Circleville Pumpkin Show — Attraction in Circleville

I'm going to estimate it's been 2 decades since my last visit. So my perspective must be fresh and cleansed by now.

Best Tip is to read the reviews of my friend Kevin C. He has great information from each year he attends. It helped me.

Next Tip is to go with a local or frequent attender. Where to park, what to see, and what to skip, is invaluable.

Pro Tip is go prepared. Bring a shoulder/cross body bag to free up your hands. Bring bottled water. Bring small snap tight containers to carry home a treat. Almost all food is served in a paper boat with no kind of lid. Concession food is sticky(wet-wipes). Bring hand sanitizer.

Tuesday used to be known as "Preview Night". Now it's just everything is open and happening night. Granted it doesn't start until about 4PM, but the smaller crowd makes it easier to see much in a shorter time.

Saturday is the busiest with everyone traveling in from great distances. The average parking prices were $10. Maybe that changes as the weekend approaches.

Pumpkin flavor is very low on my favorites, but don't let that detour you from the other offerings. So here is what I saw.

There must be 100 food concessions. Some are same vendor with multiple stands at different corners. The food is not all on one street, but on every street. While some are pumpkin specialized, a great many offered pumpkin flavor as an option. Regular attenders have mentioned price increases, but I have no basis for this.

About 20+ craft vendors are in an area selling merchandise. Pumpkin carving and artwork is scattered throughout.

Music performances are scheduled on what looked like 4 stages.

There are some interactive activities. Parades. Amusement rides. Souvenir stands. Political booths. Information stands(although I could not find one with a vendor map).

Most stop by Lindsey's Bakery for a photo of the Largest Pumpkin Pie. You'll know it by the line to get pumpkin donuts.

That alone should be the "INDICATOR"! If you see a long line, then most likely that is the best/favorite item being sold.

There is a scooter rental place listed on the website. Bathrooms are portable trailers with some very limited porta-potties.

Many local business Bars, Taverns, Restaurants are advertising their own specials, as well as indoor bathrooms. Consider these if you just want to sit down on an actual seat. Many I saw were doing the Eat n walk, or sit on the low curb. That is why you need the shoulder bag to be able to carry, eat & walk.

In summary consider what you can only get here. You can usually find a brat or elephant at any other time of the year. Even pumpkin donuts. Coming here once in a decade is enough of a refresher for me. Enjoy the festivities gourd lovers. I will be one less person in front of you, and one...

Drove from Gahanna to Circleville for the show as a 1st time visitor. It took a little under an hour to get there. Helpful tips Download and use Waze navigation. There is construction and Waze helped us avoid a massive traffic jam behind a multi car accident on RT 23. Although signs stated there were shuttled parking. Much as we tried, while driving throughout Circleville and passing up many locals selling "private property" parking ranging $5 - $10 within 5 blocks of the show, we never found any official parking. We drove until we found a free spot on the street about 3 blocks south of the show. Lesson learned, drive around and choose a spot or "local private parking" based on the distance from the show for your walking. You don't have to pay and park a very long distance if you don't want to do that. It was a 70° day, and it was very crowded. More typical fair food vendors than anything to actually see as a "show." The pumpkin beer was delicious per my son, the pork loin sandwich was a hit/miss. The pumpkin chili has beans. I can't eat beans. There were plenty of pumpkin flavors in baked goods. The pumpkin hamburger was actually ground beef in a pumpkin based sauce. Not a patty! Disappointed on that, and mine was ice cold (I ate because it was expensive). Don't even bother to buy it! There were 2 music stages there. Good musicians and a variety. Typical transitory carnival rides for which you have to buy ride tickets. Plenty of portable toilets throughout the venue. Ladies, don't wait in long lines to go. Walk around to some other toilet locations with shorter lines. There was foamy sanitizer stations throughout too. Bring your own to clean your hands. Also bring your own wet wipes because there is no easy way to find running water to wash hands. Getting out at 4 PM was a nightmare of traffic jams. If going North, take the south route and turnaround when you can. It's better than waiting 30 minutes trying to go North with the traffic. Overall, it was nice to go the first time ever just explore for myself. They really need officially supported clear parking and a shuttle. It seems to be more about fair food rather than focus on pumpkin recipes and ingenuity. I doubt I'll go back again anytime soon. Thank you to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for their tireless efforts to corral bad drivers and parkers nearby. The towing companies had their "Black Friday" profits for sure based on all the illegal parking I saw on...

Greatest free show out there. It gets bigger & better every year. Some of the most magnificent squash carving in the United States. Lot's an lot's of great food, so many thing's to see such as the gigantic pumpkin pie, the enormous squashes, gourds of every shape size color and kind imaginable. Pumpkin food for everyone such as pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin chilli, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin ice cream and if you can imagine it pumpkin it's probably at the Circleville Pumpkin Show in ohio. Parking is extremely hard to find an cost alot. Lot's of the church's offer parking for a fee an shuttle rides to and from at various pickup times. Be prepared to spend the whole day or come and be prepared to spend the whole week to see & do everything the Pumpkin Show has to offer. There's everything including lots of great vendors such as wood Carver's, glass blowers and many more, there's lots of great local food vendors from Ohio such a Schmidt's Sausage House from German Village. There are lots of arts & crafts in various building's. There are parades every afternoon & every night. The Pumpkin Show runs Wednesday through Saturday only. Never on Sunday. There are also many fair or carnival type games and rides for all ages. Many local businesses, restaurants and shops are open during the same time in the downtown area feel free to stop in and see what all they have to offer. You can also buy seeds from these magnificent squash an speak to the growers. Opening daily at 11 a.m. till 10 p.m. Please be advised each day gets busier & busier. Also bring your own folding chairs especially if staying for parades or long periods of time so you can sit down to rest and...