Pumpkins are taking over Hershey Gardens again this October, and some of them have apparently chosen the pirate life.
Pumpkin Palooza returns October 17, 18, 24 and 25, filling the Gardens with more than 300 hand-painted pumpkins, fall displays, trick-or-treating and just enough creepy creatures to remind your kids that Halloween can be educational while they are busy collecting candy.
This is one of those fall events that works especially well for families who want Halloween fun without the scares. Kids are encouraged to wear costumes, and Hershey Gardens says there will be four Hershey's candy stations along the way.
The pumpkins themselves are worth slowing down for. Students from Bishop McDevitt High School, Hershey High School, Lower Dauphin High School and Milton Hershey School helped paint them, along with members of York College of Pennsylvania's Plant & Gardening Club and Pollinator Awareness Club.
And this year, there are pirates.
New for 2026: A Pumpkin Pirate Scene
A new pirate-themed scene made with pumpkins and gourds joins the displays in The Children's Garden this year.
Families will also find the giant 14-foot pumpkin tree, four pumpkin mosaics, a 9-foot mum display and plenty of gourds, hay bales and ornamental grasses. Hershey Gardens says more than 1,500 mums will be blooming throughout the Gardens, so this is also an excellent opportunity to acquire approximately 47 fall photos of your children while they insist they are done taking pictures.
And Then There Are the Creepy Creatures
The Creepy Creatures Gallery is back with frogs, insects and spiders, including a tarantula, walking sticks and jungle nymphs.
Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., visitors can also hold Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
Some families will read that sentence as a warning. Others just found the main reason their child wants to go.
Candy, Activities and Food
Kids can come in costume and trick-or-treat at four Hershey's candy stations during Pumpkin Palooza. Hands-on activities will also be available, and face painting will be offered for an additional charge.
Food will be available for purchase from Cheesesteak Shuttle, Jack & Joan's Kettle Corn, Marsico's Taste of Italy, Noel's Café and Shorty's Funnel Cakes.
And because Pumpkin Palooza takes place at Hershey Gardens, your admission also includes the rest of the Gardens and the indoor tropical Butterfly Atrium. In other words, you can go from hissing cockroaches to butterflies without moving the car.
Pumpkin Palooza 2026: What Families Need to Know
October 17, 18, 24 and 25, 2026
9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Hershey Gardens
170 Hotel Road, Hershey
Pumpkin Palooza is included with general admission to Hershey Gardens, and admission is free for members. Tickets can be purchased online or at the admissions desk when you arrive.
Event details can change. Always confirm current information with Hershey Gardens before attending.
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