Travel Guides
Travel Guides
Go RVing to These Punkin Chunkin Festivals
Check out this roundup of punkin chunkin festivals taking place across the country this autumn.
Overview
Most children — and quite a few adults — look forward to Halloween as a time to carve pumpkins, dress up in costumes, go trick or treating, and visit haunted houses.
But there’s another activity that’s popping up more and more during the weeks leading up to Halloween: Pumpkin Chunkin!
This activity, which some people call “Punkin Chunkin’,” involves placing pumpkins into a catapult and launching them hundreds of feet into the air. Punkin Chunkin is not typically done in people’s backyards, but there are more and more campgrounds and festivals across the country that offer Punkin Chunkin activities.
Here’s where you can find Punkin Chunkin activities this fall:
1
Bill Noble's Pumpkinfest, AZ
Bill Noble's Pumpkinfest will take place at Bill Nobile Park in Gardendale, AZ, on October 28. This event includes a pumpkin chunkin contest, a kids scavenger hunt, trick or treating, as well as vendors and food trucks.
Where to Camp:
Birmingham South RV Park in Pelham
Address: 222 Co Rd 33, Pelham, AL 35124
Phone Number: (205) 664-8832Carson Village Homes & RV Community in Birmingham
Address: 400 North Carson Road, Birmingham, AL 35215
Phone Number: (205) 854-0059
2
Bloomington Pumpkin Launch, IN
The Bloomington Pumpkin Launch will take place at Bloomington Fairgrounds, IN, on October 25. During the event, launcher teams send pumpkins soaring through the air in competitions for distance and accuracy. Participants are encouraged to assemble a team to build and enter a pumpkin launching device! Cannons and chemically powered launchers are not permitted.
The competition is set up with different launcher divisions, including elementary or middle school, high school or college, and adult divisions. Launchers are also sorted by the size of pumpkins they can launch, with separate categories for pumpkins that weight less than 2 pounds, 2 to 4 pounds, or 5 pounds or more. This even also includes food vendors and live music and fall-themed activities for children.
Where to Camp:
Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Bloomington
Address: 9396 S. Strain Ridge Rd, Bloomington, IN 47401
Phone Number: (812) 824-3322
3
Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival, SD
The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival is taking place in Rapid City, SD, on September 20. This festival is the largest annual event in Rapid City. Its many activities include Pumpkin Chunkin; pumpkin painting; a pumpkin carving contest; and “4 Buck Chuck," a game where you can test your skill by tossing pumpkins at different targets.
There will also be a kid zone with bouncing castles and yard games; a “Touch a Truck” experience where kids can climb aboard and check out big trucks; and a giant pumpkin weigh off to see who grew the biggest gourd in town. There will also be a pumpkin pub crawl for adults and a downtown business scarecrow contest. The festival will also feature live music and food vendors.
Where to Camp:
Hart Ranch Camping Resort in Rapid City
Address: 23756 Arena Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota 57702
Phone Numbers:
(1-800) 605-4278
(1-605) 399-2582Rapid City / Black Hills KOA Holiday in Rapid City
Address: 3010 East Highway 44, Rapid City, SD 57703
Phone Numbers:
Reserve— (1-800) 562-8504
Information— (1-605) 348-2111
4
New Albany Pumpkin Chunking, IN
The New Albany Pumpkin Chunking is taking place at Purdue Polytechnique University in New Albany, IN on October 14. This event includes pumpkin chunking competitions for high school students and adults. There will also be food trucks, free pumpkin painting, and children’s activities.
Where to Camp:
Louisville North Campground in Clarksville, IN
Address: 900 Marriott Drive Clarksville, IN 47129
Phone Number: (812) 282-4474
5
Pumpkin Chunkin, VA
Pumpkin Chunkin is taking place at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA, from November 1-4. Visitors are encouraged to bring their leftover jack-o-lanterns to Great Country Farms’ “smashin’ stations” and “let them fly!” Or add your pumpkins as fuel for the “Pumpkin Drop Zone” where they will be included in “an upside down fireworks display.”
Some of the pumpkin remains will be fed to pigs and cows, while the remaining leftovers will be composted. Other events include marshmallow roasting.
