Ilkley's first-ever Pumpkin Festival has been hailed a success after families enjoyed a week of free Halloween activities across the town.
Organised by Ilkley Business Improvement District (BID), the festival took place during the October half-term holiday and featured a town centre Pumpkin Trail and a community pumpkin carving event.
The Pumpkin Trail involved 17 local businesses, each displaying a specially carved pumpkin for visitors to discover.
Creations included Jack O'Plantern at The Outdoor Living Collective, Jelly Jinx at The Traditional Sweet Shop, Truffles at Friends of Ham and Nippy Nora at Nora's Interiors & Gifts.
The festival's main event took place at Canker Well on The Grove on Wednesday 28th October, where families were invited to choose a free pumpkin and create their own Halloween designs.
Professional pumpkin carvers from creative arts organisation Sand In Your Eye also provided live demonstrations throughout the day.
The event was supported by Ilkley Town Council, with Booths and Tesco donating pumpkins to help make the activities free for families.
Ilkley BID Manager Sarah Brookfield-Almond said:
“We couldn't have asked for a better response to our Pumpkin Festival. It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying themselves and getting involved in the Halloween activities.
“Events like this are a fantastic way to bring people into Ilkley, support our independent businesses and showcase everything our town has to offer.
"The Pumpkin Trail was also a great opportunity for people to discover businesses they might not have visited before.
“With the cost of living continuing to put pressure on family budgets, we were particularly keen to offer a fun, free event that everyone could enjoy.”
The festival also received positive feedback from families who attended.
One visitor said:
“Absolutely brilliant!
"Our children absolutely loved carving their pumpkins.
"Thank you to all involved.”
Ilkley BID thanked the businesses, volunteers and organisations that supported the festival, including Nicola Carr from the BID team, Colin Watson from Ilkley Carnival and volunteer Jack Mountcastle.
The BID also thanked J Reserve for providing refreshments for the event team.

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