The Great Pumpkin Carve 2026
Thursday, October 15th, 02:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday, October 16th, 02:00pm - 10:00pm
Saturday, October 17th, 12:00pm - 10:00pm
Join us for a three day ‘Chadds Ford tradition’ where over 70 giant pumpkins are carved & lit by local artists on Thursday night and will be lit and displayed on Friday & Saturday. All three nights enjoy a ‘Haunted Display‘, raffle prizes and live music from “Kenny Thompson & Friends”. Food, local craft beer and wine are available for purchase.
DATES:
Thursday October 15th – Saturday, October 17, 2026
HOURS:
Thursday, October 15th 2pm – 9pm (Carve Day!)
Friday, October 16th 2pm – 10pm
Saturday, October 17th 12pm – 10pm
$15 Seniors (age 65+)
FREE ages 15 & under, when accompanied by an adult (otherwise $20 with no adult)
FREE for CFHS Members
No Professional Photography Permitted
2026 Local Food Vendors
SPECIALTY FOOD VENDORS
Adult Beverage
2026 Pumpkin Carve Artisans
Pennsylvania Distilling Company
www.penndistilling.com
Too Fat Cats Quilting
Wolfpack Creation
www.wolfpackcreation.com
Swarmbustin’ Honey
www.911honey.com
Dough Sweet
www.doughsweet.com
River Road Candle Works
www.riverroadcandleworks.com
Sylphic Designs
Pickledude
www.PKLdude.com
Nomadic Inspirations
www.nomadicinspirations.square.site/
Pink Moon Designs
www.pinkmoondesigns.com
By Hand – Knitting
Kimberly Lamarra – Chadds Ford Art
Fair Weather Trading Company
www.fairweathertradingcompany.com
Lady Ellens Fine Ware
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyEllensFineWare?ref=dashboard-header
Lo’s Logo Embroidery & LV’s Crafts & Designs
www.Loslogoembroidery.com
Custom Inlays by Chel
www.Chelsinlays.com
The Neon poodle
www.theneonpoodle.com
The Little Shop Next Door
Flowers in Bloom www.flowersinbloompa.com
Beacon Hill Woodworking www.beaconhillwoodworking.com
Helping Hands www.helpinghandswireart.
Chasing Ray’s Concepts
Farmcopius,llc
Philip Marc Sons of Liberty
www.philipmarcsonsofliberty.com
PHILIP MARC SONS OF LIBERTY
PhilipMarcSonsofLiberty.com
philipmarcsol2@gmail.com
609.320.7457
Check out our new Etsy Shop! Shirts, hats, magnets and more! https://www.etsy.com/shop/PMSonsofLiberty
Signboards: PhilipMarcSonsofLiberty.com
Follow us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/philipmarcsonsofliberty
Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/philip_marc_sons_of_liberty/
Follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pmsol1776
EARLY AMERICAN LIFE MAGAZINE’S “BEST TRADITIONAL ARTISANS IN AMERICA”
2015-2024!
Live Music Schedule
Thursday, Oct 15th (event is 2pm – 9pm)
2pm – 5:30pm “Grip It & Rip It Orchestra” (Blue Grass)
5:30pm – 9pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music) with special guests Max and Denise (Acoustic with an Edge) https://maxanddenise.com/
Friday, Oct 16th (event is 2pm – 10pm)
2pm – 6pm “Grip It & Rip It Orchestra” (Blue Grass)
6pm – 10pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music)
Saturday, Oct 17th (event is 12pm – 10pm)
6pm – 10pm “Kenny Thompson and Friends” (Americana Music) with special guest George Dreisbach
“Kenny Thompson & Friends” are Kenny Thompson, Kevin Delaney,
Billy Graham & Karen Hennigan
“Kenny Thompson & Friends” is the band that has provided music for The Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Great Pumpkin Carve for the past 33 years. The “Pumpkin Carve History” link tells about how the event got started. The music began and grew in a similar manner to the Carve itself. Local musicians were inspired to bring their instruments, join in the event, and entertain the crowd. Kenny recalls Caleb Cressman & Brandywine Bill, as well as some of the carvers themselves, including Pete Renzetti and Jimmy Lynch being among the first.
Kenny Thompson, along with his bandmates from the Rural Rhythm String Band, Dave Culgan, Leo McDermott, Chris Ferrier, and Eric Paulson, were among the earliest players to jump on that proverbial bandwagon. In fact, Kenny believes he may be the only person to have played every Carve except that first one!
As the event grew, it moved to various local venues, and whoever showed up was welcome to play. And many did! It was in 1992, when the Chadds Ford Historical Society gave the festivities a permanent home and expanded it to a three-night event, that “Kenny Thompson & Friends” became the official band of The Great Pumpkin Carve of Chadds Ford. In addition to Kenny, the band’s nucleus has been Kevin Delaney, Billy Graham, and, in more recent years, Karen Hennigan.
In 2023 they were honored to be the subject of the cover story in the October issue of Chadds Ford Neighbors Magazine. The article gives more details about the history of their role providing music for the Carve over the last 33 years. Every year they call on some of the area’s best musicians to come out and become “Friends” for an evening.
