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With autumn in full swing, we headed over to the brand-new Pumpkin Village at National Forest Adventure Farm. If you're a pumpkin lover, or simply looking for some festive fun, you’ll want to read on to learn more about this new 2024 event.
Disclaimer: I was kindly gifted tickets to visit National Forest Adventure Farm's Pumpkin Village. However, all opinions and views expressed in this review are entirely my own.
National Forest Adventure Farm Pumpkin Village
The centrepiece of the pumpkin village is, of course, the vibrant pumpkin house that's decked out with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, creating the perfect autumnal backdrop for photos. We loved the touch of the white pumpkins on top of the "chimney" to make it look like smoke. It's definitely an Instagram-worthy photo opportunity.
In the courtyard area, there's a shop selling pumpkin-themed gifts, a "faBOOlous" temporary tattoo stall, a carousel, an undercover marquee with a live singer and bar, as well as a van selling food as well as a hot and cold drinks van. There are also portable toilets here too. If you don't want to venture into the patch, there are crates of pumpkins by the entrance (classic orange pumpkins, small white pumpkins, and all sorts of gourds). There are also characters roaming around in the pumpkin village - we noticed a scarecrow and a pumpkin man while we were there - talking to families.
As you walk further into the pumpkin village, you'll find orange pumpkins placed on a grass field (you can pick these if you like), or if you follow the path around, you'll come to the pumpkin patch. We noticed that while some pumpkins were grown on-site and still attached to the stems/vines, others were placed in the field (I suppose some pumpkins could have been harvested on-site and then placed or bought from a third party - I'm not sure which). That said, it doesn’t take away too much from the fun of wandering through the patch and picking your perfect pumpkin - I know some families prefer this as the pumpkins are easier to pick for their children rather than having to snap the stork/stems and deal with all the prickliness, but it's good to have a choice.
What we loved about Pumpkin Village:
One of the highlights for us was the photo opportunities scattered around. I loved the vintage-style truck at the entrance, the pumpkin house, the carriage, the tractor in the field, and the framed photo opportunity in the grass field at the beginning.
I thought the admission price was reasonable. It is £5 per person to access Pumpkin Village (under 2s go free). You can even bring your well-behaved dog along (£2 per dog)! Pumpkins are priced separately and range from £2.50 to £8 - or the HUGE pumpkins are priced between £10 to £18, but these are the ginormous ones. I thought this was fair - given that some farms are charging £10 entrance fees, excluding the price of the pumpkins. I know some farms are free to enter, but last year, I found these to be really busy - which took away from the experience.
The smaller gourds in the crates were priced at £2 each or 3 for 2. We picked up a few green and yellow gourds to use as decorations (would look great as a table centrepiece).
I actually like the fact that the pumpkins aren't included in the price as this gives you the option to purchase pumpkins if you wish, as normally, not all members of the family will want to pick one.
Instead of the Pumpkin Village only ticket, you can purchase a Pumpkin Village + Play ticket (£10 per person, under 2s go free), which includes access to Pumpkin Village and the outdoor and indoor play areas (including the soft play with huge drop slides). This way, you can make a day out of it if the weather is on your side!
Our son enjoyed getting a temporary tattoo (he loved it when he got a tattoo when we went to the farm's Farmarama event in July too). The temporary tattoos are Halloween-themed and start from £2.
What we didn't love as much:
The Pumpkin Village had a carousel ride run by a third-party vendor, The Vintage Ride Company, which, while a great idea, felt overpriced at £4 per person (especially given that the entrance fee to the actual Pumpkin Village is £5pp, so the ride nearly costs the same as the entrance fee). The ride itself was fun for my little one, but we couldn't help but think that forking out that much for a couple of minutes on a carousel might put a damper on the overall experience, especially those with larger families.
If you're planning on grabbing some food or drink, be prepared to shell out a bit. The selection was nice but the prices were a little steep. For example, £4.50 for a hot chocolate felt a bit much - I suppose these may be the going rates at events like these though. It seems like most of the food/drinks stalls (other than the bar) were operated by third-party vendors, which might explain the higher prices.
Would I recommend a visit to National Forest Adventure Farm's Pumpkin Village?
Despite the few pricey extras (operated by third-party vendors though rather than the farm), we had a lovely time at National Forest Adventure Farm’s Pumpkin Village. It’s a lovely new addition to their line-up of seasonal events.
I think the Pumpkin Village & Play ticket is great value if you want to make a full day out of it - especially as some local farms are charging £10 just for admission to a pumpkin patch, whereas £10 admission at National Forest Adventure Farm includes the indoor soft play and outdoor areas (go-karting, mini golf, play area, sandpits, music maze, bouncy pillows, etc.)
And, before I end the blog, I have to say the farm's Christmas event, "North Pole Adventure" is a MUST! We went last year and it was amazing. Hands down, one of the best Christmas events we've been to. You can book tickets for the Christmas event now. You can find out more information about North Pole Adventure here.
Address: National Forest Adventure Farm, Postern Road, Tatenhill, Burton-on-Trent DE13 9SJ.
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