If the idea of a 1,000 pound giant pumpkin keg does not scare you into sobriety, The Great Pumpkin Beer Festival might just be what your liver and stomach need this October.
There will be more than 100 pumpkin-flavored (and regularly-flavored) beers and ciders flowing from the taps of places like the Headless Horseman Hideaway and Jack-O’s Tavern, as well as from the scooped, scorched and sealed pumpkin beer keg that looks fit for a Halloween-flick villain. Tapping the gourd is a big deal, and a man dressed up as David Pumpkin walks around with a screw gun stabbing the hard shell as confetti flies all around him.
The Halloween theme continues on your plate with squash-infused menu items. You could grab a slice of butternut squash pizza from Big Oven Pizza, or some fried pumpkin chicken strips from Chicken Shack on Wheels. True culinary explorers could then make their way to Gabina’s Cuisine for pumpkin mixed egg rolls, a pumpkin bao bun and pumpkin milk tea from House of Bao.
Competitive types can let loose at the “Gourd Games.” Previous years have involved pumpkin squatting, pumpkin pie eating, pumpkin tossing and pumpkin musical chairs events. To put it plainly, “it’s going to be a gourd time,” according to festival organizers.
This festival is a partnership between Elysian Brewing and The Vera Project, and all proceeds go to The Vera Project, a nonprofit that supports youth through art and music programs.
The Specs
- The Seattle Great Pumpkin Beer Festival brings in around 4,000 to 6,000 people.
- Tickets are $28 a day. A two-day pass goes for $50, and the sober-inclined can grab a booze-less designated driver ticket for $5. Drink tickets and glassware are not included; water and non-alcoholic beverages are available for free.
- Check out Fifty Grande’s guide to Seattle here.
FAQs
What is the closest airport to the Seattle Great Pumpkin Beer Festival?
King County International Airport, which is about 8 miles away from Seattle Center. To get to the venue in Seattle Center, you can get a car, a bus, the King County metro, the monorail or, if you want to suffer, a bike.
How old do I have to be to attend?
If you can’t drink legally, you can’t come to this festival. It’s a 21 and up event.
What bands are performing?
Local DJs and bands play the duration of the festival.
