Social media fuelling pumpkin patch craze

Venues say people go to pumpkin patches to get their pictures taken

Venues in the West have said pick-your-own pumpkin patches are becoming more popular due to social media.

Avon Valley Country Park in Keynsham near Bristol said their Halloween pumpkin event was seeing around 120,000 visitors each year, with many going to take photographs.

Fairfield Pumpkins near Yeovil, Somerset started pick-your-own pumpkin patches five years ago and said the number of visitors had risen each year.

Jess Yeatman, from the company, said: "Overall, pumpkin picking is on the rise, it's a trendy activity to do," she said.

Some farms, like Avon Valley Country Park, have got involved in the pumpkin craze

Ms Yeatman said people usually come for the "photo opportunities for social media", with about 5,500 visitors coming to her venue each year.

"I never did this when I was growing up but we'd always go to get a Christmas tree," Ms Yeatman said.

"I think it's an American thing [pumpkins] and we're catching on to that craze through social media," she added.

In the mid 1980s, people went to Avon Valley Country Park to pick strawberries

Doug Douglas, the owner of Avon Valley Country Park, said his dad bought the farm at auction in 1979.

The farm was next to the family's existing land, bought by his great-great grandfather in 1882.

Mr Douglas said they grow all the pumpkins themselves, and their busiest time for visitors is the run-up to Christmas

He added: "The business has grown in the last three years since Covid.

"A lot of people just come to get their pictures taken."

Cotswold Farm Park said people bring their children and dogs to the pumpkin patch

Olivia Grimsdell, senior marketing manager at Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, said she has noticed the experience of picking the pumpkin seems to be as important as taking it home.

"People enjoy the whole day out, with a pumpkin at the end to prove it. A lot of different people come - families with children, people with their dogs, couples," Ms Grimsdell said.

"We've also got festive decorations and merchandise on sale on site, because of the growth in popularity of decorating for autumn and Halloween.

"For our families, they might be more inclined to take part in the carving, but we do see when couples come, it's very much about getting that photo at the pumpkin patch."