Ilkley's Pumpkin Festival hailed a huge success
Ilkley's first-ever Pumpkin Festival has been hailed a huge success, with families enjoying free Halloween activities during the October half-term, including a town centre Pumpkin Trail and a community carving event on The Grove.
Organised by Ilkley Business Improvement District (BID), the festival brought local businesses and the community together to celebrate all things pumpkin.
The Pumpkin Trail featured 17 Ilkley businesses, each displaying their own carved creation. Highlights included Jack O'Plantern at The Outdoor Living Collective, Jelly Jinx at The Traditional Sweet Shop, Truffles at Friends of Ham, Nippy Nora at Nora's Interiors & Gifts and Dr Flossy at Ilkley Dental Centre.
The main event took place at Canker Well on Wednesday, attracting families throughout the day., who enjoyed live carving professional demonstrations from Sand In Your Eye, while children could choose a free pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch and create their own designs. Halloween-themed backdrops also provided opportunities for family photographs.
Supported by Ilkley Town Council, with pumpkins donated by Booths and Tesco, the event offered a full day of free family activities.
Visitors took to social media to praise the festival.....
“Was superb my granddaughter really enjoyed it. Jack was a wonderful young man. And the expert carvers were lovely. Very welcoming. The trail was great too. Had such a lovely day.”
“Thank you so much to everyone involved in this. Both my girls loved picking and carving their pumpkins.”
“Absolutely brilliant! Our children absolutely loved carving their pumpkins. Thank you to all involved.”
Ilkley BID Manager, Sarah Brookfield-Almond, said: “We couldn't have asked for a better response to our Pumpkin Festival. It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying themselves and getting involved in the Halloween activities.
“Events like this are a fantastic way to bring people into Ilkley, support our independent businesses and showcase everything our town has to offer. With the cost of living continuing to put pressure on family budgets, we were particularly keen to offer a fun, free event that everyone could enjoy.
“The professional carvers from Sand In Your Eye were absolutely brilliant, and we're hugely grateful to everyone who helped make the festival possible.”
Ilkley BID thanked Ilkley Town Council for its financial support, Booths and Tesco for donating pumpkins, and J Reserve for supplying coffee. Special thanks also went to BID team member Nicola Carr, Colin Watson from the Ilkley Carnival team and Jack Mountcastle for helping younger visitors with their pumpkin creations.
