Calling all Pumpkin Artists
We’re pleased to share artist information for this year’s DAMARISCOTTA PUMPKINFEST & REGATTA.
Wondering whether you should decorate a hay bale or pumpkin? Hay bales allow a week for work in a large, roofed space that is available 24/7, so work time is flexible; hay bales are also typically significantly larger than pumpkins...but there are only five of them! Pumpkins are entirely dependent on the weigh-offs and so numbers and sizes are highly variable, and the artwork happens during a much narrower window of time; these decorated pumpkins are very much the highlight of our festival.
Wednesday, September x, to Wednesday, October x - hay bales available for painting
Hay Bale Pumpkin Deployment
Thursday, October 1, 2026 (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Painted & Decorated Hay Bale Pumpkins will be put out along Highway 1 and Main Street in Damariscotta and Newcastle
Pumpkin Deployment
Thursday, October 8, 2026 (3:45 PM - 5:45 PM)
A ballet of forklifts and giant gourds takes place every year on Thursday evening before the festival weekend to get the pumpkins into place all along Main Street in Damariscotta.
Sponsor: Hammond Lumber
Let us know if you would like to join the group of volunteers who help make this magic happen!
Artists at Work
Friday, Oct 9, 2026 (10:00 AM) - Saturday, Oct 10, 2026 (12:00 PM)
Location: Main Street
Witness artists transform giant pumpkins into amazing works of art! Artists will be working all day on Main Street paint, carving, and decorating their pumpkins.
If you are interested in being a 2026 volunteer pumpkin artist, please submit the following sign-up form. Send any questions to: PumpkinArt@damariscottapumpkinfest.com
Details for Artists:
Pumpkin artists provide their own paints and materials. We recommend using paints that are not water soluble! We also ask that you bring your own drop cloths to use while working. You are welcome to build/bring your own decorations to add to your pumpkins; please note that the festival is not responsible for any decorative items, and that all pumpkins will be retrieved on or before Monday, 10/19.
Please also note that the number of pumpkins on Main Street is difficult to forecast and will depend on growers and on this year's giant pumpkin crop. We are excited to showcase your pumpkin art again this year, but we note that volunteers are not guaranteed to get pumpkins and that artists will be assigned "first come, first served".
Additionally, we note that some pumpkins will be located right in town on Main Street, and others will be a bit farther afield; locations are typically selected based on both artist seniority and signup order, and definitely vary from year to year.
Pumpkin Art Through the Years
The Damariscotta Pumpkinfest is famous worldwide for displaying dozens of Giant Pumpkins on Main St in Damariscotta and Newcastle Maine, and around the area. Each year the pumpkins arrive on the Thursday afternoon before the festival - Pumpkin Deployment! - by flatbed and forklift. They are lovingly placed in position on stacked wooden pallets covered with burlap. The next morning, on Friday, a crew of volunteer Pumpkin Artists arrive at their assigned “pumpkin canvas” and spend all day transforming their pumpkin into a work of art. These photos below are just a few of the magical and whimsical designs over the years.