The winning pumpkin grew for 114 days and weighed a whopping 1221 kg!
Western Cape, South Africa (30 March 2026) – The fiercely contended Heidelberg Giant Pumpkin Festival took place on Saturday, and South Africa has a new record holder!
When Piet Lotz from Riversdale rolled into the festival this year with two humongous pumpkins trailing behind, he was chasing gold. Last year, he took first place and claimed the Southern Hemisphere record for his mega gourd.
This year, he held onto the title and made national history with the biggest pumpkin South Africa has ever seen, weighing a whopping 1221 kilograms! At 114 days old, Piet says it took good soil, good seed, and loads of love to grow his monster ‘kin.
This isn’t the first time Lotz has claimed gold for his big pumpkins. He has won the title many times over in years past, and now has his eyes set on beating the world record currently held by the Paton brothers in the UK, with their massive pumpkin, which weighed just 75 kg more than Lotz’ national gold-taking gourd.
Heidelberg Giant Pumpkin Festival’s second runner-up for 2026 is John Booysen, with an impressive growth of 816 kg and Pieter Conradie took third place, holding a solid weight of 793 kg.
“A big thank you as well to every person who entered and took part. We know it takes hard work, dedication and a lot of effort… and yes, those pumpkins definitely need regular chats!” shared the festival. “But without our stars — the pumpkins — the festival wouldn’t have been the same. In our eyes, every participant and pumpkin grower is a winner!”
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