Minnesota pumpkin grower wins 5th world championship with 2,389-pound pumpkin
Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, showing off his five championship rings from the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. (Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off / Supplied)
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (FOX 9) - Minnesota's Travis Gienger won the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California for the fifth time, with his pumpkin, "Rocky", taking home the grand prize.
Giant pumpkin
What we know:
Rocky weighed in at 2,389 pounds on Monday at the 2026 World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, the heaviest pumpkin in the competition. Rocky also measured 138 inches side-to-side, 131.5 inches end-to-end and 231 inches around.
But Gienger's giant pumpkin didn't break the world record. The current world record for heaviest pumpkin is 2,856 pounds, set on Oct. 3 by a British pumpkin grower. A pumpkin grower in Rhode Island may have surpassed that record on Saturday with his pumpkin that weighed in at 3,156 pounds, although it does not appear that record has been certified yet.
Gienger earned $900 per pound for his pumpkin—which adds up to $2,151.
5th win for Travis Gienger
Massive Anoka pumpkin to be carved into world?s largest jack-o-lantern
The city of Anoka is saying go big or gourd home. A champion pumpkin grown in Anoka is expected to break two Guinness World Records this week. Anoka, affectionately known as the Halloween Capital of the World, prides itself on its Halloween celebrations and now has yet another Halloween accolade to celebrate. North America's largest pumpkin is on display at Anoka City Hall, where it will be carved into the world's largest jack-o-lantern by weight and by size on Friday.
By the numbers:
This was the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. Gienger has now won the grand prize five times. Here's how his other prize-winning pumpkins compare:
- 2024: Rudy - 2,471 pounds
- 2023: Michael Jordan - 2,749 pounds (new world record at the time)
- 2022: Maverick - 2,560 pounds
- 2020: Tiger King - 2,350 pounds
In 2022, Gienger's championship pumpkin, Maverick, was carved into the world's largest jack-o-lantern. The pumpkin was displayed outside Anoka City Hall.
The backstory:
The World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off began in 1974 as a friendly challenge between Half Moon Bay and Circleville, Ohio to see who could grow the biggest pumpkin.
The Source: The 2026 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California took place on Monday, Oct. 12. The event was livestreamed on YouTube. FOX 9 reported this story from Minnesota.