First prize went to Rick Downs for his 109.5-kilogram entry, second prize went to a 106-kilogram monster grown by Terry Kiernan at Captains Flat and third went to Peter Filmer, of The Angle in Tharwa, with two 100-kilogram pumpkins.

Mr Filmer, a first-time competitor, was thrilled to take out the prize for the vegetables he had grown from seeds from the 2016 festival.

He shared plenty of tips for growers as he stood proudly in front of the vegetables measuring almost a metre in diameter.

Patience and pride were essential ingredients, however Mr Filmer mentioned he threw out the rule book when it came to fertilising his pumpkin vines.

"The packet said only so much fertiliser a week but with these two I was almost doing it morning and night," he said.

The junior winner, also from the ACT, went to the Forster family with their impressive 85.5-kilogram pumpkin.

Beyond prizes, the colourful festival boasted a pumpkin-themed baking competition.

Large crowds, which had queued to get into the town, were hungrily snapping up warm pumpkin pies, scones and soup.

Aliesha Lavers, a Perth native, was impressed by the harvest atmosphere and got stuck into all the activities on offer including cuddling the festival's mascot Pumpkin Joe and taking a turn at Pumpkin wheelbarrow racing.

However, it was Jeremy Kay, a self-confessed pumpkin-eater from Melbourne, who shone in the event pushing the barrow and large papier-mâché pumpkin through the course in 13.22 seconds.

"We are just here for the weekend," he said. "The festival is a lot bigger than we thought. It is awesome. Who knew you could do so much with pumpkins!"

Mr Kay, who entered the event for $1, said he would stick around long into the afternoon to defend his place on the ladder and hopefully win the $50 first prize money.

Along with pumpkin rolling for the sporty, there was pumpkin decorating for the arty, and a pumpkin treasure hunt for the adventurous.

Festival-goers were blown away by the wealth of family-friendly entertainment and could be seen racing through the hay bale maze, rock climbing, enjoying pony rides or kicking back with some good grub in front of the live bands.