It’s hard to choose where to spend your fall weekends in Kansas City, but The Great Pumpkin Fest at Worlds of Fun deserves a spot on your calendar. This family friendly event takes place in every kid’s favorite spot – Planet Snoopy! Not only are the rides open as usual but you can enjoy Peanuts themed activities including a petting farm, coloring and crafts, a dance party, costume contest, trick or treating and a pumpkin patch.
Like all fall fun, if you come with a game plan it will go more smoothly for everyone. Here is our mom-approved game plan for making the most of your day.
Arrive when the park opens at 11 a.m.
The Pumpkin Fest activities begin at noon but we arrived early to ride all the things at Planet Snoopy. That way we didn’t feel torn between rides and fall fun. If these rainy fall weekends continue, be sure to stuff a small towel into your bag to wipe off the seats to avoid toddler soggy bottoms.
Wear your costumes!
If your costumes are already ready (go you!), this is just one more opportunity to show them off. If not, raid the dress up bin – we showed up as a policeman with binoculars, a princess and an 8 year old who didn’t believe his mom that costumes were encouraged. Our favorite stop was the hay maze and trick or treating. After making it through the maze, the kids knocked on doors in a colorful, mini village and collected lots of treats! They also picked out a mini pumpkin to bring home. Mom Tip: No need to juggle all your trick-or-treat buckets, a small treat bag is provided. It would be helpful though to bring a backpack to collect the bags along with crafts and coloring sheets.
Be sure to stick around for the costume contest at Planet Snoopy.
Don’t miss the petting zoo
Next to the candy, this was our kids’ favorite part especially the alpacas! Feeding the animals costs $2 but petting and taking pictures is totally free. You just can’t go wrong with some bunny, goat, horse, cow and sheep snuggles.
Plan your exit.
The friendly pumpkin fest ends at 6 p.m. As the day went on, we started to see the park beginning to change over to the popular Halloween Haunt. But if you arrive when WOF opens, you probably won’t even have the problem of lasting to the point the scary comes out. If you do decided to stay, No-Boo necklaces are available to let monsters know you’re not feeling brave.
Consider a season pass.
We spent nearly seven hours at Worlds of Fun in one day and didn’t even experience a fraction of the park! Right now, with a 2020 Gold Season Pass, you’ll get free parking and unlimited admission, including The Great Pumpkin Fest/Halloween Haunt and WinterFest, which are worth it alone! Also, be sure to sign up your three to five year-old for a free Pre-K pass!
The Great Pumpkin Fest runs Saturdays and Sundays, noon – 6 p.m.
