Festival History

View the Pumpkin Festival Photo Gallery

Check out this photo montage of reader-submitted photos from previous festivals

• 2011: Heading off bad behavior
  
  Pumpkins a'plenty in Monadnock Region
  
  Illinois city challenges Keene’s pre-eminence in pumpkins
  
  Pumpkins: A question of quantity
  
  Pumpkin fest close to goal
  
  SENTINEL EDITORIAL: Let It Shine keeps Pumpkin Festival going
  
  Pumpkin fest OK'd with conditions
  
  
• 2010: The 20th Anniversary of the Keene's Pumpkin Festival was held on Satuday, October 16, 2010 with an estimated 70,000 people in attendance. Although the final count was only 22,943, festival attendee's spirits remained high.
  A Mega Mess
  How DO they light them all?
  How to grow a giant pumpkin
  Future in limbo, but no doubt about popularity (22,943)
  Local business owner hopes to scare up some donations
  Everyone loves a parade
  Tourists: Say it ain’t so
  A Tale of Two Pumpkins
  Festival die-hards take to the streets
  Nothing but Gourds
  At the Keene Pumpkin Festival, the food's all good
  PUMPKIN PARADISE
  Pumpkin Patrol
  Keene’s eyes on ‘record’ prize
  Gearing Up: For Keene businesses, event can be guessing game
  A SLICE OF LIFE: A turning point for our entire community, by Steve Gilbert
  Keene’s not alone in struggling to fund festival
  ‘Don’t cancel festival’
  Pumpkin Festival ‘huge deal’; its fate is contemplated
  SENTINEL EDITORIAL: The possible end of the Pumpkin Festival
  Dead on Vine?
  Keene’s Pumpkin Festival has outgrown its host organization
  
  
• 2009: Final count: 29,068 (29,068)
  Jack’s back: 29,068 lanterns is a city record
  For the record, Pumpkin Festival recount ordered
  Pumpkins in the Balance: After fest, bills
  
  
• 2008: Keene gives off an orange glow (22,568)
  Festival Facts
  Pumpkin Festival puts Keene on the map
  Keene man specializes in pumpkin repair
  Pumpkin planners are divided on the importance of a world record jack-o-lantern count


• 2007: Hordes 'n' gourds (25,644)
• 2006: Central Squash (24,682)
• 2005: 22,157 falls short(22,157)
• 2004: Pumpkin potpourri: Throng packs downtown Keene; record attempt falls short (27,584)
• 2003: Keene's Pumpkin festival hits a new record with 28,952 lit gourds(28,952)
• 2002: Not a record, but thousands of people have a great time in downtown Keene (18,882)
• 2001: The Crowds Converge (22,663)
• 2000: 2000: Keene Blows Away it's Pumpkin Record With 23,727 jack-o-lanterns(23,727)
• 1999: 50,000 people and 16,349 jack-o'-lanterns crowd downtown Keene(16,349)
• 1998: With 17,693 jack o'lanterns, Keene sets new record(17,693)
• 1997: Nudging past the old record with 13,432 lit gourds(13,432)
  
• The Day After - What happens to all those pumpkins?
• 1996: The jack-o'-lantern tally hits 13,044(13,044)
• 1995: Torrents of rain keep pumpkin numbers to 9,812(9,812)
• 1994: Crowd of 20,000 praises 10,540 jack-'o lanterns(10,540)
• 1993: Keene demolishes Guinness record with 4,817 carved pumpkins(4,817)
• 1992: The tally hits 1,628 pumpkins(1,628)
• 1991: The first festival produces 600 jack-'o lanterns(600)

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