Cal Poly Pomona Fall Festival and Giant Pumpkin Patch in AGRIscapes

Celebrating one of Southern California's premier university harvest traditions, the Cal Poly Pomona PumpkinFest stages an extraordinary fall festival near me at 4102 S University Dr, Pomona, CA 91768. Held exclusively on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) from October 10 through October 31, 2026, operating daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, this landmark celebration transforms the university AGRIscapes agricultural complex into an expansive working farm showcase. Welcoming over 80,000 visitors annually throughout the autumn season, the festival highlights more than 30,000 university-grown pumpkins ripe for picking directly from sprawling student-tended fields set against the scenic San Gabriel mountain foothills.

Established more than 30 years ago by the dedicated faculty and undergraduate students of the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture, PumpkinFest began as a humble campus pumpkin patch and has proudly evolved into an annual agricultural celebration welcoming over 80,000 visitors. The entire event operates as an educational and agricultural showcase where college students actively plant, irrigate, cultivate, and harvest the crops. This authentic academic pedigree ensures that every pumpkin reflects genuine California farming heritage rather than synthetic commercial amusement.

Guests stepping into the festival grounds encounter an incredible array of agricultural exhibits and family-friendly seasonal attractions. Families can navigate an intricate corn maze carved through tall cornstalks, climb aboard the student-operated Cow Train for a whimsical ride across the farm perimeter, and explore the Jr. Farmers Discovery Zone packed with interactive educational activities. Seasonal themed weekends celebrate diverse community traditions, while livestock pens cared for by agriculture students allow children to meet farm animals up close.

Ticketing structure is straightforward, with transparent pricing designed to support college educational programs and student scholarships. General admission tickets purchased online in advance cost $18 per person, while tickets purchased on event day at the gate cost $22 per person. Online ticket buyers can also take advantage of the Family 4 Pack Bundle, which is available exclusively online and provides a $3 discount per ticket when purchasing a pack of 4 tickets. Children under 36 inches in height enter completely free throughout the entire festival run.

Every general admission ticket grants comprehensive access to the festival grounds, live student music performances, interactive agricultural exhibits, scenic hayrides, mazes, and the petting farm. Please note that the popular corn maze and attraction queues operate during daytime festival hours alongside expansive pumpkin patch picking fields. Guests can wander through rows of farm-grown pumpkins across the field, with convenient wagons provided across the grounds to help carry selections to checkout stations.

Culinary offerings across the festival celebrate fresh harvest flavors curated in partnership with the popular 909 Open Market. A diverse fleet of regional food trucks serves barbecue, tacos, gourmet burgers, and artisan carnival desserts. In addition, student musical groups perform across outdoor gathering zones, creating an energetic collegiate atmosphere where families can relax with delicious food and live tunes beneath the warm afternoon autumn skies.

Mastering your visit requires smart timing to avoid the heaviest peak queues along the campus avenues and ticket gates. Peak crowd density occurs on sunny Saturday mid-days between 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM, when vehicle queues entering South University Drive can cause brief traffic delays. Arriving promptly at the 10:00 AM morning gate opening guarantees prime parking close to the entrance, cooler walking temperatures across the dirt fields, and first pick of the most pristine round carving pumpkins before afternoon crowds assemble.

For an insider strategy, skip the crowded central food truck courtyard during the noon lunch rush when lines peak, and instead stroll into the permanent Cal Poly Farm Store located right beside the festival entrance at 4102 S University Drive to enjoy packaged artisan food, bottled honey, and fresh campus produce in air-conditioned comfort. If afternoon heat rises across the Pomona Valley, head into the shaded agronomy greenhouse displays to admire indoor farming exhibits before concluding your pumpkin harvest and returning to the checkout area.

The surrounding Pomona area offers delightful educational and historical destinations to round out a complete harvest day trip. Explore the historic Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture grounds to view the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center, home to world-renowned performance horses. Alternatively, take a ten-minute drive into the adjacent city of Claremont to stroll through the charming Claremont Village, packed with tree-lined streets, independent bookshops, European-style bakeries, and fine neighborhood dining.

Practical planning ensures a seamless and comfortable farm day for guests of all mobility levels across the property. The festival grounds span working agricultural soil and packed dirt avenues, so rugged all-terrain strollers and sturdy closed-toe walking boots are far superior to lightweight sandals. The venue provides complimentary pull-behind garden wagons on a first-come basis near the patch gates to assist visitors with transporting heavy pumpkins to vehicle loading zones. All major credit cards and debit cards are accepted throughout the admission booths and farm stores.

Combining collegiate agricultural tradition, vast pumpkin fields, and engaging family entertainment, this annual event remains a crowning jewel of Southern California autumn celebrations. For anyone seeking an authentic, educational fall festival near me in Greater Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona PumpkinFest offers an unmatched seasonal experience rooted in the rich soil of California farming history.