Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee

Keep Pumpkin Festival Alive

We need your support at this critical point to ensure the continued success and long-term sustainability of the Annual Pumpkin Festival, a cherished Coastside event. Your contribution will directly help offset the costs required to keep the festival going.

Over the years, the festival has become a cornerstone of our community, but rising costs and the impact of the pandemic have made it increasingly difficult to produce the event at its current scale. Over the past decade, the event’s revenue has remained steady while exponentially rising costs have made production increasingly challenging. 

Like many events, the Pumpkin Festival was not immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sadly canceled for two years, significantly impacting local non-profit organizations that depend on their participation in the festival for crucial fundraising. During this difficult time, the Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee stepped in with the help of generous donors and reserve funds to ensure these organizations could continue their important work.

In total, approximately $300,000 was donated to local non-profits to help them weather the storm. HMBBC prioritized the needs of these organizations, even at the expense of their own resources, because we know how important they are to our community.

The Half Moon Bay Beautification Committee remains dedicated to uplifting the community. The festival is a huge civic effort. Some thirty-five plus non-profit and community service groups participate in the festival by operating food and activity booths, which is something that sets our festival apart from others. Most festivals across the United States rely on outside vendors for food and activities, funneling revenue away from local communities once the event ends.  To support these organizations, the committee offers significantly discounted rates compared to what other events typically charge for vendors, ensuring that non-profits can effectively raise funds for their various initiatives.

HMBBC prides itself on not having any outside or for-profit food vendors or activity providers.  This allows our community non-profits to participate and keep all money within the community.   For most non-profit organizations, the festival is their most lucrative fund-raising event of the year, enabling them to raise a substantial portion of their annual budget from the two-day festival. An estimated $500,000 is raised every year by local community service groups through their participation in the event, whether it is food, beverage, activity or parking sales. By providing this opportunity for the non-profit sector, the Pumpkin Festival helps to perpetuate “giving" in the community, no small feat for a town without a base of large corporate donors.