7 Reasons to Visit The Great Pumpkin Fest at Kings Dominion

This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.

Over the weekend, we took the kids back to Kings Dominion for The Great Pumpkin Fest. On Saturdays and Sundays from September 24 through October 30 from 12pm to 5pm, you'll find the Great Pumpkin Fest inside the park's Planet Snoopy kids' area. The event includes Halloween-themed live shows, Sally’s Pumpkin Painting Patch, Franklin’s Scarecrow Hollow, Pig Pen’s People Washer, a petting zoo, and so much more!

1. Character Appearances

While there are character meet and greets every day at Kings Dominion, we definitely noticed them more during The Great Pumpkin Fest than when we visited in July.

I love that the characters are dressed for the season! For example, we saw Lucy as a witch and Linus as a scarecrow.

Owen absolutely adores costumed characters, but Charlie won't go near them. The first thing Owen does when we spot someone is charge at them with a big hug.

2. Trick or Treating Prizes

Trick or Treating goes hand-in-hand with Halloween, right? When you check-in at the Great Pumpkin Fest Headquarters, you'll pick up a treat bag.

When you visit the special locations, you'll collect Halloween treats! I like that the treats are not candy, but instead were fun items like rings, bracelets, and a paddle ball.

Also at Headquarters, your kiddo will be measured and given a band. This makes it easier to know which rides they can ride throughout the park.

3. Costume Parade

If I didn't mention it yet, kids can wear costumes on their visit during The Great Pumpkin Fest! Kids in costume can parade around with Snoopy and all his friends at 2pm and 5pm. You'll just need to be ready by 1:50pm or 4:50pm.

Honestly, the parade itself wasn't more than two minutes. But… each character held the hand of at least one child and that's super cool to parade around with a character! Owen made his way through the line and settled on Lucy.

After the parade, all of the characters were available for meet and greets and pictures.

4. Foam

Who wouldn't want to hop around in a giant area of foam?!?

Charlie thought it was clouds at first, but was super excited to realize it was tons and tons of bubbles!

I do suggest bringing a towel and a change of clothes. The kids will be wet and need to change.

Charlie actually got out on his own because he was cold. He even talked his poor little brother into toweling him off.

5. Hay Maze

Every Fall Festival needs a hay maze! Franklin's Scarecrow Hollow is the perfect size for the little ones.

The kids went through this several times throughout the day.

6. Bring a Pumpkin Home

I know, I know…. pumpkins are everywhere this time of year. That said, there's something cool about decorating a pumpkin at an amusement park.

I expected there to be an additional charge for the pumpkin, but nope- it's included.

7. Cooler Weather

I don't know about you, but cooler weather is a big perk for me going to Kings Dominion in the fall. As much as I love summer, it's often just too hot. I felt much more comfortable throughout the day and didn't worry about the kids getting overheated.

Soak City is closed now, so we didn't need to worry about dividing time and all that jazz.

This time, we brought my mom along. The Great Pumpkin Fest is a great time to bring a grandparent because it's cooler and everything is centrally located in Planet Snoopy. Mommom had a great time with the boys and even rode a few rides! This was her first time at Kings Dominion.