RiverviewPumpkinFestival_Icon_Full Color

Thank You for a Great 2023 Season!
We're excited to see you at next year's festival!

2024 Pumpkin Festival

September 28 & 29
October 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20

HOURS / ADMISSION

Festival/Pumpkin Picking Hours

Saturdays & Sundays from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

 

General Admission

$7/person

Children Under 35 Inches are Free!

 

What’s Included in General Admission

Attractions and activities include the Tire Mountain, Sandbox/Slide, Inflatables, Train Rides, the Pumpkin Cannon show, hanging with the farm animals, yard games, Hay Wagon Basketball, Football Toss, and more! 


Optional Purchases: Rock Mining Bags, Apple Launcher Apple Buckets, Food, Drinks, Pumpkins and other items for purchase in the store or by vendors. 

Haunted Trail
(Two (2) Nights Only)
October 5 & 12 from 7-9:30 p.m.

(Last ticket sold at 9 p.m.)

 

Admission

Cost: $10/each
Kids Under 35 inches: Free

 

See more information below about the Haunted Trail or to Volunteer!

Join the fun! Bring out your family and friends to enjoy a fall day at Riverview Christmas Tree Farm's Pumpkin Festival.
Pumpkins will be available in multiple varieties from large to small!

Click below for a list of Pumpkin Festival Happenings, to Book a Field Trip or to Sign Up to be a Vendor or Haunted Trail Volunteer.

Pumpkin Festival Happenings

_DSC3667

Pumpkin Picking

Take a hayride to the patch and pick from over 30 varieties of pumpkins and gourds! Pre-picked pumpkins are available as well.

_DSC3489

Fun for All Ages

Try Pumpkin Slingshot, play cornhole, giant Checkers, Connect 4 and Tic Tac Toe, paint pumpkins, play basketball, bean bags and watch football on the big screen TVs.

IMG_5686

Kids' Activities

Kids love to play all day with inflatables, tire mountain, slide and sandbox, train rides and more. Mine for gemstones in our mining sluice and launch apples as far as you can!

_DSC4984

Great SD Pumpkin Weigh-Off

Check out SD's giant weigh-off! Competitors trailer in giant pumpkins, gourds and melons.

_DSC3462_square

Beer/Wine Garden

Our outdoor Beer/Wine Garden serves South Dakota Wine and Beer including Domestic, Craft, Oktoberfest and Pumpkin!

_DSC3733

Live Music

Enjoy music performed by local artist, Kevin Jensen, as he plays a variety of country music for a few hours each day.

_DSC3447_square

Food & Concessions

Meals are available at our concession stand for the first 3 weekends, including burgers, brats, hot dogs, nachos and more.

IMG_0476

Fall Treats

SDSU ice cream, caramel apples, cotton candy, fudge, roasted nuts, pumpkin pie and lots of yummy baked goods are available.

_DSC3426

Shopping

Shop in the Riverview Tree Farm lodge for fall decor, cute clothes, stylish hats, handmade jewelry and more. New items every year!

Riverview-Tree-Farm-Photo-Display-Truck-Pumpkin-Festival

Photography

Capture your memories on the farm with our cute photo setups or book a professional mini or full photoshoot.
Learn More

_DSC3713

Farm Animals

Head out to the stable to meet our family's favorite turkey, Stanley! We also bring in baby animals like ducks, goats, calves for the festival.

food-truck-photo-mps

Food Truck Weekend

We added a 4th weekend to our Pumpkin Festival and we're mixing it up by bringing in local food trucks on the last weekend only.

_DSC5031

Haunted Trail

Take a guided hike through the riverside trails surrounding the pumpkin patch and hear spooky stories from our haunted farm.
More Information

IMG_1774

Field Trips

Book a field trip for your group! Take a tour of the farm, learn what it takes to grow Christmas trees, pick pumpkins and play activities.
Book Today

14570337_1122016677834389_5714854819450059752_n

Pumpkins for Police

We are proud supporters of Law Enforcement Officers. Show your badge to receive one (1) FREE medium pumpkin. We are forever grateful for your service.

RiverviewPumpkinFestival_Icon_Full Color

Great SD Pumpkin Weigh-Off

We are excited to host the Great South Dakota Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Riverview Tree Farm Pumpkin Festival.

We are excited to host the Great South Dakota Pumpkin Weigh-Off at the Riverview Tree Farm Pumpkin Festival.

When:
Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is a sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth event.

Competition Categories:
Largest Pumpkin • Largest Melon • Largest Squash
• Best of Show (Selected on Beauty, Size and Weight)
• Youth Best of Show (17 and under)

Prizes:
1st Place Division Winners: $50 Cash
Other prizes to be determined.

About the GPC

The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s (GPC) mission cultivates the hobby of growing giant pumpkins throughout the world by establishing standards and regulations that ensure quality of fruit, fairness of competition, recognition of achievement, fellowship and education for all participating growers and weigh-off sites.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Two (2) Nights Only!

 

October 5 & 12

7-9:30 p.m. (Last ticket sold at 9 p.m.)

Cost:

$10/each
Kids Under 35 inches: Free

Haunted Trail Experience

Take a hike through the dark trails of Riverview Tree Farm!

