An autumn spectacle for the whole family... where colourful circus-sculptures, decorated with pumpkins form the backdrop of Pumpkimania. Also enjoy our weekend activity, as a pumpkin boat tour on the water and taste unique pumpkin dishes in the park of the Castle Grand-Bigard.
Open from
19 Sept till
3 Nov 2024
An autumn spectacle for the whole family... where colourful circus-sculptures, decorated with pumpkins form the backdrop of Pumpkimania. Also enjoy our weekend activity, as a pumpkin boat tour on the water and taste unique pumpkin dishes in the park of the Castle Grand-Bigard.
Pumpkins exist in over 800 varieties. They appear in different shapes, sizes and colors. The origin of the seeds can be found all over the world. With this large variety in colors and shapes, the Jucker Farm in Switzerland creates stunning pumpkin-art exhibitions based on different topics.
The impressive wooden and wired sculptures are decorated with thousands of colorful pumpkins which represent the shell of the art objects. Artists from the Jucker Farm compose the pumpkins in a way that creates astonishing views and selfie-points for the visitors of the event.
The topic 2024 in Groot-Bijgaarden will be “Circus”. A tiger jumps through a ring, a circus elephant and clowns are just some of the impressive sculptures that will be shown. Additionally, there will be lots of colorful pumpkins that will transform the park into an autumn-themed 'pumpkin land'.
Visitors will have the opportunity to taste our pumpkin-fries with an amazing flavour of Marroni chestnuts and other unique pumpkin dishes.
A tasty pumpkin soup after your walk cannot be missed. Try out our special pumpkin dishes in the greenhouse of the park.
Make sure you visit Pumpkimania during the weekend, because every Saturday and Sunday different activities will run on site, like the Pumpkin Boat Tour or Pumpkin Carving.
Practical
From 18 years: 14 EUR
Handicapped pers.: 12 EUR
Companion handicapped pers.: 12 EUR
From 6 to 17 years: 8EUR
Kids (- 6 years): 0 EUR
Family pack (2 ad + 2 kids): 39 EUR
Extra kid in the family pack: 6,50 EUR per kid
You can change your visiting day by clicking on the link of your ticket
In the park of the castle Grand-Bigard (near Brussels)
Isidoor Van Beverenstraat 5 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden
The car park is available in the field and the loan across the entrance bridge of the castle.
TIP - use public transport: train station Groot-Bijgaarden and come on foot.
19 Sept till 3 Nov 2024 - From 10:00 to 18:00
Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, except for 28 Oct to 3 Nov 2024.
There are plenty of activities every weekend, click on the items below to find out more about them.
Giant pumpkins appear every autumn and are grown by professional growers in Belgium. Pumpkins with a weight of about 250 kg are very suitable to hollow out and can be used as a Kayak with double paddle. The beautiful, situated moat-lake of the Castle is the perfect place to hold this extraordinary boat tour. Just give it a try!
The price for winning the biggest pumpkins from the Brussels Open pumpkin weigh off can still be admired by the visitors, but other big pumpkins will get a chance to also have their moment of fame. An outstanding pumpkin artist create beautiful art with the help of some knives and carving tools. As the carved art will become rotten after approximately one week, visitors are advised to schedule their visit in that weekend or in the first days of the weekend to admire the beautifully carved giant pumpkins in their full glory.
From now, there will be an extra activity every Saturday and Sunday: Halloween pumpkin carving!
The organisers will have a work table and tools to carve the Halloween pumpkins. You can carve your pumpkin on Saturday and Sunday between 1pm and 6pm.
How can I take part?1. Buy your pumpkin in our shop2. Have fun carving your pumpkin with the tools provided
1191 kg was the weight of the world’s biggest pumpkin in the year of 2016. This world record pumpkin was grown by the Belgium grower Matthias Willemijns. In the Belgium village of Kasterlee, a lot of colossal pumpkins are grown every year. We are very happy to invite on 21 September all growers from Belgium and any other country in the park of the Grand-Bigard castle to join the 'Brussels Open Pumpkin Weigh Off' to find out which will be the heaviest one.
The weighing of the giant pumpkins starts at 1pm.
On 22 September, the three biggest pumpkins will stay in the park to be admired by the visitors.
Prizes if the pumpkins stay in the park:
1st place: 1,000 euros
2nd place: 500 euros
3rd place: 400 euros
4th place: 350 euros
5th place: 300 euros
6th place: 250 Euros
7th place: 200 euros
8th place: EUR 150
9th place: 100 euros
10th place: 50 euros
Growers will get their seeds back by the end of the event.
During this event, there will be multiple competitions involving pumpkins. For example, pumpkin paddling, wheelbarrow race or pumpkin taste identification are some of the challenges. The participants need to partake in different disciplines to ultimately become a winner in the Multiple-Pumpkin-Competition. This challenge will put a crown on the heads of the real pumpkin queens and kings. The winners will be honored with nice small pumpkin surprises.
You probably haven't seen a cooking pot this big in your entire life, 200 Liters of pumpkin soup is prepared on the spot to be sold to the visitors of the park. For each cup of soup that is sold, € 0.50 will be donated to welfare organizations in Brussels. In case all visitors together are able to clean out this huge pot over the weekend, the organizers double the amount of money that's donated. So come and indulge in a tasty and fresh bowl of pumpkin soup, help to empty the giant pot and support local charities!
The Giant Pumpkins Winners from the Brussels Open Weigh Off will be dissected by the growers to harvest their seeds for the next year. The visitors can see how these vegetable giants look on the inside, have a chance to get in touch with the grower and purchase some of their seeds. They'll also have the opportunity to ask questions and get some tips on how to become a successful grower themselves in the future. The fleshy insides of the giant pumpkins can be used to make pumpkin soup and will be given away for free – for as long as available.
