When autumn leaves start to fall, one North Shore town has created a seasonal tradition that honors everybody’s favorite gourd.
Celebrate Highwood’s 15th annual Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival, taking place from October 3-5, was a family-friendly street party dedicated to the enchantment of pumpkins.
Co-president of Celebrate Highwood, David Beresid, said over 10,000 pumpkins are carved and lit during the three-day event, with festival grounds located just outside of City Hall and expanding into a full carnival in the Highwood Metra Station Parking Lot.
Live music from three stages, children’s and pet costume contests, pumpkin pie eating contests, trick or treating, seasonal interactive installations, carnival rides and games, and a variety of food and artisan vendors, all part of this iconic celebration.
“What started, in years past, as an event focused on breaking the record for the most pumpkins carved has evolved into a community-centered celebration, and the chance to come together to carve and light 10,000 jack-o-lanterns as a community,” Beresid said.
Laura Ernst of Lincolnshire attended Saturday with her family.
“Pumpkin fest gives us the opportunity for some good family time, we carve pumpkins together and enjoy this fall kick-off, the first autumn event of the season,” Ernst said.
More Top Picks Carts Beachs
According to Beresid, at the cost of $2 per pumpkin, this otherwise free event has a focus on celebrating the power of community and local impact.
This year, SALT (Service and Learning Together), is the Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival 2025’s beneficiary.
SALT is a volunteer-nonprofit led by passionate students and veteran educators that supports food-insecure families, provides academic tutoring, aids communities in crisis, and partners with local groups, while inspiring compassion and leadership through service-learning, according to their website.
Special Saturday attractions featured The Great Highwood Pumpkin Speedway, with micro NASCAR-style racing wheel at the J. Blanton Plumbing Car Racing Track, a meet and greet with Cinderella and Bluey sponsored by DeMuth, and Giggles Play, at the hay wagon near Highwood City Hall, and the Skelebrity Walk of Fame, sponsored by Porsche Exchange.
Tina Meyer of Gurnee attended with her 6-year-old daughter, Sydney Meyer, on Saturday.
“We’ve been coming to Pumpkin Fest now for three years, we like the carnival, and the seasonal activities are fun for the kids,” Meyer said.
This year’s Great Highwood Pumpkin Festival sponsors included: J. Blanton Plumbing, Wayfarer Theaters, Porsche Exchange, American Place Casino, College of Lake County, 5 Hour Energy, Kern Heating & Cooling, Leafguard, Lifeway, Montessori Kids Universe of Bannockburn, Pure Bloom Hemp Seltzers, Renewal by Andersen and others.
“Saturday’s highlight is the 7 p.m. Great Pumpkin Wall Lighting ceremony-when for just a few minutes all of the lights of the city are shut down, and out of that darkness comes the glowing light of over 10,000 candlelit jack-o-lanterns outside city hall,” Beresid said.
Beresid says over the three days, they expect 80,000 to 100,000 people to attend Pumpkin Fest. This entrée to the fall season is good for our Highwood businesses, for our bars and restaurants.
“During the festival, people come up to me and say, I come every year, the music is phenomenal, the pie-eating and costume contests are great – but for me,
seeing people of all ages dancing on the streets and celebrating all Highwood has to offer, that’s the true reward,” Beresid said.
Gna Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.