Our Day at Tulleys Pumpkin Festival
When October rolls around, the alternative crowd are always ready! Halloween is our season, so when we were invited down to Tulleys Pumpkin Festival in Turners Hill, near Crawley, we dug out the pointy hats, dressed as witches and went to see what Europe’s largest pumpkin festival is all about.
The first thing that hits you as you walk in is the sheer variety. Pumpkins of every shape, size and shade are piled up wherever you look, with around 1.5 million pumpkins and gourds spread across the site. A scarecrow keeps watch near the entrance, and signs point you towards the pumpkin field.
Fuel first
We arrived starving, so food came first. There’s plenty to choose from, with burgers, chips, pasta and lots of sweet treats. Later on we tried the doughnuts, and they were dangerously moreish. The cinnamon dusting was so good!
A photographer’s playground
Once fed, we took our time wandering the first pumpkin patch, and it’s packed with photo opportunities. You can pose with tractors, perch in front of autumnal frames and hang out with skeletons. Then come the displays: a pumpkin hot air balloon, the Tulleys logo spelt out in pumpkins and, our personal favourite, the pumpkin guitar! We’ll take one for the RAMzine office, please.
There are even pumpkins floating on the water, which look gorgeous against all that orange. Further round, a little pumpkin maze leads into the cutest pumpkin village, with chilled music drifting through it. It’s a lovely spot to slow down and soak it all in.
Round and round
The 33m Observation Wheel gives you a sweeping view over the fields and a real sense of the scale of the place. There is a carousel too; we hopped on a cute vintage-style horse carousel in the pumpkin field. It was lots of fun.
There was music!
For music lovers, there was a surprise at both ends of the day. Earlier on, we were serenaded in the pumpkin field by a singer and guitarist. Then, just when we thought the day was over, we stepped off the Ferris wheel into the bar area to find a country musician playing an acoustic set. It was the perfect way to wind down.
A warning for fellow witches
We absolutely encourage you to dress up. Why not? It’s fun. Just be prepared to get stopped. We must have posed for around 30 photos with children and adults, as plenty of people seemed to think we worked there. Embrace the goth and alternative vibes, and enjoy your moment of fame.
The verdict
Tulleys Pumpkin Festival is a wholesome, colourful day out that gives you a proper dopamine fix. It’s very well organised and very child friendly, the food is delicious, and you can buy as many pumpkins as you like to take home. Whether you go with friends or family, it’s a brilliant way to get into the Halloween spirit, and we think the rock and metal crowd will love it.
Tulleys Pumpkin Festival is open on selected days until 31 October 2026 at Turners Hill Road, Crawley, West Sussex. Tickets should be booked in advance through the Tulleys website. If you fancy seeing the festival after dark, Pumpkin Nights opens the same site on selected evenings, all lit up, with a fireworks finale on 1 November. And for anyone who wants proper scares, Shocktober Fest, which Tulleys bills as Europe’s largest scream park, shares the site too.
