The Schöneberg [Berlin] Pumpkin Festival took place over the weekend 5 and 6 October 2024, centred around around Akazienstrasse, with some attractions straying into adjacent streets.  In fact the event consisted mainly of a street market, with two stalls selling pumpkins, Cucurbita maxima, a larger area devoted to pumpkins near Apostel-Paulus-Kirchengemeide, and a couple of stalls selling pumpkin soup (middle image).

Although its publicity (top image) suggested that there would be carved pumpkins, no such pumpkins were seen, nor were there any giant pumpkins, or Jack-o’Lanterns.

However, pumpkins of many sizes, and all shapes and colours were on sale (images below).

For more extensive discussion of this festival, see Linda Ballard, ‘The Berlin Kürbisfest: a photo essay documenting a new urban harvest festival in Germany’, Folk Life, 63: 18-29, 2025.

Updated 9 May 2025.