In Manhattan Beach, pumpkins are meant for much more than Jack-o-lantern carving during October.
The city’s 36th Annual Pumpkin Race took place Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Downtown Halloween Festival, near the Manhattan Beach Pier, where competitors rolled their decorated, wheeled gourds down Manhattan Beach Boulevard to see whose crossed the finish line first.
Siho You (4) and his mom Hosan Lin, left, react to winning their heat down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Mia and Lilli, girl scouts from Grandview Elementary School, carry their their racer after their heat in the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Decorated, wheeled and crashed pumpkins pile up on the sideline of Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Rory Wrobleswski’s (7) Golden Snitch rolls down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Siho You (4) and his mom Hosan Lin, left, react to winning their heat down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Rory Wrobleswski’s (7) Golden Snitch rolls down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Rory Wrobleswski’s (7) Golden Snitch rolls down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Rory Wrobleswski’s (7) Golden Snitch rolls down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Siho You (4) and his mom Hosan Lin, left, react to winning their heat down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Decorated, wheeled pumpkins crash on the sideline of Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Decorated, wheeled and crashed pumpkins pile up on the sideline of Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Max, 3, and his mom Meryl roll their Mickey Mouse pumpkin down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Competitors roll their decorated, wheeled pumpkins down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
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Siho You (4) and his mom Hosan Lin, left, react to winning their heat down Manhattan Beach Boulevard during the 36th Annual Pumpkin Race at the Downtown Halloween Festival in Manhattan Beach on Sunday October 18, 2026. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Pumpkin vehicles were painted as different characters and objects, and had wheels screwed into the bottom.
Each year, a pumpkin pit crew helps people saw flat edges on the bottom of their racers to get them ready to roll, and participants visit a decorating station to put the finishing touches on their gourds.
Qualifying races went on throughout the afternoon, with a championship contest toward the end of the day’s festivities. Cheater vessels, which are any other fruit or vegetable other than pumpkins, are smashed with mallets on the course.
There were also plenty of activities for all ages during the Halloween festival.