The Valley Pumpkin Festival was born in 2005 when a group of interested businesspeople, community organizations and citizens gathered with the goal of establishing a “world class fall festival".

The name and theme "Valley Pumpkin Fest" captures and communicates the agriculture, cuisine and culture of the fall season in the Annapolis Valley and builds upon the region's existing assets: u-picks, farms, the Pumpkin Weigh Off, the Pumpkin People and the Great Pumpkin Race, among other great fall activities.

Pumpkin, of all the harvest foods, best captures the culture and traditions of the month of October. Not only is the pumpkin a symbol of harvest and food, but also of Halloween, family and community. A pumpkin can be a symbol of fall, harvest, food, art, culture, fun or in the case of the Valley Pumpkin Fest, all of the above.