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Bust out the pumpkin spice lattes, the warm cozy sweaters and ALL the pun-kin puns, because Fall has officially arrived and we can’t possibly contain our inner basics any longer.
And what better way to celebrate the arrival of Autumn than frolicking at the world’s largest pumpkin festival?
… Did we mention it’s easily do-able as a (long) day trip from Munich? This post will walk you through everything you need to know.
Table of Contents
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival 2024: Basic Info
(NOTE: These photos are from a previous year’s Jungle theme)
Yes, that’s right, every year has a different theme! And you can check out more detail on their Instagram Page
Visit the official website of the festival here. But you can also use their Instagram page as a source for current information.
When: August 23 – November 3, 2024
Opening Hours: Festival 9:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Pumpkin Gourmet 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Farm & Souvenir Shop 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Culinary and Decorative Pumpkin Sales 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Where: im Blühenden Barock, 71640 Ludwigsburg (The Baroque Gardens in Ludwigsburg, close to Stuttgart)
Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival 2024: Cost
(Same as admission to the gardens. Here are the 2024 onlineprices copied from the Gardens website)
- Adults € 13
- Children ( age 4 to14) schoolchildren and students (with valid identification) – € 5.50
- Family ticket 1 (One adult and two children (age 4 to 15)) – € 22.50
- Family ticket 2 (Two adults and two children (age 4 to 15)) – € 34
- Each additional child in a family (does not apply for children’s groups such as kindergartens, school classes or children’s birthdays and only in connection with the purchase of a family ticket 1 or 2) – € 4
- Severely disabled (50% disability or more) € 12
- Groups of 20 people or more (when ordering the tickets together) € 11
- Evening ticket from 5:30 pm € 10
What Happens At The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival?
So yes, it’s a bit of a long day trip, but why is it worth it?
Well here are just some of the fun things you can expect at the Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival…
Loads Of Pumpkins
Well first off, there’s just a truly insane amount of pumpkins on display. No joke, there’s actual piles you can just lay on. It’s pretty great.
Pumpkin/Squash Showcase
If you’ve ever wondered: I wonder how many variations of pumpkin and gourd there are in the world, well there’s a giant wall to show you.
Giant Pumpkin Sculptures And Carvings
One of the highlights of the festival is the massive sculptures made out of pumpkins, which are based on the festival’s theme for that year.
Last year, the theme was Fairytales, the year before that, it was Pumpkin Forest, and the year before that was Rome, which meant pumpkin aquaducts and all sorts of Rome-themed creations (as you can see in all our photos).
In addition, there are giant pumpkin carvings which are scattered around the festival site.
All Kinds Of Pumpkin-Flavoured Food
Pumpkin Käsespätzle? Pumpkin prosecco? Pumpkin soup?
If you enjoy the taste of pumpkin, you may just faint from the sheer variety of pumpkin goodness.
Lots Of Exciting Pumpkin Shopping
Pumpkin oil, actual pumpkins, and more! You can get every pumpkin product under the sun here.
Lots Of Fun Events
Imagine a bunch of grown adults paddling across a lake in a giant hollowed out pumpkin.
Yes, that actually happens here at the annual pumpkin regatta.
There’s also pumpkin weigh-offs, an international contest for the world’s largest pumpkin, plus carving competitions, live music and on the last day: yes, there’s a chance to go SMASHING PUMPKINS.
How To Get To The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival From Munich
Okay, so here’s the final selling point about how great an idea this day trip is, you can get there (technically) free with your Deutschlandticket!
You can take the train over to Stuttgart and then to get to the festival, you’ll need to take the S-bahn in Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg and walk (about 10 minutes).
The best, most convenient way would be to drive (around 2.5 – 3 hours).
If going by public transit however, we can recommend…
CHEAPEST OPTION:
Use your Deutschlandticket and grab a regional train ride. This usually will include a transfer and takes about 3.5 hours-but hey, beats paying anything extra if you’ve got the ticket already right?
You can also consider taking a Flixbus to Stuttgart. The trip is about 2.5 hours and as long as you plan in advance, can offer you some pretty good price deals.
MOST CONVENIENT OPTION:
[Any day] Taking the ICE train to Stuttgart and then taking the S4, S5 or a regional train to Ludwigsburg. Use Omio to compare times here.
Have You Been To The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival?
If not, what are you waiting for? Have a great time! Again, for more information, you can visit the official website of the festival here.
