Pumpkin Picking at Swithens Farm

A tractor ride takes you out to the patch, which tends to be the part small children remember, and once you are there you pick your own pumpkin from the field. Back at the farm there is a carving zone where you can decorate or carve what you have picked.

Swithens is a working farm at Rothwell on the south side of Leeds, with a petting farm, play areas, a butchers and a cafe alongside the festival. Bottle-feeding calves and animal encounters are part of the day visit, and there is a bouncing pillow and outdoor play. A woodland walk leads through mysterious woods where children can look for the wicked witch.

The Pumpkin Festival by Night is a separate event on 22, 23 and 24 October only. The farm is lit with glowing pumpkins and eerie lighting, and the tractor ride out to the patch is moonlit. The farm says its early bird night tickets sold out completely last year, so booking ahead matters if that is the version you want.

The vintage funfair and the indoor playbarn carry extra charges on top of your ticket, and pumpkins are sold separately rather than included. The Snack Baa and the cafe handle refreshments, so you do not need to carry a day's food with you.