Do I need to book the workshop?

Yes, places are limited and it needs booking ahead. Contact the center at 91 376 91 97 or inforetiro@madrid.es. The rest of the day is free and drop-in.

The producers fair sells food you can eat there or take home: bread, cheese, empanadas, sweets, cured meats, fruit, vermouth and craft beer, among others.

Can we enter a pumpkin in the contest?

Yes, if you grew it: entries are open to community, school and home gardens. Pumpkins are handed in Oct 1 to 14, so email the center first to arrange it. Afterwards they're all shown in the center's exhibition room until the end of Christmas.

Fiesta de la Calabaza at El Retiro: Pumpkin Contest and Crafts

Featured inFall Colors & Nature Days Out from Madrid Pumpkin Patches near Madrid

Fiesta de la Calabaza at El Retiro: Pumpkin Contest and Crafts photo 3

FestivalRetiro24 families interested

Where

Retiro, Centro de Educación Ambiental El Retiro

Ages

All ages, workshop 8-12

Setting

Outdoors

Plan for

2-3 hours

Music

Live singer

Workshop registration

Booking needed, limited places

Contest categories

Biggest, rarest, biggest from an urban garden

What you need to know

The workshop is for ages 8 to 12, but younger kids can still enjoy the fair, the music and the contest
Bring old clothes for the workshop: denim, corduroy or sweaters to wrap, and cotton T-shirts for stuffing
A free plant for every visitor, from the Retiro municipal nursery, while stocks last

About

The yearly pumpkin party at El Huerto del Retiro, the city's environmental education center and garden inside Retiro Park. Local growers sell food from their stalls, a singer plays a short set, and the municipal nursery hands out free plants. Older kids can join a booked workshop making decorative pumpkins from old fabric, and a contest crowns the biggest and rarest pumpkins of the year.

Schedule

From the 2026 edition — 2027 dates not announced yet.

Sat, Oct 17

10am–3pm
Producers fair
Local, organic and craft food stalls.
10am–3pm
Free plants
The Retiro municipal nursery gives each visitor a seasonal plant while stocks last.
10am–11:30am
Family workshop, first session
Decorative pumpkins from old fabric. Ages 8 to 12, booking needed.
12pm–1:30pm
Family workshop, second session
Decorative pumpkins from old fabric. Ages 8 to 12, booking needed.
12pm–1:30pm
Live music
Singer Daniella Torres with Jorge and Pablo Huete.
1:30pm
XIII Pumpkin Contest
Prizes for the biggest, the rarest and the biggest from a Madrid urban garden.