The Manhattan Beach Pumpkin Race Is Won at the Axle

Two axles run through one pumpkin, and the wheels sit on those axles. Under the rules for the 36th Annual World Famous Pumpkin Race, a legal racer can be built from little more than that. The race is on Sunday, October 18, at the base of the Manhattan Beach Pier. The city's rulebook takes away almost every way an ambitious builder might add speed or stability. Anyone hoping to reach the 5:45 p.m. championship needs to get one thing right: two parallel axles.

The Rulebook Takes Away Every Fix

The Official Pumpkin Race Rules are short. Most of them ban something.

• One pumpkin per racer.
• Two independent axles through the body of the pumpkin, with the wheels attached to the axles.
• No connecting the axles to each other in any way.
• No chassis, whether built or prefabricated, including skateboards, strollers or toy trucks.
• No stabilizing attachments such as tension rods or welded rods. Plastic zip ties are the only support allowed on an axle.
• No bumpers or cage-like structures to protect the racer.
• Wheels can be no larger than 12 inches across. Axles can be no longer than 18 inches.
• No pushing at the start. Set the racer in position, then hands up.
• No sharp objects, explosives or pyrotechnics.

Racers with wheels larger than 12 inches may make a solo run for time if it's safe and the schedule allows, but they aren't eligible for a trophy. Every race is single elimination. A racer wins when its wheels cross the finish line, and the referees' decision is final.

Taken together, the rules leave out every part that would let a builder correct for a lopsided pumpkin. Nothing can join the front axle to the rear axle or hold the frame square, and nothing can catch the racer if it drifts. What's left is the gourd, two rods and four wheels. Whatever line those parts set at the top of the track is the line the racer follows to the bottom.

What the Track Does to a Crooked Racer

The city's own "Tips from the Pumpkin Race Pros" read like a fix list for that one problem. Many entrants are knocked out because their racers veer into the side wall before the finish line. The fastest way to build a racer is to make sure the axles are parallel so it rolls straight. The tips also say a bigger, heavier pumpkin isn't necessarily faster, and that "rarely does the biggest pumpkin win."

Recent races back that up. In the 2024 council race, Councilmember Joe Franklin told The MB News the contest was close. Councilmember Steve Napolitano's dark-blue pumpkin had challenged his but hit the wall. In its 2025 recap, the MB News wrote that some builders spent hours chasing aerodynamic perfection. It also reported that collisions and erratic racers often made the results unpredictable.

In 2023, a tiny pumpkin painted like a strawberry somersaulted its way to a qualifying win, according to the Daily Breeze. No size advantage explains that win. Under these rules, a small racer that gets to the line is worth more than a big one that doesn't.

Three Recent Champions, None of Them Built for Size

The winners named in local coverage since 2023 show a range of designs:

1. 2023: More than 1,000 pumpkins raced. The winner was Ivy Tracey, a Torrance resident and Towers Elementary student, with a white unicorn.
2. 2024: Jack Knowlton won with an "It" pumpkin, which earned a $500 donation to American Martyrs. Chloe and Sophia placed second with Cinderella, earning $300 for Tulita Elementary. Eva and her five-month-old brother Luke placed third with "The Mighty Racer," earning Manhattan Academy $250.
3. 2025: Kevin and Nico Harris won with a silver pumpkin. Anderson Hollier took second with a purple one, and Giovanni Bellow placed third with a giant spider.

The 2024 field included ghosts, Pokémon, Star Wars characters, fish, racecars, Minecraft Creepers and Cinderella carriages. The 2025 field added Marvel, Disney, Dodgers, Beetlejuice and Labubu designs. Decoration is where builders can be as creative as they like, and the city encourages it: "If you can't win, then lose with style!" None of those themes changes how a racer rolls. The axles do.

