LACONIA — City leaders shared plans for the newly-minted Laconia Pumpkin Festival at a press conference downtown on Tuesday morning.
Several dozen city employees, local school children, citizens and members of the media attended the press conference outside City Hall at 10 a.m.
Almost 10 years ago to the day, city leaders and representatives of the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce held a press conference at the downtown train station, announcing their joint efforts to bring the New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival to the city.
Now, it’s the Laconia Pumpkin Festival, and it looks like it's here to stay.
“The City of Laconia has strived to make sure that this family-friendly event is a destination for all of New Hampshire,” City Manager Kirk Beattie said Tuesday morning. “I want to make sure we acknowledge and thank [Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce President] Karmen Gifford for all the work she and the chamber of commerce have done over the last 10 years to create this wonderful event. The seamless collaboration between the chamber and city departments is just another example of how well different agencies work together in Laconia.”
The city will organize the Laconia Pumpkin Festival this year. Gifford completed a ceremonial pumpkin hand-off on Tuesday, to commemorate the change and recognize their long history of collaboration.
Gifford said she’s looking forward to the festival continuing.
“I know that it takes a village to put on a very large event, and we have a village here, so I’m really excited to see that,” Gifford said. “I’m here to support all of you as much as you have supported me and the chamber of commerce throughout the years.”
The 2025 Laconia Pumpkin Festival is set from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, downtown.
“I want to thank our department heads and our department employees for being here today and joining us for this,” Beattie said. “I want to thank Karmen Gifford for being here today from [Lakes Region] Chamber of Commerce and for all the time we’ve worked together.”
City staff agreed to take over the iconic regional event just weeks ago, after Gifford notified them of the chamber’s intention not to act as the primary organizers this fall. A committee comprising city employees and Laconia Motorcycle Week Deputy Director Jennifer Anderson have worked for three weeks to get a jump on organizing the festival, and the official notice was made Tuesday morning.
Staff revealed a new logo for the rebranded festival, designed in-house by Planning Department administrative secretary Savanna Brunelle, which depicts a pumpkin set over a spooky house.
“We are now rebranding it to the Laconia Pumpkin Festival, making it ours, making it significant, making it unique to us,” Parks & Recreation Director Amy Lovisek said.
In addition to city councilors, Executive Councilor Joe Kenney (R-District 1) and State Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia) attended the press conference.
City staff prepared 800 soil bags with pumpkin seeds for local children to help grow pumpkins for the festival. Tuesday was Earth Day. Students from all three city elementary schools and Laconia Middle School were also in attendance Tuesday morning.
“On behalf of the city council and myself, I would like to thank [the city manager] and the department heads, who have taken the initiative and have already started on this,” Ward 4 Councilor Mark Haynes said Tuesday morning. “There’s a lot of work to be done and we know that, but before the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch, we know that we can do this and promote a great, great, great Pumpkinfest.”
Ward 2 Councilor Bob Soucy is the council’s liaison to the festival committee.
“This is exciting, I mean, really exciting,” Soucy said. “This is the 10th year for the Pumpkinfest — a fantastic anniversary, a great time — and we want to make it bigger and better all the time and inclusive of everyone. This is for the children and the families, that’s our No. 1 goal. The city council as a whole has totally supported this.”
There’s over 100 vendors planning to attend the festival, Beattie said.
People interested in volunteering should contact Lovisek at alovisek@laconianh.gov or 603-524-5046. Vendors and sponsors looking for additional information should call the Office of the City Manager at 603-527-1270.
“As the City on the Lakes, we have a lot of people come, tourists,” Soucy said. “Let’s make all those tourists attendees to the festival to really help out the whole downtown, all of our merchants, all of the fundraising and everything else we’ll have with this.”
“The committee's goal is simple — put on a memorable, exciting, family-friendly event,” Beattie said.
