Pumpkin mania took over California on Monday as Half Moon Bay, known as the “World Pumpkin Capital,” staged its celebrated showdown for the planet’s biggest gourds.
At the 53rd Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, Minnesota grower Travis Gienger claimed the top prize with a Volkswagen-sized pumpkin that tipped the scales at nearly 2,389 pounds.
Often called the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs,” the event brought growers from around the country to Half Moon Bay for a contest built around size, precision and months of painstaking cultivation.
Gienger, a four-time previous winner, transported the more-than-one-ton pumpkin roughly 2,150 miles to California. His victory earned him $21,501 in prize money.
Getting the enormous gourd to the competition was a challenge in itself. Gienger described a tense cross-country journey marked by rough roads, mountain passes and long stretches across state lines.
“It was stressful, you know. You’re white-knuckling it and then going through Tahoe,” Gienger told CBS News. “You got all the trucker bumps, and yeah, it’s an incredible journey.”
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Under the official rules, the 2026 champion will receive $9 for every pound, as well as the prestigious Pumpkin King Champion Ring, the Mel Mello Sr. Grand Champion Growers Jacket and additional honors.
The difficult haul ultimately proved worthwhile. Gienger’s giant pumpkin secured another championship ring in Half Moon Bay, adding to his legacy after he set the event’s world record in 2023 with a 2,749-pound entry.
The previous year’s title went to Brandon Dawson of Santa Rosa, California, whose winning pumpkin weighed 2,346 pounds.
The official world record remains even higher: 2,819 pounds, 4 ounces. Twin brothers Ian and Stuart Paton of England established that mark in 2025.
Half Moon Bay’s famous pumpkin weigh-off dates to 1974, when it began as a friendly contest against Circleville, Ohio. Half Moon Bay won that first matchup with a pumpkin weighing just 132 pounds.
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