Keene's Pumpkin Festival begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, with pumpkin carving, a children's costume parade and an afternoon of downtown performances.
The organizer's entertainment schedule lists free pumpkin carving on Railroad Square starting at 2 p.m. Elm City Rotary hosts that activity, with pumpkins provided courtesy of C&S Wholesale Grocers.
The children's costume parade also starts at 2 p.m., at Main and West streets, led by A Company of Witches. Downtown trick-or-treating runs from 3 to 5 p.m.; participating businesses will display festival signs.
Performances are scheduled on stages at the Colonial Theatre, Gilbo Avenue and the main stage. Visitors can use the festival website for the 2026 map and individual performance times.
Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0. File photo; cropped for display.
