What’s the best thing about fall?  Pumpkins of course!  You know this, we know this, even Starbucks knows this… so what happens when an entire town of people know this?  The Ludwigsburg Pumpkin Festival!

Ludwigsburg is a charming little city that knows how to throw a serious pumpkin-themed party.  To enjoy all the fall festivities we took a quick day trip here from Frankfurt.. a journey which took about 2 hours each way by train.

The festival is held each year at Blühendes Barock in the city center of Ludwigsburg.  The grounds are stunning; this paradise of pumpkins is located directly behind the Ludwigsburg Palace.  Finally, pumpkins are getting the royal recognition they deserve!

Sculptures made completely of pumpkins are scattered across the festival grounds!  The theme this year was “pumpkins take flight” (because that’s not random at all) and many of the massive sculptures reflect the concept.

And let’s not forget about the festive fall treats!  Pumpkin pie, anyone?

There is an annual pumpkin carving contest, and some of the entries are insanely detailed and lifelike…

…and others are just massive testaments to the festivity of this tiny German city.

We love how seriously Germans take their festivities. We may have been the only couple in the entire park that did not have children with them, but it didn’t matter because we were in pumpkin heaven! After getting our fill of pumpkin sculptures, we indulged in various treats including pumpkin prosecco, pumpkin veggie burgers, pumpkin soup and pumpkin cookies. I only wish I had room to eat more of the delicious pumpkin treats!

^^^Pumpkin condiments?  Yes!!  Long live love!