The big pumpkin smash day is Saturday, November 4, 2023! Every year on the Saturday after Halloween, SCARCE coordinates pumpkin and jack-o-lantern collections all around the western suburbs. The locations below will accept your no-longer-needed pumpkins for composting. This keeps your pumpkin out of a landfill and provides rich nutrients for the soil.
Some of these events will be quick drop-offs. You can either leave your pumpkin with a volunteer, or smash it yourself to add to the community collection. Others are bigger events with fun touches, such as jack-o-lantern races downhill or creative ways to smash those pumpkins.
We’ve also included a few extra events happening on other days, so make sure to check those if November 4 doesn’t work with your schedule.
2023 Pumpkin Smash Events
Pumpkin Smash Party (Oak Brook Park District)
November 2, 2023 | Beginning at 5:00pm
Registration required. This event features a fun pumpkin roll contest right down the sled hill at Central Park, with judges awarding prizes for the longest, shortest, and messiest rolls.
Pumpkin Smash (Westchester Community Church)
November 3 – 5, 2023
Pumpkin Smash (Mount Prospect)
November 4, 2023 | 8:00am – 11:00am
Pumpkin and Electronics Recycling Event (Carol Stream Town Center)
November 4, 2023 | 8:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Village Green Park, Glen Ellyn)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 11:00am
Pumpkin Smash (Western Springs)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
St. John of the Cross School parking lot at 5005 Wolf Rd
Catapult a Pumpkin (Lewis University, Romeoville)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
The Lewis University Physics Club will be onsite operating catapults to send those jack-o-lanterns out in style.
Pumpkin Smash Recycling Event (Bensenville)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Naperville at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash Sponsored by SCARCE (Addison)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Itasca Public Works Pumpkin Smash
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Commuter Parking Lot #9, Wheaton)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Villa Park Village Hall)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Lombard Common, East Parking Lot)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Hoffman Estates)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Roselle)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Composting Event (Westmont Public Library)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Bartlett)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Composting Event (Lisle Village Hall)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Smashing Pumpkin Recycling Event (La Grange Park Public Works)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Downers Grove South High School)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Morton Grove Public Works Pumpkin Smash (North End of Harrer Park, Morton Grove)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Hinsdale South High School)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (First United Methodist Church, West Chicago)
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 1:00pm
Arlington Heights Pumpkin Smash Pumpkin Recycling Event
November 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 2:00pm
Pumpkin Smash (Geneva)
November 4, 2023 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Pumpkin Shoot and Pumpkin Play Zone (Bolingbrook)
November 4, 2023 | 11:00am – 2:00pm
Register in advance.
Pumpkin Smash and Bash (Park Ridge)
November 4, 2023 | 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Registration is required. Kids can roll their pumpkins down the Centennial Sled Hill in this free contest, then learn all about composting.
Pumpkin Smash (Arlington Heights)
November 4, 2023 | 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Boy Scouts of America Troop 37 is hosting a free pumpkin smash with camp foods, activities planned by the troop, and candy. RSVP online.
Pumpkin Smash (Camp Greene Wood, Woodridge)
November 4, 2023 | 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Registration is required. Drop pumpkins from ladders to see them smash, or use a hammer to whack them open. You can also drop them off if you’d rather not do the smashing yourself.
Pumpkin Smash at Skokie Farmers Market
November 5, 2023 | 7:30am – 12:30pm
Getting Your Pumpkin Ready to Compost
Don’t forget to remove any added decorations from your jack-o-lantern before dropping it off at one of these pumpkin smash events. The goal is for the pumpkins to help create nutrient-rich soil, so you don’t want to inadvertently contaminate the compost.
Be sure to remove:
- Candles from the inside of the pumpkin
- Googly eyes
- Plastic ears, noses, etc.
- Sticker decorations
- Yarn and ribbons
In other words, you want to be composting just the pumpkin!
What if you’ve painted your pumpkin? No worries. SCARCE advises that acrylic paint won’t interfere with the composting process.
Besides these fun events, check out our article on fall colors to get the best photo memories. And although it is getting chillier, there’s plenty of outdoor family fun to be had! Tag us on Instagram to show off your autumn adventures.
