HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Aloun Farms is excited to invite everyone to their 22nd Annual Pumpkin Festival. The exciting event will feature a palaka theme, and the farm will be welcoming University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Wahine student athletes for a meet-and-greet on Sunday, Oct. 13. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Attendees and participants in pumpkin design contests will have a chance to win roundtrip tickets from Southwest Airlines throughout October. Alec Sou, the president and general manager of Aloun Farms, expressed gratitude for the festival’s sponsors. “As the longest-running pumpkin festival in the islands, we’re thankful to DR Horton Hawaii and Meadow Gold Hawaii for helping us continue this popular community event each year,” he said. He highlighted the festival's goal of promoting sustainable agriculture and supporting the local community. The Pumpkin Festival will take place over the next three weekends of October: 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27. Family-friendly activities will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Each day featured local entertainment, craft and food vendors, keiki rides, a petting zoo and tractor hayrides through Aloun Farms’ expansive fields. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to pick their own Aloun Farms signature ‘Ewa Sweet Corn, string beans and pumpkins of all sizes—ranging from mini to giant, weighing up to 100 lbs. Aloun Farms is the only place in Hawai‘i where attendees can harvest pumpkins straight from the vine. The ‘Ewa Sweet Market at the farm offered fresh produce like onions, eggplant, ginger, zucchini, gourds and even decorating supplies. For 2024, Aloun Farms will be teaming up with Southwest Airlines to give away up to 20 roundtrip tickets that are valued at up to $400 to lucky festival-goers and pumpkin-carving contest participants aged 18 and older. Pets are welcomed at the festival and can enjoy pet-focused vendors and waste stations. However, pets are not allowed in certain areas, such as sunflower and ornamental fields. Entry to the festival is $5 per person for those two years and older. Parking and hayrides were free, while food, drinks, and other activities, including rides and vegetable harvesting, required additional costs. In addition to the festival, Aloun Farms opened reservations for its 2024 Educational Tours, designed for schools and large groups. From Oct. 15 to Oct. 25, up to four tours were scheduled each day, Tuesday through Friday, at 8:30, 9, 10, and 11 a.m. The 1.5-hour tour features a 10-minute presentation about the importance of sustainable agriculture; and participants can enjoy a pumpkin harvest activity, a hayride, and photo opportunities throughout the farm. Each guest will receive a recyclable bag, a small pumpkin, and an educational booklet. The cost for the tour is $15 per person, with reservations. Aloun Farms’ Annual Pumpkin Festival tends to attract around 60,000 attendees over three weekends and approximately 15,000 students and families for the educational tours. You can click here to find out more information about the pumpkin festival. You can click here to learn more about the tours. Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8 Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the festival benefit local nonprofit organizations and schools. For 2024, funds will be directed to sports teams and clubs at Kapolei and Waipahu high schools.