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Jordan Abbate of Kelowna won the 2026 B.C. Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Langley with a 1,485-pound pumpkin, edging Team Halliday by a single pound as new provincial records fell in two other categories.
Jordan Abbate of Kelowna won the giant pumpkin category at the 2026 B.C. Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Langley on Saturday with a 1,485-pound gourd. The runner-up, grown by Team Halliday, weighed 1,484 pounds, so a single pound decided the day's biggest prize.
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off Draws Top Growers
The event drew the biggest gourds in British Columbia, with several tons of squash competing across eight categories. Abbate told event emcee Jeff Pelletier he was not feeling confident heading into the competition.
"I'm happy with it," Abbate told reporters after learning he had taken top prize. Asked what goes into growing a giant pumpkin, he said he spent a couple hours a day over a six-month period tending to his gourd.
"(It took) many months of watering, pruning, maintaining the plant and all that. Even in the winter, I was working on the soil," he said. The physical, mental and financial investment required for such a feat is substantial. Pelletier explained that the weigh-off is governed by the rules of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, which hosts about 800 competitions worldwide each year.
This is the 13th year of British Columbia's competition.
New Records Set Across B.C. Categories
"Every year gets better and bigger and, I think, there will be several B.C. records either challenged or broken today," Pelletier told CTV News ahead of Saturday's competition. His prediction proved correct. While Abbate's giant pumpkin did not eclipse the provincial record, a 1,149-pound squash set a new mark for that category. There was also a 131.5-inch long gourd, also a new record for the province.
The eight categories the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth keeps records for are giant pumpkin, giant squash, field pumpkin, long gourd, bushel gourd, tomato, watermelon and giant zucchini, Pelletier said. The giant squash and giant pumpkin categories yield the heaviest competitors. Those massive entries require forklifts and slings to move them around without damage.
"They put on so much weight when they're in their maximum growth rate that you almost have to check on them every day," Pelletier said. A giant pumpkin can put on as much as 60 pounds a day during that peak time.
World Records and Agricultural Ambition
"And they'll do that for two weeks," he said. "It's your pet for the six months that you're growing it. " While Abbate's 1,485-pound pumpkin is massive, it is barely half the size of the world record gourd. Last year, British brothers Ian and Stuart Paton set the world record with a 2,819-pound pumpkin.
This year's Great Pumpkin Commonwealth leaderboard shows Ian Paton with an even bigger 2,856-pound gourd. The gap illustrates how the world's largest gourds often eclipse regional achievements. The weigh-off not only celebrates horticultural ambition but also brings together local communities. It encourages farmers to showcase innovation in plant care, irrigation, soil management and pest control.
Such events stimulate dialogue around sustainable agriculture and the potential for large-scale produce to contribute to food security and educational outreach. As the competition concludes, observers anticipate that rising standards in B.C. will continue to inspire growers nationwide.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Giant Pumpkin British Columbia Horticulture Growers Records B.C. Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off Jordan Abbate Great Pumpkin Commonwealth Langley
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