Hey, guess what? October 26th is National Pumpkin Day! And it’s the perfect time to carve pumpkins with your team and otherwise get excited for Halloween, which is just around the corner.
In this article, I’ll share seven of my favorite Pumpkin Day activities to lead and participate in, so you can find the perfect one to celebrate this fun holiday with your team!
What Is National Pumpkin Day?
National Pumpkin Day, also known as National Pumpkin Carving Day, is an annual celebration of one of the world’s most versatile gourds. It’s also a fantastic excuse to get into the fall spirit with your team.
This unofficial holiday was created to recognize this delicious fruit—and yes, gourds are fruits.
Pumpkins are impressively healthy since they’re packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but there are also tons of ways you can have fun with them. (More on that soon.)
When Is National Pumpkin Day 2025?
Before we dig into the activities, let’s get this out of the way: Pumpkin Day falls on October 26th every year—just five days before it’s time for Halloween treats!
This year, it falls on a Sunday, which means you’ll want to celebrate it with your team either:
- Friday, October 24th: End the week with a party and maybe even let your team go home an hour or two early.
- Monday, October 27th: Banish the Monday blues with an upbeat celebration and set a festive tone for the rest of the week.
If these dates don’t work for you, I recommend celebrating any time after pumpkins are harvested and local shops start selling them.
Top 7 National Pumpkin Day Activities for 2025
I didn’t just wake up one day and decide that I love Pumpkin Day—instead, I found my love for this little holiday with each Pumpkin Day activity I had the pleasure of hosting.
Now, I want to share that enjoyment with you! Here are my seven favorite activities for celebrating Pumpkin Day with your team.
1. The Great Team Building Pumpkin Race
Never mind the Indy 500 or Kentucky Derby, race like a pro with the widely celebrated Pumpkin Race. We started this one after seeing all the quirky Pumpkin Derby ideas and how popular they are around the world.
I’m so glad we did, too—I’ve never met a team that didn’t love it! The rules are simple:
- Each team must create, name, and brand their street-legal Pumpkin Racer.
- Each Pumpkin Racer must be made from a pumpkin and two independent axles with wheels attached.
Yeah, that’s it! We’ll bring the hand-crafted race kits with everything you need to run a Pumpkin Derby. All you need to do is get the pumpkins.
We’ll provide tips for building the pumpkins, help with decoration, and of course (my favorite part), referee the final race. We’ll also put on the awards ceremony to celebrate:
- Teamwork: Best Pit Crew
- Design: Best Pumpkin Racer
- Performance: Winning Pumpkin Racer
As a bonus, this event is socially conscious since all kits are assembled and packed by a neurodiverse workforce of young adults enrolled in transition programs across America.
Teamwork in action
When I ran this one last fall, one of the teams got really into perfecting their pumpkin, which led to everyone else doing the same. I thought it might get super competitive, but instead, all the teams started working together and cheering each other on at the race.
It was a seriously amazing experience that I’ll never forget. Such a great example of teamwork in action!
2. Pumpkin Wine
If your team loves wine and fall-themed events, this is the one for you. It’s very simple to set up, sort of like a carving jack-o-lantern, except you skip carving in the face and add wine instead.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Buy a box or bag of your favorite wine and a pumpkin that’s large enough to fit the wine in.
- Cut the top off of your pumpkin and clean out the seeds and mushy insides.
- Carve a hole that’s big enough for the wine spout, put the bag inside, and push the spout through before opening it.
Et voila—you now have pumpkin wine! It’s seriously so simple. I’ve even done this at home to embrace the Halloween spirit with friends and family. Your team will love it!
If you’re feeling especially creative, take some time to paint the pumpkin with some sort of indication as to what’s inside to make it extra fun for your team to enjoy their hallo-wine.
3. Bobbing for Mini Pumpkins
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s like bobbing for apples, but you use mini pumpkins instead.
