Manhattan Beach Pumpkin Races

Some people carve pumpkins.
Some people build cannons and catapults and launch them as far as they can.
And then some people mount them on wheels and roll them downhill like it’s a soapbox racer or an entrant in Bring Your Own Big Wheel.
The good folks of Manhattan Beach are of the latter school.
The Pumpkin Races are fun, more family-​oriented. I would say it’s a novelty just for the kids, but it’s more a city tradition, as silly as it seems to outsiders.
The official rules state that you must create a vehicle using one pumpkin and individual axles, no Tonka trucks or other store-​bought chassis, no engines, pyrotechnics, or explosives. The pumpkins are released down hill with gravity doing all the work. No pushing allowed. Cheater vehicles get smash by the referee using a giant wooden mallet.
Some people cheat almost specifically to get smashed or just because it’s funny to see a pumpkin suddenly pop out booster rockets and propel down hill. They know they’re not going to win, so why not have fun and let the mob chant, «Smash it! Smash it! Smash it!»

I have been telling my girlfriend about the World Famous Pumpkin Races for almost 2 years now, yesterday (10-​28-​2012) our schedules were finally right and we were able to go together. If you know about the Pumpkin Races chances are you are a local and know where to park, so no matter the crowd you will be able to find a spot to park your Beach cruiser, skateboard or your car. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the World famous Pumpkin Races and attempted to check-​in and there was no World Famous Pumpkin Races on Unilocal,THE INJUSTICE, and THE SHAME.
What do you need to know about the Pumpkin Races is that it is all about the South Bay and the South Bay lifestyle. I will try and describe it for you.
The Pumpkin Races take place on a Manhattan Beach Blvd a large hill that leads towards the Manhattan Beach Pier. There is a pumpkin festival where you can go and experience everything pumpkin. You can visit stands of the Surf rider Foundation, Ice Cream, Pumpkin this or Pumpkin that, you can enter a pumpkin to race same day, you can decorate your pumpkin instead a small village dedicated to sprucing up your pumpkin.
The rules are very simple. You must build a pumpkin with wheels and the base of the pumpkin has to be natural and able to support the getup that you build, you can decorate your pumpkin in any fashion you want. You cannot weigh you pumpkin down so it will go straight or faster because if you are caught cheating you pumpkin will be moved to a body chalk outline and a referee with a Gallagher sized mallet will come out and smash you pumpkin into 1,000 pieces as the crowd cheers. If you get caught pushing off at the start of the race again your will pumpkin will be given a death sentence.
The goal of the pumpkin races is to have your pumpkin go about 75 feet and hit the barrier first in order to move onto the next round. The barrier is protected by referees holding padding to prevent your pumpkin from hitting the barriers at top pumpkin speed.
The referees are great who run this. They keep the crowd entertained and cheering prompting a sing along and dancing.
The pumpkin races have an area for children to race and for adults to race, it is all about the fun, the pumpkin, racing and South Bay living. If you are in the area next year make sure you stop by and check it out and support local South Bay businesses.