weighing and inspection will be officiated by the GPC and San Mateo County Department of Agriculture Office of Weights and Measures. The official weighing will be conducted using a 5-ton capacity digital scale.
GROWER PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:
This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only. Growers are required to pre-register. Registration will be available online here closer to the event.
GROWERS AWARDS LUNCHEON:
There will be an awards luncheon to honor all contestants immediately following the Weigh-Off.
GROWERS VIP WELCOME PARTY, SUNDAY EVENING (OCT. 8) AT CAMERON'S INN & PUB:
Registered Weigh-Off growers and their traveling party (4 max.) are cordially invited to a VIP (Very Important Pumpkin) Party with complementary food and beverage at Cameron’s Inn & Pub on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 5-8pm. Please bring your Weigh-Off pumpkins to the VIP party for news media on-site to preview the Weigh-Off entries.
WORLD'S BIGGEST TOP PRIZE – $9/Pound
1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $9 per pound.
WORLD RECORD MEGA-PRIZE – $30k
The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off is offering a special $30,000 mega-prize for the world record breaking pumpkin at the prestigious Half Moon Bay event. To receive the $30,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay Weigh-Off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin. The current world record heavyweight champion pumpkin is 2,702.8 pounds held by Stefano Cutrupi of Italy set in late September, 2021! Magnifico!! Here's how the $30,000 breaks down: the winner receives a world’s biggest $9 per pound plus plus the difference to get to a total of $30,000.
PRIZE MONEY:
1st Place — $9 per pound
2nd Place — $3,000
3rd Place — $2,500
4th Place — $2,000
5th–10th Place — $1,000 each
11th–20th Place — $200 each
SPECIAL PRIZES:
World Record Pumpkin — $30,000 (total)
Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000
Biggest Coastside Pumpkin (Montara to Pescadero) — $1,000
Most Beautiful Pumpkin — $1,000
Special GPC plaques and ribbons will also be awarded.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonbaypumpkinweighoff/
TWITTER: @HMBPumpkinFest
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/hmbpumpkinfest
MEDIA AND SPONSORSHIP CONTACT:
For press and sponsorship inquiries and assistance, please contact Tim Beeman, CEO of Miramar Events at 415-999-2428 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
