The historic Sycamore Pumpkin Festival takes place on October 27-31. Thousands of pumpkins, all painted or carved for judging, decorate the courthouse lawn, and food vendors dish up pumpkin pie, caramel apples and other fall favorites. Also in this pumpkin patch: two arts-and-crafts shows, carnival rides, a historic house walk, 10K Pumpkin Run road race and the giant 2 ½-hour-long parade, starting at 1:00 on Sunday.

Click for the schedule of events

History: Back in 1956, Wally Thurow, who is known as Sycamore’s “Mr. Pumpkin”, began what was to become the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival when he displayed a few decorated pumpkins on his front lawn to turn Halloween into a time of fun and creativity. In 1962, through the efforts of Mr. Pumpkin and the Sycamore Lions Club, the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival became an official celebration in Sycamore.

Every year, the Pumpkin Festival unites more than 30 DeKalb County non-profit groups working to provide a weekend of Halloween fun for all. The Courthouse lawn is the center of activities, including thousands of decorated pumpkins on display, there are also art and craft shows, a house walk, a pie eating contest, a carnival, a fun fair, a race and other events. The festival is concluded by a giant parade on Sunday afternoon.

Throughout the festival, good autumn food, snacks and souvenirs are available at stands operated by various not-for-profit DeKalb County organizations.

Pumpkinfest Mission: The Sycamore Pumpkin Festival Committee is responsible for coordinating the annual Sycamore Pumpkin Festival, a family oriented festival, to be held in the fall of each year. The festival promotes awareness of the City of Sycamore, and provides an opportunity for DeKalb County not-for-profit organizations to participate in fund raising activities, community education and enrichment.