Are you looking for an incredibly fun and ultra unique Thanksgiving getaway experience? Well, we just found one of the most quirky and wholesome Canadian Thanksgiving traditions there is, the Giant Pumpkin Regatta in Canada’s maritime province of Nova Scotia! Nestled in the historic waterfront town of Shelburne, this annual race not only has guests cheering from the sidelines but attendees also have the opportunity to paddle in a pumpkin too! So pack your bags and get ready for a Canadian adventure unlike any other as you set out to experience the Giant Pumpkin Regatta – Canada’s unique Thanksgiving tradition! Looking for a hotel in Nova Scotia? Click here for options:
History:
The Giant Pumpkin Regatta was founded in 1999 by Danny Dill, breeder of the Atlantic Giant pumpkin in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Sadly, 3 years ago Windsor dammed their waterway to build a road, which resulted in the race site drying up leaving no place to host the beloved event. Shelburne County decided to continue the tradition at their waterfront fall festival and a new tradition was born.
Where to get a Giant Pumpkin?
The magic is in the seeds! Shelburne purchased 5 pumpkins from the valley about 2hrs away, where Windsor is located. The addtional 7 pumpkins were grown locally, then they were weighed in, sold and carved out. The price for a Giant Pumpkin is a flat rate of $200 however some of the farmers donated theirs to the event, like this years weigh in winner Francis Cambell. His pumpkin was an impressive 1250 lbs. So it’s not BYOP as one would think! The festival also has a giant squash and a largest sunflower competition as well.
How to enter the Regatta?
Past winners and participants are invited to race again. The remaining spots are filled by an all call hosted on Shelburne County’s Facebook page for wanna be produce paddlers to apply. This year 3 of 2024’s regatta participants were Windsor locals who made the trek over to join the fun. One of them holds the title of former Windsor Giant Pumpkin Regatta champion! Not to be outdone, another racer was a previous winner from Shelburne County and they all have a blast with this event! It’s really a whole culture leading up to the event too! Check out their hilarious “pumpkin training” video here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/hUB1GWZmMoGcUprs/
Preparing for the race!
The pumpkins bought from the valley were carved and painted prior to arriving at the festival. The 7 additional pumpkins however were brought to weigh in and carved out on site. Real pumpkins just larger in size, the craving process is the same with larger tools. Instead of knives they used hand held saws and Dewalt reciprocating saws (sawzles). And garden spades are used to scoop instead of spoons. There’s also a special salt concoction to help absorb the water. The carvers try to keep the pumpkin sides and bottom as thick as possible. Some racers spray the inside of their pumpkins to seal them and use a yoga mats to sit on. My pumpkin however was carved on racing day so it was just plain pumpkin mess inside. The final step was loading the pumpkins into the water with a tractor and then numbered with their racing flag.
The Main Event:
Let the races begin! A colourful mix of decorated pumpkins and participants the costumes were as creative as the pumpkins. Eager racers paddle their way out to the starting line, sadly some not quite making it thanks to poor paddle techniques, speed or improper design causing their pumpkins to sink before the race begins. (Shelburne County takes their participants safety seriously with a fire and rescue boat on site overseeing the event.) And then they were off, paddling for their shot at the winners bragging rights and the first second or third place trophies as the crowds cheer them on. Throughout the short 5-10 mins race the master of ceremonies regaled the audience with a play by play journey of the giant gourds gains as they made their way out to the halfway mark buoy and back again. The top 3 winners were then celebrated and presented their winning trophies!
A fun fall festival for all:
The Giant Pumpkin Regatta is the main event, but there are also a ton of other things to do too! Visitors can enjoy the vendors market, the donut eating competition, bouncy castles, food trucks, henna booth and so much more! Best of all, everyone is welcome to try paddling a pumpkin after the race is done.
Final thoughts:
Shelburne County’s Giant Pumpkin Regatta officially ranks on the tops of my lists of unique and fun fall experiences. This is why I was excited to learn that Shelburne County also hosts other seasonal events. They have a spring Easter event and summer Dock Street Days event (complete with trull tub races in wooden tubs). And a winter Miracle Dock Street event with a stationary parade and fireworks; straight out of Christmas movie feel too. Whichever you choose I’m sure they are all awesome but I highly recommend visiting the Giant Pumpkin Regatta – Canada’s unique Thanksgiving tradition!
Looking for other unique fall activities? Check out this blog here: https://jenzjourneys.com/5-awesome-autumn-activities-in-ontario/
