Cal Poly Pomona’s Pumpkin Fest Launches a New Preview Party

What to Know

Friday, Sept. 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Pomona
Wine, beer, and bites; open to guests 21+

PUMPKIN FESTIVALS? They're beyond adorable, they're totally wholesome and sweet, and calling a fun family portrait, the sort of picture that is snapped against a bevy of gourds, an image that's too cute for words? You wouldn't be wrong in that assessment. For these seasonal spectaculars, the sort of fresh-of-air, wide-of-field festivals that pop up in late September, are very much about treating youngsters, and their grown-ups, to a gleeful time out among the orange orbs and colorful squashes. So finding a special to-do that's very much about a famous pumpkin festival, but created for the 21-and-over set? It's a rather unusual treat, one that has fall vibes and all sorts of sips made for the adult set.

THE CAL POLY PUMPKIN FEST... is one of the best-known autumn-taculars around, thanks to the fact that its history stretches back over three decades, and its location? "The Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture grows 40,000 pumpkins" shares the site, a truly astounding number (there are also a pair of corn mazes to enjoy, bright sunflowers, and other timely touches). It draws families from around the Pomona area and far beyond for a day out among the stem-topped superstars, where choosing the perfect pumpkin, or posing for a playful picture, is the whimsical way of things. But on Sept. 30, 2022?

AN ADULT EVENT, one that will raise funds for the Huntley College of Agriculture ("students and programs" both), will be in the pumpkin-hued spotlight. Wine and beer will be served, and food, too, and there will be gourdly goings-on, like a petting zoo, to delight guests. Tickets for the Special Preview Event will be on sale soon, so keep an eye on the site. And, of course, if you've got tots who are eager to roam one of the biggest patches around, you'll want to know all about the 2022 Pumpkin Festival at AGRIscapes, which officially opens on Oct. 1. Find out more about this festive fall classic, which sprouts at one of the Golden State's hallowed hubs of agricultural knowledge.