Laconia Pumpkin Festival packs downtown Saturday

Laconia Pumpkin Festival, newly minted and in the hands of city organizers, drew crowds of thousands throughout Saturday and into the night.

The city took over the festival, long a tradition in New Hampshire, and rebranded it as Laconia Pumpkin Festival this year. Organizers, led by Parks and Recreation Director Amy Lovisek, worked tirelessly for 6.5 months to pull it off. 

“We built it, and they came,” Lovisek said Saturday morning on Main Street. Her stress levels had decreased significantly, she said, after all vendors were set up and running. There were nearly 200 spread throughout downtown, which was blocked off to create a pedestrian-only thoroughfare.

“It’s been a labor of love, that’s for sure,” she said. “There’s no more planning, this is it.”

It was an all-hands-on-deck situation: the parks and recreation department had a leading role in making preparations for the event since the announcement of the city’s stewardship came before a city council meeting in April. Public works employees, police and firefirefighters, and many others were busy Saturday, ensuring a smooth festival. 

“The schools helped me significantly,” Lovisek said. “That tower wouldn’t have been filled without the schools.”

The tower she referenced was no joke — 35 feet of scaffolding filled on every row with hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns. It stood sentinel over Veterans Square, later illuminated with orange lighting and a laser show to mark the end of the day’s festivities. Several hundred lookers-on remained downtown at around 8 p.m. to watch the display. 

“I’m trying to get as many pictures as I possibly can,” Lovisek said.

Around noon, hundreds of others gathered there, viewing alternating performances of the Wicked Witches of the Lakes Region and Stormbirds Belly Dancers. In the downtown parking lot of Bank of New Hampshire was a pumpkin festival first: New Hampshire Vintage Vinyl owner Dan McLaughlin welcomed a performance by Tara Little’s School of Dance to the massive stage.

The crowd was packed with families and young children. People were free to mill about downtown, with parking lots along Main and Pleasant streets acting as the epicenter of the festival. Many of the city's downtown arteries were ringed by food carts and vendor booths — the Great New England Craft & Artisan show kicked the day off along Main. 

Just a couple of hours later, a pie-eating contest captivated the crowd in front of the train station. Candidates for mayor Councilor Bruce Cheney of Ward 1 and Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia) competed, as did City Manager Kirk Beattie. Beattie took home the second-place prize, but it was Belmont High School Principal Matthew Finch who came in first. 

“This is great for the city,” said Ward 2 Councilor Bob Soucy, a champion for Laconia Pumpkin Festival, on Saturday afternoon. That day, the city had something for everyone. 

Sarah Healey said it was their first time attending the festival. They were busy Saturday afternoon on Canal Street, where the Boy Scouts Troop 68 was operating a bow-and-arrow attraction. 

“The dogs in costumes are adorable,” Healey said.

Beer tents proved a particularly popular attraction; there were three located between Main Street, the Bank of New Hampshire parking lot and the parking lot of Hector’s Fine Food & Spirits. All three were packed for nearly the entire duration of the festival. 

Cutting through the cacophony of sounds spread about downtown was the blare of the train horn. The Granite State Railway operated rides on the hour Saturday, and those appeared popular, too. 

At the Colonial Theatre, children started the day with pumpkin painting sponsored by Breezeline. Then, three movies ran free of charge: "Halloweentown," "Hocus Pocus," and "The Addams Family," 1991 edition.

“We’re really just trying to give back to our community,” Riley Nadeau, media and digital public relations specialist for Spectacle Live, said. Spectacle Live operates the booking for the Colonial Theatre. “This is our first year showing movies for free.”

That could continue next year, Nadeau said, in light of the success of the festival. The city’s already set the dates for Laconia Pumpkin Festival 2026: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17-18, a two-day affair. 

“I like the location, it's right in the center of town,” Nadeau said regarding the theater. “It’s a next-step destination, or a first-step destination.” 

Pumpkinfest is old hat for Keara Colson of Laconia, who was dressed like a green dinosaur in the BankNH parking lot on Saturday afternoon. 

“This is like my 10th,” she said. “It’s definitely more popular.”

Colson’s favorite aspect of Laconia Pumpkin Festival was visiting all of the vendor tents and seeing the interesting items they created. 

“I thought it was an amazing event,” Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce President Karmen Gifford said on Monday. “I was thrilled to see the crowds that were there.”

Bad weather held off and the event was fun, Gifford said, noting she’s glad the city took the lead in organizing it this year. Lots of local businesses and nonprofit organizations, and regional businesses, engaged with Laconia Pumpkin Festival, she said. 

“I think it’s important,” Gifford said. “It’s great for our economy, and it’s great for our community.”