City officials race too. In 2023, City Manager Bruce Moe beat Councilmembers Napolitano, David Lesser and Amy Howorth in the officials' kickoff race. In 2024, Franklin's Minion won the council race for the third straight year. Neighbors' children helped build and decorate it. That same year, the Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Commission won the city-commission race with a "Concerts in the Park" racer.

Where the Build Time Should Go

The city's tips, in the order a builder would use them:

1. Read the rules before cutting anything.
2. Set the axles parallel, and check them again before every race.
3. Make sure all four wheels spin freely.
4. Leave enough ground clearance for the bumps and dips in the track.
5. Pick a theme for the decoration.
6. Stop by the Tinker Zone at the event for tune-ups.
7. Be on time for your rounds and listen for announcements.

On race day, the Pumpkin Pit Crew helps first-time attendees build a racer from scratch. The Tinker Zone stocks wheels, axles, tools and decorations for last-minute adjustments. In 2023, the Daily Breeze saw the pit crew sawing flat bottoms onto pumpkins. That year's setup also included a practice "challenger track," where builders could test a racer before taking it to the main track.

The Only Legal Way to Break the Rules

The rules leave one exception, and it's built into the show. Any racer an official finds in violation is declared a Cheater Pumpkin. The penalty is instant destruction by the Mallet-O-Justice, a large wooden mallet swung by the Head Race Official. The city says several entrants routinely enter Cheater Pumpkins on purpose because they want to see their creations smashed. The head referee checks with a parent before any pumpkin is destroyed.

In 2023, referee David Ibarra, a recreation supervisor, warned that racers had to be released without a push. He joked that he would bring the mallet down on violators with Hulk-like force. In 2025, the "cheater" was a watermelon, smashed in front of the crowd. The rules are strict, but the event treats breaking them as part of the entertainment.

The format has run this way since Halloween Eve in 1990. That year, Karl Rogers, Michael Aaker and John Holliday invented the racer design and the race format for guests at Karl's birthday party. Their friends insisted on a rematch the next year. In 2007, the race won the National Recreation and Park Association's Special Event of the Year award, with leadership from Idris Al-Oboudi of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. In 2008, more than 8,500 people attended at its new location on Manhattan Beach Boulevard at the base of the pier. The race even appeared in an episode of Home Improvement.

The Two Weeks Before Race Day

Kits went on sale October 3 at the Hometown Fair. They cost $35 before the event and $40 on race day. Kits are now sold at City Hall's Parks and Recreation Department at 1400 Highland Avenue and at the Tuesday farmers market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Downtown shops also carry them, including Bella Beach Kids at 225 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, MBI Vintage at 208 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, {pages} a bookstore at 904 Manhattan Avenue, Tabula Rasa Essentials at 919 Manhattan Avenue, Becker's Bakery & Deli at 1025 Manhattan Avenue, Waterleaf Interiors in Metlox Plaza, Shade Hotel at 1221 N. Valley Drive and Culture Brewing Co at 327 Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

The Turbo Pass costs $7 and covers two pumpkin entries with a timed slot in a separate line. You don't need one to race, but without it you wait in the regular line. Each pass expires once its time slot has passed. Residents can buy passes first, which puts tomorrow on the calendar.

The Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk uses the same area that morning. Check-in starts at 8 a.m. near the pier, and the opening ceremony and walk begin at 9 a.m. The roughly 3.5-mile route turns around at the Hermosa Beach Pier. The festival opens at noon, showcase races start at 1:30 p.m. and qualifying runs from 2 to 5 p.m. With the pier lots closed, the MB Wave Rider can drop you off instead. It's an on-demand ride booked through the Circuit app and runs from noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Rides cost $5 per person, or $2.50 for adults 55 and older. The city also suggests bringing water and sunscreen.

The pros' list ends with "Have Fun!" Before that, check your axles one more time.

The Lauren Forbes Group watches the details in a contract the way a good builder watches axle alignment, because small errors there are what derail a deal. If you own near the pier, or are thinking about the blocks around Pumpkin Race Land, schedule a private consultation and we'll walk through what matters on your street.