Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival

This year marks 15 years of the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin Festival, awarded USA Today’s best fall festival in the nation. This festival celebrates the sport of chuckin' pumpkins for distance, using a do-it-yourself constructed trebuchet, which is a gravity-powered catapult. The event is a cross between a Soap Box Derby competition involving amateur building skills and a shot put contest. This is a great opportunity for kids and adults to design and build something and engage in some family-friendly competition.

The festival is a one-day event that benefits the Clarina Howard Nichols Center’s work to end domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking in Lamoille County.

Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 29, 2024. The festival runs from 11am to 4pm and features 3 rounds of chuckin' at 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm, with awards shortly after the last round. Cash prizes are awarded in each division and for the best overall design.

Bring your appetite for 6 food trucks and your craft appreciation for over 40 craft vendors. Round out the action are 2 bands, Kirkland The Band and John Smyth, a giant robot roaming the field, kid activities, Infoman from Montreal, and a volleyball tournament featuring the best players in the state.

Admission to the festival is $10, and children 5 years and younger are admitted for free. Parking is free. Handicap parking is available, but no seating is provided. Feel free to bring chairs or blankets. No dogs, outside food, or beverages are allowed at the event.

Admission is free if you enter the Chili Cookoff. To enter bring 2 gallons of chili in a crock pot. Attendees will pay to sample the various chilis and vote for their favorites. Chili must be onsite by 11:30am. The top three chilis will win a cash prize.