Hear stories of our historical past of tragedy, hardship and woe. It has been said that the spirits of those grievous souls still wander through the trees and in the river valley below, searching for peace. Sadly, they never found what they were looking for. The horrors that tormented them in life, seemed to follow them to death. Come experience the haunted trail for yourself and see what lurks behind every deep, dark corner. . . if you dare.


Notes:
We do our best to give a consistent experience to our customers each weekend, but due to the changing volunteers, please understand that they may vary. 

Trail Difficulty: Please make sure that you are able to walk up to 3/4 of a mile on uneven terrain, including one large hill. 

 

Questions? See Haunted Trail FAQs below. 

Volunteer to Scare

This event is a fundraiser for the Canton High School FFA and Drama club. To date, Canton students from those clubs have been our scarers and guides and will continue.

 

Due to the popularity of this event and in order to create a better experience for our guests, WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS. So this year, we invite members from the surrounding communities to join us as scarers or guides. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering for this cause, please contact us below.

Volunteer Sign-Up Form




    I understand that this is NOT a paid position and that money raised will go to the Canton High School fundraiser. I agree to arrive on my specified volunteer dates on time. If I’m unable to attend, I will notify staff at Riverview Tree Farm by phone or email at least 24 hours in advance.

    Haunted Trail FAQs

    If you have other questions, please feel free to reach out on our Contact page or ask an employee at the Pumpkin Festival.

    How long is the wait to do the trail?

    We ask people to arrive at 6:30 p.m. so that we can begin compiling a list of guest names and the number in their groups. The actual experience begins around 7 p.m., starting with guests whom have requested to go before it gets really dark. We do our best to move these groups along quickly, but it depends on how many people we have in line. For our guests who want to wait until dark, your name will be moved to a list beginning at dark in the order you have arrived. Small groups will be combined with each other in order to move people through the lines faster. We send groups of 15 or so people through at the same time. If you have a large group, note that smaller groups may be called ahead of you to fill up other groups.

     

    The length of the trail varies from year to year, so the wait could range from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how many guests are ahead of you and how quickly they move through the trail. We apologize if your wait is longer than we guestimate, as we have no control over the capabilities of our guests that enter the trail. 

    What is there to do while we wait?

    We have lots of things to do while you wait. No standing in lines! We will keep our inflatables running, have yard games to play including bean bags, pumpkin checkers and tic tac toe, and shopping is available in the lodge. We will keep our concession stand open until we run out of food and we will have lots of treats for purchase. Our beer/wine garden will be open during the haunted trail. When it’s safe to do so, we will have a fire pit burning for guests to enjoy. (During a very dry year, we will not have fires due to safety concerns of our guests and our farm.)

    How old do you have to be to go through the trail?

    Kids 10 and under: We leave the decision up to the parent or guardian, but after dark, the trail may be too scary for young kids. We recommend coming right away when the Haunted Trail opens as it is still light out. The experience will be less scary at that time. Early time slots are limited. You are not guaranteed to go through the trail when it’s light out if a large number of groups want to go early.

    How difficult is the trail to walk through?

    The trail goes through the tree farm and down in the river bottom. Depending on flooding issues, the trail may be moved to ensure safety for all guests. There are natural obstacles throughout the path that may require guests to step over. The path may require guests to climb up or down small hills or slopes. We HIGHLY recommend that every guest that goes through our trail is very capable of walking long distances on rough terrain as quickly as possible, so that no one slows the experience down. When this happens, it adds much more time to the wait time and we want to make sure everyone is considerate of the other waiting guests. 

    How should I dress?

    We recommend that each guest wear hiking shoes and appropriate outerwear. Like any fall night, the temperature cools off. Plan ahead so you’re not cold.

    How do we know where to walk?

    Each group is led by a guide, who will share the story of the haunted happenings and will make sure that each guest makes it safely through the trail. They will point out obstacles in the path and show guests where to go. 

    Book a
    Field Trip

    About Field Trips

    Thank you for your interest in booking a field trip to our farm! Each group gets to take a hayride tour of the farm, learn what it takes to grow Christmas trees and pumpkins and finally pick cannonball pumpkins to take home. Your group will also get to play in the kids' zone which includes Pumpkin Slingshot, jumping in the inflatables, playing on the tire mountain, slide and sandbox. We have other games too including giant Checkers, Connect 4 and Tic Tac Toe.

    Field Trip Request Form


      Be a Vendor

      Craft Vendors

      Thank you for your interest in becoming a craft vendor! All vendor products are consigned during the festival. Any products that don’t sell will be returned to the vendor at the end of the festival. We do our best to limit similar items to one or two vendors so things sell better. Spaces are limited. Fill out the form below to enter the selection process. We will contact you soon with more information!

       

      Craft Vendor Request Form

       




        Food Truck Vendors

        Thank you for your interest in becoming a food truck vendor! We are inviting food trucks in on the 4th weekend of our festival only, unless otherwise contracted. We will CLOSE our concession stand that weekend. We do our best to limit similar options to one vendor to lessen competition. Spaces are limited. Fill out the form below to enter the selection process. We will contact you soon with more information!

         

        Food Truck Vendor Request Form