Half term Pumpkin Festival fun coming to Ilkley
Ilkley is set for some pumpkin-filled fun this October half term as Ilkley BID launches the first Discover Ilkley Pumpkin Festival, running from Friday 23 October to Sunday 1 November 2026.
The new festival promises plenty of free family-friendly activities, including professional pumpkin carving, creative workshops and a town-wide Pumpkin Trail, all designed to bring some Halloween magic to Ilkley and encourage residents and visitors to explore the town.
The highlight of the festival will be a special day of free pumpkin-themed activities at Canker Well on The Grove on Wednesday 28 October, from 10.30am to 4pm.
Visitors will be able to watch professional pumpkin carvers at work, get creative in free pumpkin lantern-making workshops running throughout the day and visit the Pumpkin Patch to choose their own pumpkin to carve. There will also be Halloween-themed backdrops, providing the perfect setting for some fabulously spooky family photographs.
The pumpkin carving activities will be led by Sand In Your Eye, a Hebden Bridge-based creative company renowned for its talented team of artists, sculptors and workshop specialists, whose work is currently featured on the BBC television programme ‘Race Against the Tide’.
As professional pumpkin carvers, Sand In Your Eye say this is their time to shine: "Our artists are skilled in etching, shading, 3D sculpting, and precise stencil work. The only limit is imagination.”
Local businesses are joining Ilkley’s Halloween celebrations with a Pumpkin Trail, inviting families to explore the town and discover creatively carved pumpkins displayed in participating shops.
Find all the pumpkins for a chance to win a £50 Ilkley Gift Card.
Trail forms are available to download from the Discover Ilkley website or collect from Nora’s Interiors & Gifts, Games Crusade in The Grove Promenade, or Moor Fruit & Veg on Leeds Road.
Ilkley BID would like to thank Ilkley Town Council for its generous grant towards the pumpkin carving event and Booths and Tesco’s for kindly donating pumpkins for the pumpkin patch.
Sarah Brookfield-Almond, Ilkley BID Manager, said: “We hope lots of residents and visitors will come along to enjoy the pumpkin carving activities. We're really looking forward to bringing some Halloween magic to Ilkley and hope the Pumpkin Festival will become a much-loved annual event in the town's calendar.”
Businesses taking part in the Pumpkin Trail include: Bar T’at, Fat Face, Friends of Ham, Fuggle & Golding, Games Crusade, Ilkley Dental Centre, J Reserve, Moor Fruit & Veg, Nora’s, Outdoor Living Gardens, Porters, The Art Shop, The Foot Company, The Green Room, Three Little Birds, Traditional Sweet Shop and Wharfedale Fine Cheeses.
For more information about the Pumpkin Festival, visit www.discoverilkley.co.uk.
