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All the United States New Hampshire Goffstown Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Regatta

Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Regatta

Row, row, row your pumpkin quickly down the stream.

Goffstown, New Hampshire

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Racers in their pumpkins.   Matthew Bellemare
Giant pumpkins.   Matthew Bellemare
The mini pumpkin race.   Matthew Bellemare
A giant pumpkin boat made to look like a shark.   Matthew Bellemare
Racing pumpkin boat.   Matthew Bellemare
Racers in their pumpkins.   Matthew Bellemare
A racer in his shark-themed pumpkin boat.   Matthew Bellemare
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About

Fall in New England means picking, carving, and eating pumpkins. And in this small New Hampshire town, it also means racing in them.

Every October, the people of Goffstown come prepared with the biggest pumpkins they were able to grow. The gigantic gourds, which weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds, are the crown jewels of the town’s fall festivities. But their size isn’t what’s most impressive—it’s what locals do with the supersized squash that really steals the show.

Once these prized pumpkins are weighed, they get sliced, scooped, and transformed into boats. Brave racers climb aboard these unlikely vessels and get ready to race down the river as part of the annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta.

Different groups like members of the various town departments and businesses participate in this silly bit of fruity fun. Costumed racers decorate their pumpkin boats in whimsical ways, so viewers each year never know what to expect to see splashing downriver.

The regatta is part of an entire weekend festival, which includes other fall-themed events like apple sling shots, pie eating contests, and of course, pumpkin carving.

Related Tags

Tradition Races Pumpkins Autumn Fruit Rites And Rituals

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amarionknh

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

April 19, 2018

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  • http://www.nhmagazine.com/Calendar/index.php/name/Great-Pumpkin-Weigh-Off-Regatta/event/16283/
  • http://www.newhampshire.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20161017/NEWHAMPSHIRE1409/161019376/1011/news23
Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Regatta
Goffstown, New Hampshire
United States
43.019818, -71.599784

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New Hampshire

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Places 110
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Grave of Sevilla Jones

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Explore the Destination Guide

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Racing a Giant Pumpkin Boat in Goffstown’s Regatta

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