Picture this: the fragrance of pumpkin and cinnamon wafting through the air, Bob Dylan and Hall and Oates tunes playing in the background and colorful, unique art pieces showcased from booth to booth. What you’re envisioning is Half Moon Bay’s Art & Pumpkin Festival, held annually in October.

After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular Bay Area festival finally reopened on Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16 to celebrate its 50th anniversary and mark the beginning of the fall season. 

There was something for everyone at the festival. Attendees were guaranteed to find enjoyment in the numerous activities available, including the Great Pumpkin Parade, the annual Pumpkin Run, a live pumpkin carving demonstration by Farmer Mike, the Everybody Can Paint collaborative art mural and the traditional pie-eating contest. 

“A lot of vendors, a lot of food, and lots of entertainment,” festivalgoer Terri Mooney said.

Across the two days of festivities, a rich lineup of local bands performed a wide variety of musical genres, including folk, rock, reggae and jazz, offering the perfect outdoor entertainment for festivalgoers. 

Food was front and center at the festival. Attendees had the choice between sampling several pumpkin specialties — ranging from savory pumpkin ravioli to sweet pumpkin ice cream — or settling for a more traditional menu, with burgers and seafood available at nearby restaurants. 

Another popular aspect of the festival was the impressive showcase of almost 300 hundred arts and crafts vendors along a few blocks of Half Moon Bay’s Main Street. The colorful display of products included ceramics, glassworks, textiles, jewelry, wood sculptures and fine art. 

“It’s also about getting unique pieces that you wouldn’t find anywhere else,” said Britney Rivera, a fourth time Art and Pumpkin festival attendee, while sipping her pumpkin beer. 

Rivera came to Half Moon Bay from Marin with her husband and another young couple. She loved the vibe at the event and admitted, smiling, that she would likely end up spending quite a lot of money — despite having just arrived, Rivera had already bought a ceramic mug from a local artist. 

For vendors, preparing for the festival can be a taxing endeavor, but the overall experience makes the effort worthwhile.

“It’s work, but it’s fun work because we know we are going to talk to a lot of super nice people and with any luck, they’ll walk away with a wind chime,” said Keith Neissel, a vendor of glass wind chimes. 

This year, the eclectic mix of elements at the festival clearly caught the public’s eye. 

The interminable lines at food booths, the heavy traffic to reach the event and the commotion of people wandering from stand to stand didn’t appear to discourage festival attendees. According to Neissel, the festival’s crowds were the largest he had ever seen — all arriving in high spirits, wearing clothes to fit the fall theme. 

“I love seeing everybody dressed up and participating in the festival together,” said Amy Wolfe, a booth vendor selling handcrafts at the festival. 

This year marked Wolfe’s fourth time displaying her art at the festival, and she always looks forward to the weekend in Half Moon Bay, chatting with festival goers and enjoying the seasonal celebration. She has been creating handcrafted jewelry and decoration pieces for over 12 years and just recently started incorporating photography into her work. Wolfe started using the expression “heart-headed” to describe her pieces to reinforce the concept of spreading love.   

“I make little heart-headed people in hopes for a more heart-headed world,” Wolfe said.