10/09/2026
There is a moment at the Laconia Pumpkin Festival when downtown goes from a fall street fair to something that feels almost entirely made of orange light. 🎃✨
All day, downtown Laconia fills with food trucks, local vendors, music, crafts, costumes, pumpkin activities, and people wandering through the Lakes Region with something fried, sweet, or pumpkin-spiced in hand.
Then evening arrives.
The crowd gathers around the giant pumpkin tower. Hundreds of jack-o’-lantern faces begin glowing against the dark, and suddenly the part of the festival everyone has been waiting for is right in front of you.
The tower may be the headline, but the lead-up is half the fun.
Come early and wander downtown. Catch the live entertainment, food vendors, family activities, crafts, the dog parade, and whatever else catches your attention along the way. Then stay after dark, because this is one of those New Hampshire fall sights that simply works better once the lights come on.
Friday evening is the kickoff.
Saturday is the big downtown festival day.
And if you are planning a Lakes Region fall weekend, this is an easy one to build around: arrive hungry, wander the streets, find a spot near the pumpkin tower before dusk, and watch Laconia turn orange.
📍 Laconia Pumpkin Festival
Downtown Laconia · Laconia, NH
📅 Friday, October 23 · kickoff evening
📅 Saturday, October 24 · main festival day, 11:00 AM–10:00 PM
🎟️ Free admission
🎃 Giant pumpkin tower
🍂 Food trucks, vendors, live music, family activities, crafts, costumes, and an evening laser show
Save this for the person who would happily plan an October night around glowing jack-o’-lanterns. 🎃🍂
📸 Photos courtesy of NH Division of Travel & Tourism Development / Laconia Pumpkin Festival
