Downtown Gilbert Fall Celebration: Harvest in the Heritage District
Have you noticed all the pumpkins in Downtown Gilbert? Looking for a fun, festive activity with the kids in Gilbert?
You may have recently spotted an installation of creatively carved pumpkins in the Downtown Gilbert Heritage District, known as The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt. The Town of Gilbert thrives on its seasonal events, and the festive decorations that run through the end of the year are always a highlight. Adding to the excitement this year is the whimsical Gourd Hunt.
About The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt
The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt features the artistry of Ray Villafane and his popular, comical pumpkin displays. Nearly a dozen pumpkin vignettes, featuring more than 40 in-character gourds, will take over the Heritage District. Watch as mischievous pumpkins cause chaos and bring whimsy to the historic downtown area!
How to Access the Hunt
There are a couple of ways to participate in The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt, and even the opportunity to win a prize:
- Free Digital Pass: Sign up for the free Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt Pass and embark on an interactive journey. Check in at the vignettes, earn points, and get rewarded!
- Printed Scavenger Hunt Card: Pick up a printed card (pictured left), which will be available at Gilbert Town Hall, Discovery Centers, and select merchants starting the week of September 22.
- You can also see and download the PDF version HERE.
Visitors to the district are invited to sign up on their mobile device for a digital passport and get led by GPS to pumpkin vignettes throughout downtown. A digital check in is required at each spot. Turn in your completed hunt card or show your digital passport at a Discover Gilbert Discovery Center for a pumpkin prize (while supplies last).
Upcoming Events in the Heritage District
Harvest in the Heritage District Origami Workshop
Saturday, Oct. 4 | 10 – 11 a.m.
Location: Heritage Marketplace Park (next to Barrio Queen)
A free, hands-on Origami Community Workshop will be held to celebrate the season. Join artists Chuck Via and Jacob Hedgepeth for a fun-filled folding session!
The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt & Live Pumpkin Carving featuring Ray Villafane
Saturday, Oct. 18 | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Water Tower Plaza
Explore the Heritage District, uncover seasonal surprises, and earn points for a chance to win prizes—then head to Water Tower Plaza to watch Ray bring his extraordinary pumpkin artistry to life in a live carving experience.
Media Night Fun: A Sneak Peek!
I was recently invited by the Town of Gilbert and Discover Gilbert, their marketing team, for a media event where we got a sneak peek at the installations. It was a lovely, warm evening in the Heritage District, and we began discovering the Gourd Hunt installations prepared by the Villafane Studios team starting the Water Tower Plaza.
Honestly, the creativity was so much fun to see. The first stop was truly memorable, with pumpkins living out my adventurous dreams, joyfully dangling from the iconic Water Tower cross sections. From there, we crossed over to Hale Theatre to find two of the most show-ready pumpkins set with a top-hat and masquerade mask.
As a special treat, the media guests were hosted by some of the local restaurants for lite bites and drinks.
Thank you to Postino East – Gilbert for keeping us hydrated and full with delicious bruschetta—Postino is always accommodating with my gluten allergy! Next door, Joyride Taco House indulged us with delicious churros. We were then encouraged to cross the street to visit Joe’s Real BBQ and Topo Arizona to check out two more gourd installations.
The largest installation was at Joe’s Real BBQ, where the front window displayed gourds gone wild on a tractor. It’s eye-catching for the size alone! Be mindful, you can see it perfectly fine from the outside, but in my opinion, this display is best viewed from inside, but stopping to view it might intrude on diners if the restaurant is busy.
Stepping back out, and looking toward the north, two more gourds sat in front of the beady-eyed gopher at Topo, enjoying ice cream as tall as the cones customers below enjoy.
It’s been great to walk around Downtown Gilbert and see the new development taking shape. Just north of Barrio Queen, formerly an overflow parking lot will soon transform to a mixed-use space for retail and restaurants, luxury multifamily community, more than 300 surface parking spaces, and so much more with this phase 1 set to open in Q1 2027. Prep & Pastry quickly became an HD favorite but has since permanently closed, with plans for a new concept from ownership. Bergie’s Coffee is still gated off with no movement, however, there’s a glimmer of hope that the Ares Collective is taking over the lot.
As you walk down Gilbert Road, look up at the seasonal street light decor! My favorite was peeping a pumpkin at the corner of Vaughn Avenue and Gilbert Road. Did you see it?
Three more stops… We’re almost there!
Crossing yet again, we headed over to the Heritage Marketplace Park—which I personally did not know had a name! It’s the green area between Clever Koi and Barrio Queen, and it’s my daughter’s favorite space to run and play while we wait to get seated nearby.
This space is included as a stop for The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt, with pumpkins causing a ruckus in the trees above. It also houses two vibrant origami displays—“Fall Celebrations in Folding Art” by Chuck Via and Jacob Hedgepeth with the Arizona Origami Society. We were delighted to see the displays move naturally in the nice breeze.
Walking down the path to The Bookish Shop was the next stop. We enjoyed food and drink samples from their fall menu, and my personal favorite was their GF/DF “pop-tart.” This gorgeous bookshop is a must-stop for my book-loving friends who want an enchanting place to meet for coffee and pastries. I can’t wait to enjoy their patio this holiday season and grab some gifts for my book-girlies.
Final stop of the night: we popped over to The Park at O.H.S.O. Brewery. This has been my favorite addition to the downtown area, as it is for most. I’ve spent plenty of birthdays, movie nights, and drinks with friends at this pet-friendly, family-friendly outdoor space. I’m even tolerable of it during the summer heat… after 9 p.m. with misters on! All jokes aside, it’s best known for its live music venue, and the pumpkin rock band sitting atop the entrance from the east parking garage is absolutely perfect.
Media guests were then invited to enjoy great food and drinks from the OHSO team, and we had the opportunity to network with fellow creators and freelancers in the area.
I hope you’ll join in on the fun this fall for Harvest in the Heritage District. It truly adds to the whimsy of the area and is one of the many reasons I love my town of Gilbert.
For more fall events, visit HarvestintheHD.com
Check out some videos about The Great Gilbert Gourd Hunt in Heritage District.
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