Pumpkins all around in the Kempen municipality of Kasterlee
Every October, the pumpkin takes centre stage in Kasterlee in the Antwerp Kempen. Pumpkin trails, a pumpkin market, pumpkin shooting, and the pumpkin regatta; the latter perhaps the most spectacular of them all, especially in 2025.
The Kempen is a region dominated by poor sandy soil, so not much good for growing rich crops like beets or grains. Pumpkins, however, thrive there like nobody’s business. In the past, they were used to make porridge, before they later became the basis for all the different events that now draw so many curious onlookers every year.
Let’s take a closer look at the famous pumpkin regatta. This year, no fewer than 114 four-person teams from both Belgium and further afield took part in this wacky relay race, with male, female, children, and mixed teams. Participants, preferably dressed up as creatively as possible, climb into a hollowed-out giant fruit and paddle like mad for 100 metres. Easy, you think? Think again: it’s pretty tough to steer such a heavy yet buoyant vessel, kept afloat by many air pockets, without tipping over before reaching the finish line. Before you know it, you’re soaking wet.
After just 4 minutes and 18 seconds, registration had to be closed. Participants and spectators came to Kasterlee from Great Britain, Sweden, Poland and Romania, among other countries. It certainly helped that the press, along with well-known influencer and TV personality Average Rob, gave plenty of attention to the 16th edition of the race.
Next year, definitely give that regatta a go…