Grip It & Rip It Orchestra
The Grip It & Rip It Orchestra is an acoustic bluegrass-based band founded in 2014 by Rich Myers.
The idea is that a collection of professional musicians ought to be able to play in a relaxed performance setting the same way that they play at a high-level jam. Initially, the group was formed to perform music at the annual NarbEarth Day event in Narberth, PA.
Rich credits two persons in particular for encouraging him to do this. First, the late Edward “Doc” Pollak, who during his lifetime established bluegrass jamming culture in the SE Pennsylvania, northern DE and south NJ region, was a founding member. Ed loved to jam on fiddle, and he had a wide repertoire encompassing bluegrass, classic county, swing and what Ed called “hippie grass,” folk and pop tunes from the 1960s and early 1970s.
The second inspiration is David Bromberg, with whom Rich and his musical friends jammed from 2005 until 2025 when David moved to New York. In addition to Rich on mandolin and vocals, this year’s band will feature Scott Rodgers on guitar and vocals, Rich Crossin on fiddle and vocals and other players and singers with whom they have jammed over the years.
About the Pumpkins
When the Great Pumpkin Carve started in front of the old Chadds Ford Inn, the native pumpkins were provided by SIW Vegetables, a historical farm located right here in Chadds Ford. They weighed between 150 and 400 pounds. Most of them were of the variety “Prize-Winner,” a drought resistant pumpkin that tends to be bright orange. There were also a few “Atlantic Giants” which tend to be paler and sometimes a less regular shape. In 2025, SIW Vegetables decided to retire from the farming business, so we had to venture into Lancaster County to find a farmer who started growing the pumpkins for the event in 2024.
A Huge thanks to H.G. Haskell and the entire SIW crew for their steadfast support for over 50+ years!
SEE BELOW for the 2026 Carver Registration
Every year, 70+ carvers participate in our popular community event, The Great Pumpkin Carve! Carvers are registered on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to submit your form as soon as possible.
Sponsorship Opportunities at The Great Pumpkin Carve
The Great Pumpkin Carve offers a variety of sponsorship opportunities for businesses and individuals. If you are a business looking for ways to enhance your public image and increase visibility in the community then this well attended and highly popular event is right for you. If you are an individual who likes to take part in this annual tradition, then sponsoring a pumpkin is a fun way to share the joy of Halloween.
Be an "Event Sponsor"
This historic event draws in 10,000+ spectators over the three days. Be a part of this wonderful event by being an “Event Sponsor”. Click the below link to download the form. If you would like to pay for your sponsorship online, please visit our Sponsorship Levels page to select your sponsorship level and complete your payment. After making your online payment, please email the appropriate completed Sponsorship Form to CFPumpkinCarve@gmail.com. The completed form should be submitted with your online payment so we can properly match your sponsorship form with your payment. https://donate.chaddsfordhistory.org/sponsor-a-pumpkin
Sponsor a Pumpkin
For just $100 you can sponsor a pumpkin and get your business name in front of thousands of people. Each sponsor is listed on a sign posted next to one of the carved pumpkins. Pumpkins are selected randomly. Click the below link to download the form. If you would like to pay for your sponsorship online, please visit our Sponsorship Levels page to select your sponsorship level and complete your payment. After making your online payment, please email the appropriate completed Sponsorship Form to CFPumpkinCarve@gmail.com. The completed form should be submitted with your online payment so we can properly match your sponsorship form with your payment. https://donate.chaddsfordhistory.org/sponsor-a-pumpkin
Volunteer
Our volunteers help to make the event as successful as it is and we couldn’t do without them! Sign up to help out and get in for free the day of your volunteer shift!
Thank You To Our 2026 Great Pumpkin Carve Sponsors
Banshee Sponsors
Headless Horseman Sponsors
Broomhilda Sponsors
Many Thanks for Ongoing Support From
Raffle Donations
Each year, the Great Pumpkin Carve features a variety of raffle items donated by the community. These might be baskets of goodies, coupons for services or restaurants, crafts / works of art or tickets to sports events. Thousands of visitors check out the prizes and take a chance to win their favorite choice(s). Its a great way for businesses to promote their product or service along with helping support the historical society. If you are interested in donating to the raffle, click the link below to download the donation form which contains instructions. Thank you!
Contact Events@chaddsfordhistory.org for donations
History of the Great Pumpkin Carve
Each year at the Great Pumpkin Carve, over 70 carvers gather to sculpt, saw and chisel giant pumpkins – some weighing up to 400 pounds – before crowds of enthusiastic onlookers. This unique Chadds Ford tradition began in the early 1970’s when Andrew Wyeth and his son, Jamie, were convinced to carve pumpkins for decorating the inside of the Chadds Ford Inn (today Brandywine Prime). Other Chadds Ford artists joined in the carving and, within a few years, the event spread from the Inn’s front porch all the way across the lawn of the Chadds Ford Gallery. As the Pumpkin Carve grew it moved to larger and larger venues, finally landing in the meadow behind the Chadds Ford Historical Society in 1992.
The Great Pumpkin Carve is held as an annual fundraiser for the Chadds Ford Historical Society.
Videos and Media Coverage
