Thousands flock to Laconia Pumpkin Festival for day of fall fun

LACONIA — Thousands of people came to the City on the Lakes for food, live music, dancing, and activities during the 2026 Laconia Pumpkin Festival. By all accounts, it was once again a huge success.

Downtown was bustling with festivalgoers of all ages, making the rounds to the vendors lining Pleasant and Main streets, and everywhere in between. Veterans Square was packed from the opening of the event at 11 a.m., with people gathering to check out the pumpkin tower’s array of jack-o-lanterns, eventually lit as the sun went down.

With the festival falling the weekend before Halloween, there was gothic feel at times with scary, masked characters on stilts walking around. Children dressed in costumes were being pulled in wagons by their parents, sometimes also dressed up.

Those looking to enjoy some fall fun came in droves, ranging from local residents to those who came from as far as Jacksonville, Florida, like the Suslak family.

Meghan Suslak had three generations of her family with her at the event, which included Abel, 3, and Ada, 1, and Sally, Walter, and Andrew Suslak. Cousins were there, too, with Mike Perham bringing his two children Sienna, 3, and Camden, 5.

The Perhams are from Beverly, Massachusetts, and own a house in Moultonborough on Lake Winnipesaukee, and were hosting everyone for the weekend. Suslak said when they were researching things to do, Laconia Pumpkin Festival was a no-brainer.

The Suslaks and Perhams were on a mission to find the bounce houses, highly sought after by the children in the group.

Jenna Coles, of Meredith, could understand, as she was with her two daughters, Vega, 4, and Alba, 1.

“I like the bouncy house,” Vega exclaimed.

Coles also brought along Zyon Demanch, her 7-year-old nephew, who was more focused on the task at hand: looking at all the pumpkins.

The pumpkin tower featured 900 jack-o-lanterns of all shapes and sizes. More were also placed in A-frames around Veterans Square and throughout downtown. Many jack-o-lanterns were carved by local students and businesses.

For some, it was all about the food. Alicia Vachon was with Jessica Williger, and both were visibly enjoying their fried dough. The two grew up in Meredith and Plymouth respectively, and were pumped to come to Laconia for the festival.

Williger bit into a piece of fried dough, fed to her by Vachon, and said it was “so good.” It had been a while since either of them had been to Pumpkinfest. Vachon attended the Keene Pumpkin Festival about 15 years ago, and said it was awesome to have an event like this so close by.

“It’s pretty lit,” Vachon said. “They did a good job. It’s cute, and a great turnout.”

Food vendors ranged from the fried dough the pair loved so much, to other classics like sausage subs, pizza, and French fries.

Maggie Josti owns Maggie’s Munchies, which offers “real old fashioned New England cookies." The company has been in business almost five years, selling quarter-pound, old-fashioned cookies at events all around New England. She also sells hot cocoa topped with fluff.

“Everything’s made the old-fashioned, New England way,” she said.

New Hampshire Kettle Corn was run by Seamus Wibben, Matt Bell, and Patrick Moody, from North Conway. Bell’s father started it 27 years ago, and since then, they’ve taken it to fairs and festivals around New England.

“Four ingredients: corn, salt, sugar, soybean oil,” Moody said. “Pretty simple, but very enjoyable.”

Emrys Drouin and Patricia Englehardt were serving a variety of treats from Nothing Bundt Cakes, which has a brick-and-mortar location in Concord.

“Everything’s handmade from the bakery,” Englehardt said. “Frosting included. It’s our signature cream cheese frosting on every single one.”

There were also a variety of crafts, including from Black Olive Pottery, where Kaye Jones was doing demonstrations with clay, fun for the children to see in action. Jones said 15 artists were selling items there, and they have 106 total members.

“It’s been fun,” Jones said. “We have a great spot, and we’re right next to the music and food.”

Throughout the day, Veterans Square remained the hub, as the massive pumpkin tower loomed. It was a common spot to gather, especially with a photo tower for people to get a shot of the festivities.

Khrystine Peguero came to the festival from Concord, with her son Luka, 2. They were waiting in line to go up and take a look for themselves. Before that they grabbed some food, and Peguero was amazed she was able to grab a lobster roll from Maine right onsite.

“The food was amazing, and we have just really enjoyed the pumpkins today,” Peguero said.

Veterans Square also hosted performances by the Wicked Witches of the Lakes Region, who were all dressed in Halloween garb to dance in the middle of a ring of hundreds of spectators. There was also entertainment in front of the tower by Stormbirds Belly Dancers.

Parades for both kids and dogs were held early in the day, as well as a cornhole tournament and a rubber duck race.

Pie-eating contests were hosted by Lakes Region Community College, including a celebrity contest involving Laconia Daily Sun Editor Julie Hirshan Hart, who said she could thank her co-workers for a spot in the contest. She was joined by local radio personality Fred Caruso; Laconia Motorcycle Week Director Jenn Anderson; Laconia School Superintendent Joseph Baeta; and Jenn Kelley, executive director of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Fund.

While it was a close competition, and seemed like each had several chances to take the crown, it was Kelley who triumphantly walked away as the victor. This was her first time ever in a pie-eating contest, and said it was a little tough because she eats gluten free, but representing the Children’s Fund she said, she’ll “do anything for the kids.”

“I am having a blast and I, now, for my very first pie-eating contest, am the queen,” Kelley said with a grin.

Caruso, on the other hand, has been involved in six contests. While he’s never come away a winner, that’s not really what matters to him in the end. He’s just out there having fun.

“I’ve done this every year they’ve had it,” Caruso said. “It’s a wonderful event. I’m not in it to win it, even though I look like I could eat a whole pie myself.”

Caruso called this year’s Pumpkin Festival “unbelievable,” and joked the organizers must have had an inside deal with the meteorologists to be able to pull off a day with no clouds to be seen, and temperatures hovering around 60 degrees.

“Every year, it turns out to be such a wonderful day,” Caruso said. “There are thousands of people here. That’s really awesome. I can’t say enough about it.”

Live music was playing all day and all night, which drew in more crowds. Kids danced around to tunes provided by Miles to Memphis Band and Supernothing in the afternoon, with Canyon Lights and Everway playing at night.

The pumpkin tower was lit up around 5:45 p.m., and then at 8 p.m., attendees were treated to a laser show, before Everway finished off the night with a second set of music.

Everyone agreed the event seemingly went off without a hitch. Anderson was impressed that even before the start of the event, there were huge crowds downtown.

“This is, like, my favorite community event,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

Anderson said the pie-eating contest was fun, but it was the lighting of the pumpkins and the return of the rubber duck derby which were really on her mind.

“I’m so excited that’s back at the Belknap Mill,” she said. “I got $100 worth of ducks that better be very lucky. But it’s everything here. Walking around and seeing people you don’t see all the time. It’s just so cool.”

Anderson knows the undertaking required to put on massive events, as she's helped organize Laconia Motorcycle Week for decades. She thinks the city staff support events so well, and that’s what she loves about Laconia.

“They want to bring people here, and want to show off what we have here,” Anderson said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

City Manager Kirk Beattie agreed, saying these kinds of events are what put Laconia on the map. There’s something for everyone, and to have this kind of family-friendly event makes him proud.

“It means a lot to all of us who care so much about the city to see this be so successful,” Beattie said.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte made an appearance. She was with her husband, Joe, and daughter, Katherine, and excited to check out the carved pumpkins, and the more than 170 vendors. “Pumpkinfest is so much fun,” the governor, who's running for reelection, said. She praised the city for putting it on.

“It’s such a beautiful area of our state, and I’m just so glad this festival is here.”