Giant pumpkins become boats in Minnesota’s annual river race, where one competitor honoured her son and another won for the third time

Hundreds of people gathered along the St. Croix River in Stillwater, Minnesota, on Sunday to watch four competitors race in giant, hollowed-out pumpkins. The event, known as the Pumpkin Regatta, took place during the 21st annual Stillwater Harvest Fest in 2026. According to MPR News (Minnesota Public Radio), favourable weather made conditions particularly good for spectators and racers.Tim Brown, a Stillwater native who has competed in the regatta every year for the past decade, won the first-place trophy for the third time. He raced alongside his cousin, Matthew Schmidt, a previous winner of the event. For the first-time racer Laura Fairchild, however, the race was about more than winning. She took part to honour her son, Justin Ross Fairchild, who served in the US Army and died in 2007.St. Croix River hosts four racers in Stillwater's 2026 Pumpkin RegattaThe 2026 Pumpkin Regatta brought four competitors to the St. Croix River, where they paddled giant pumpkins that had been hollowed out before the race. Hundreds of spectators gathered along the river to watch the unusual competition, which is one of only a few events of its kind across the United States.Tim Brown won the first-place trophy for the third time after competing in the regatta every year. He said, “I think the first time I won was in 2016 so to be able to do it in my mid-40s is pretty cool”. He competed alongside his cousin, Matthew Schmidt, a previous winner, and said his biggest goal was to defeat him.Laura Fairchild takes part in the pumpkin race to honour her sonFor first-time racer Laura Fairchild, the Pumpkin Regatta carried a personal meaning beyond the competition. She took part to honour her son, Justin Ross Fairchild, who served in the US Army and died in 2007. Her participation added a personal story to an event where the competitors faced the challenge of navigating the river in giant pumpkins.Although the boats floated on the water, steering and paddling them was not as easy as it looked. Brown acknowledged the difficulty of the task, remarking on the unexpected experience of paddling a pumpkin. The four racers each took part in the unusual contest, while hundreds of people watched from along the St. Croix River. The race formed part of a wider celebration of the harvest in Stillwater.How growers in Stillwater cultivate pumpkins weighing more than 2,000 poundsThe Stillwater Harvest Fest began more than 20 years ago as a giant pumpkin weigh-off. It has since grown into a two-day event featuring live music, food trucks, vendors, and the Pumpkin Regatta. Cassie McLemore, director of events for Summer Tuesday, Inc., said the pumpkins have grown along with the festival. In 2010, a pumpkin weighing around 1,800 pounds at the event broke the world record for the largest pumpkin.The largest pumpkin at the 2026 festival weighed 2,305 pounds. The St. Croix Growers Association has a well-established group of growers who have been cultivating giant pumpkins for years. McLemore explained that they use seeds from the previous year's pumpkins to grow larger ones in the following season.How pumpkin growers use last year's seeds to grow bigger pumpkinsBefore the Pumpkin Regatta began, the giant pumpkins used in the race were hollowed out to make them suitable for paddling. Event organisers then shared the seeds with lucky spectators.The process also connects each year's festival with the next growing season. According to McLemore, growers use seeds from the previous year's pumpkins to produce larger pumpkins in the following year. The festival has grown into a two-day event with live music, food trucks, vendors, and the regatta.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.