Halloween PumpkinFest on the Sunshine Coast: Carve a Pumpkin, Brave the Trail, Parade Around the Bonfire

Halloween on the Sunshine Coast usually means a few decorated letterboxes and a lap of the street after dark. At Fairhill it means three weeks of it, in daylight, under the rainforest canopy. Halloween PumpkinFest returns on Saturday 10 October and runs every day through to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 4pm, with Halloween itself, Saturday 31 October, landing on the final weekend.

Halloween at Fairhill is interactive and nature-immersed. Rather than crowded pavements and indoor shopping centres, the festivities happen under a lush subtropical rainforest canopy: families carve a real pumpkin to take home, follow the trails through the gardens, and gather at the campfire at the end of the day for stories and the costume parade around the bonfire. Here is what to expect.

Carve a real pumpkin, then take it home

The pumpkin carving station is the part everyone remembers, and there is nothing else quite like it nearby. Families carve real pumpkins together at a dedicated station, and your pumpkin comes home with you afterwards, ready for the front step on Halloween night. Crafts run alongside the carving, so the smaller hands have plenty to do while the grown-ups do the carving.

The new Haunted Barn, if you dare

New this year. The Haunted Barn opens for PumpkinFest 2026, and the Spooky Trail inside it is open for exploration, if you dare. This is family Halloween, so brave is measured in small steps, and there is no shame in holding a hand on the way through.

The Trick-or-Treat Trail and the Forest Fairy Trail treasure hunt

Come in costume. The Trick-or-Treat Trail winds through the gardens with prizes for everyone in costume, so witches, ghosts, pumpkins and the odd dinosaur all go home with something. Then there is the Forest Fairy Trail treasure hunt, a themed magical quest that weaves through the towering native tree canopies and the secret garden pathways. Between the two, a family covers a good stretch of the estate without anyone noticing they have walked it.

Campfire stories and the costume parade around the bonfire

At the end of the day everyone gathers around a real campfire inside the gardens for spooky, family-friendly ghost stories from the Rangers. Then the costumes get their moment: a parade around the bonfire to close the day, with prizes for everyone dressed up. It is the finale families talk about on the drive home.

Chicks, guinea pigs and a goat on a lead

The farmyard keeps its own programme through PumpkinFest, with Ranger-led sessions where you can hold baby chicks, feed the guinea pigs and take one of our miniature Pygmy goats for a walk. If your children have followed the Fairhill goat kids online, this is where they meet them. The details are on the Fairhill Adventures page.

Halloween specials at the Gardens Café

The Gardens Café serves seed-oil-free meals, gluten free Loaded Fries, local craft beers and specialty coffees in the rainforest setting, and there are Halloween specialties on the menu for the whole festival. The kitchen takes last orders at 2pm, so plan lunch before the afternoon trails. Entry to the Gardens Café, Country Store and Nursery is always free, so a coffee, a browse or a plant run needs no ticket at all. See the Gardens Café page for the menu.

PumpkinFest at a glance

• Pumpkin carving and crafts, with a real pumpkin to take home
• The new Haunted Barn and its Spooky Trail, if you dare
• The Trick-or-Treat Trail, with prizes for everyone in costume
• The Forest Fairy Trail treasure hunt through the native tree canopy
• Ranger-led farmyard sessions: hold baby chicks, feed the guinea pigs and walk a miniature Pygmy goat
• Spooky, family-friendly campfire stories and the costume parade around the bonfire at the end of the day
• Halloween specialties at the Gardens Café all festival long

PumpkinFest runs every day for three weeks, weekends and weekdays alike, so the school-age crowd can come on a Saturday or Sunday and families with little ones can pick a quieter weekday. Phase 1 tickets are on sale now, and the Halloween PumpkinFest page has everything you need to book.

Carve a pumpkin. Brave the trail. Parade around the bonfire. We hope to see you in the gardens this October.