Organisers in Belgium expect 50,000 visitors at a pumpkin festival that will celebrate the wonderous ways of using the big vegetable.
Some call them pumpkins, for others they're simply squashes, or jack o'lanterns when carved creatively, however you dice or slice them - pumpkins have taken over a castle near Brussels, Groot-Bijgaarden, for its annual pumpkin festival.
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Sourced from across Belgium and as far away as Portugal and Germany, the pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes — including a giant weighing 772 kilograms.
The festival offers more than a display of the autumn harvest. Visitors can try their hand at pumpkin carving ahead of Halloween, while some of the largest pumpkins have been turned into makeshift kayaks.
Despite a difficult harvest following a hot summer, the event continues to draw families and pumpkin enthusiasts for a celebration of autumn, with organisers expecting around 50,000 visitors this year.