Where to Camp:
Watermelon Park & RV Campground in Berryville
Address: 3322 Lockes Mill Road, Berryville, VA 22611
Phone Number: (540) 955-4803
6
Pumpkin Chuck Festival, OH
The Pumpkin Chuck Festival take place in Stanbery Park in Cincinnati, OH, on November 1. This event features pumpkin chunking as well as food trucks, craft beer, live entertainment, and family fun.
Where to Camp:
Camp Cedar RV Resort in Mason
Address: 5158 Kings Island Drive, Mason, OH, 45040
Phone Number: (513) 701-9635Lebanon / Cincinnati NE KOA Holiday in Lebanon
Address: 760 Franklin Rd, Lebanon, OH 45036
Phone Numbers:
Reserve— (1-513) 932-7717
Information— (1-513) 932-7717
7
Pumpkin Chunking, AL
The Pumpkin Destruction Day is taking place at Tate Farms in Meridianville, AL, on November 1. Activities include a pumpkin smash zone, a kiddie smash zone, a pumpkin explosion show, hay rides, monster truck rides, and other children's’ activities. Nearby campgrounds include:
Where to Camp:
Red Coach Resort & RV Park in Huntsville
Address: 117 Palmers View Dr, Toney, AL 35773
Phone Number: (256) 937-6142
8
Punkin Chunkin Fall Festival, PA
The Punkin Chunkin Fall Festival is taking place at Bald Eagle State Park in Howard, PA, on October 18. Each year, teams from near and far show off their custom-built machines and send pumpkins soaring over the lake at Bald Eagle State Park using catapults, trebuchets, and other engineered contraptions. The event, organized by the all-volunteer Howard Fire Company, includes hayrides and over 150 food and craft vendors.
Where to Camp:
Bellefonte / State College KOA Holiday in Bellefonte
(Open April 8 to November 23)
Address: 2481 Jacksonville Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823
Phone Numbers:
Reserve— (1-800) 562-8127
Info— (1-814) 355-7912
9
Punkin Chunkin' and Barbecue Contest, NY
The Punkin Chunkin' and Barbecue Contest in Clayton, NY, on October 18 includes pumpkin chunkin’ competitions for adults and children as well as a barbecue competition.
Where to Camp:
Swan Bay Resort in Alexandria Bay
Address: 43615 NY-12 Alexandria Bay, NY 13607
Phone Number: (315) 482-7926
10
Punkin Chunkin Festival, NC
The Punkin Chunkin Festival is taking place in Hayesville, NC, from October 17-19. This annual event, sponsored by the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, starts with an “‘Anything Pumpkin’ and Chili Cook-Off” competition at the historic Hayesville Square.
The main festival is held at 811 Settawig Road in Brasstown on Saturday and Sunday and features catapults, air cannons, trebuchets and other powerful machines to launch pumpkins into the air.
In addition to the pumpkin throwing, there will be hayrides, pie-eating contests, live entertainment, as well food and craft vendors. Old Time Tractors will also be on display.
Where to Camp:
Peachtree Cove RV Park in Marble
Address: 68 Old Peachtree Rd, Marble, NC 28905
Phone Number: (828) 557-2722Valley River RV Resort in Marble
Address: 65 Old Tomotla Road, Marble , NC 28905
Phone Number: (828) 385-4220
11
Vermont Pumpkin Chunkin Festival, VT
The Vermont Pumpkin Chunkin Festival is taking place in Stowe, VT, on September 28. This annual event complements its pumpkin Chunkin activities with a chili cookoff, a volleyball tournament, and an arts and crafts show. Proceeds from the event benefit the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, which offers a diverse array of services for victims of domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and stalking in Lamoille County, VT.
Where to Camp:
Mountain View Campground in Morrisville
Address: 3154 VT Route 15 E., Morrisville, VT 05661
Phone Number: +1 (802) 888 2178
Final Thoughts
While punkin chunkin events take place as late as early November, fall is becoming an increasingly popular time for family travel, with Halloween-themed activities taking place on weekends. Be sure to make your campground reservations as soon as possible to avoid last-minute challenges finding a place to camp.