Here’s how you do it:
- Fill up a tub, or a cauldron if you’re feeling especially witchy, with water.
- Wash one mini pumpkin for each member of your team and add them to the tub.
- Set a timer for each player and have them hold their hands behind their backs while they bob for pumpkins.
- The player who gets a pumpkin the fastest wins.
I like to mix this one up a bit, too. Sometimes, we’ll write a number on each pumpkin that correlates to a prize—gift cards are my go-to—for each team member to win when they get their pumpkin.
Alternatively, get several pumpkins for each team member and have them compete to get the most pumpkins instead of who can get a pumpkin the fastest. Then you can give out first, second, and third-place prizes!
4. Catapult To Success
This one is so much fun. I get excited every time I get to facilitate this event, and I always look forward to Pumpkin Day in hopes that it’ll pop up. After all, who wouldn’t have fun flinging and smashing pumpkins?
Here’s how it goes:
- Your team will be divided into smaller groups, each of which will work together to build pumpkin catapults.
- When the catapults are completed, each team will use their build to launch mini-pumpkins, competing for distance and accuracy.
This challenge combines mental agility with collaboration, hands-on construction, and commercial prowess.
Of course, the catapults are always the central feature, but we like to customize them based on your specific objectives for your team. For example, some of our clients want the big takeaway to be “continuous improvement” or “fine-tuning team dynamics.”
Whatever the focus, the team with the best distance and accuracy score wins! And everyone gets to blow off some steam in the process.
5. Pumpkin Spice Jello Shots
Okay, so you either love or hate the Starbucks classic—but when you combine a Pumpkin Spiced Latte with alcohol and turn it into a Jello shot, it’s my experience that almost everyone loves it. I sure do.
Seriously, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Check out this recipe from Cooking with Janica for step-by-step directions on how to make these crowd-pleasing treats to celebrate Halloween at the office!
If Jello shots aren’t your team’s thing, consider getting some pumpkin spice-flavored Irish cream and setting up a coffee bar for the day! I’ve done it this way a few times—it’s a nice way to spice up a holiday party or just treat your team on a busy day.
6. Host a Potluck With Pumpkin Treats
Consider hosting a National Pumpkin Day potluck and inviting everyone to bring in their favorite pumpkin treat.
You’ll probably get a lot of fall staples like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread—you could even hold a contest for each category and let the team vote on the tastiest “entries.”
You could also brainstorm different recipes with the team (Pinterest has endless ideas) to improve creativity, teamwork, and communication ahead of time. Or just check out these 20 easy pumpkin recipes for quick inspiration!
Regardless of how you approach it, this is always a nice way to spice up your fall party or keep the week leading up to Halloween festive.
7. Pumpkin Carving Contest
I saved the best for last. What better way to celebrate National Pumpkin Carving Day than hosting a pumpkin carving contest?
People love to tap into their artistic sides regardless of age. So get together with your team and show off your skills! After a quick reminder about knife safety, of course.
After the contest, your team can take home their pumpkins as an easy Halloween decoration for home, or they can leave their pumpkins in the office to decorate for spooky season.
I always encourage people to take their pumpkins home, but I secretly look forward to seeing the ones that people decide to leave at the office! It’s such a nice reminder of teamwork and creativity to see them decorating your workspace.
Oh yeah, and if you ask us to organize the event, you’ll have a master pumpkin carver to give everyone tips and help them create masterpieces to be proud of.
Ready for National Pumpkin Day?
Each of these ideas will make for an exciting National Pumpkin Day, but they can also make any fall party or event more exciting! Think office party, Friendsgiving, or just a small get-together—there’s no need to limit yourself to one day, after all.
If you need more ideas for celebrating National Pumpkin Day or treating your friends and team this fall season, check out our Halloween activities and fall team building activities!
Want the TeamBonding crew to handle the planning for you? Contact us today to discuss how we can make this Pumpkin Day something your team will be talking about for years to come.
