This year, the autumn harvest festival at Pakruojis Manor surprises visitors with something never seen before in Lithuania. The manor’s flower beds have been transformed into giant Baroque ornamental carpets, created using more than 80 tonnes of fruit and vegetables. Pumpkins, apples, cabbages, beetroot, and other autumn produce have become true works of art rather than market-fair decorations. We visited the festival ourselves. The photos are impressive, but you can only appreciate the true scale of these ornaments when standing right beside them. The festival’s programme and atmosphere are also incredible and truly unique! We can confidently say that this is one of the most unique and impressive places to enjoy autumn in Lithuania.
The autumn harvest festival at Pakruojis Manor – the first of its kind in Lithuania
The autumn harvest festival at Pakruojis Manor, called Baroque Autumn, is completely different from ordinary pumpkin parks or autumn fairs. Here, the entire harvest has become a creative material. In spring and summer, the manor’s flower beds bloom with flowers. Now, giant ornamental carpets cover them, featuring the symmetry, curves, and floral motifs typical of the Baroque style. According to the organisers, no one has ever created autumn harvest carpets of this size anywhere else in the world.
And these are certainly not just a few neatly arranged pumpkins. The ornaments use more than 80 tonnes of locally grown fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile, arches, sculptures and other compositions made from autumn produce can be found throughout the manor grounds, alongside the giant carpets. You can only truly appreciate how unique and impressive they are when walking right beside them!
The most fascinating part is how these carpets are created. First, each ornament is designed on a computer. The design is then enlarged to the enormous scale of the manor’s flower beds. The gardeners at Pakruojis Manor arrange the fruit and vegetables according to the planned design.
The team even uses a drone to monitor the work and maintain symmetry across these large patterns. An aerial view reveals the smallest deviations from the design. The elements are then adjusted until the pattern matches the original vision.
For us, this is the most impressive part of the festival. Up close, you can see individual pumpkins, apples and other vegetables. However, when you step back, they come together to form a giant Baroque design. The team arranges everything so precisely that it is hard to believe. The colours, shapes and sizes all match.
The whole manor comes alive at weekends
The ornaments alone make Pakruojis Manor well worth a visit. However, at weekends, the manor becomes much more than an exhibition of autumn decorations.
A Baroque fair brings the manor to life. Visitors can meet wandering performers, a juggler, a fire-eater, a knife-thrower and even the proud lord of the manor. These characters are not just there for decoration. They interact with visitors and involve them in games, riddles and various challenges. Our son Motiejus took part in the whole programme, competed in races and jumped in sack races.
At the fair, you can find produce grown or made on the manor’s farm. This includes vegetables, fruit, herbs, honey, bread, cheese, fish, various treats and handmade crafts. The organisers create a lively Baroque marketplace atmosphere rather than a typical fair.
Things to do with kids at Pakruojis Manor in autumn
This festival is also ideal for families with children. The organisers have prepared a separate autumn activity programme for younger visitors. Children can decorate pumpkins, have their faces painted, play games and take part in fun competitions.
Children will also love the manor farm. They can meet horses, a donkey, calves, sheep, goats, geese, chickens and other animals up close. They can even pet or feed the animals.
If the autumn weather turns chilly, you can warm up with a cup of tea or enjoy some seasonal treats. In autumn, the manor’s kitchen serves dishes with pumpkin, cinnamon and other seasonal flavours. Of course, you can also order cepelinai, traditional Lithuanian potato dumplings, at the Traktierius inn or the outdoor café. You can also enjoy lunch at beautifully decorated tables while chatting with other park visitors.
Another great advantage of this festival is that bad weather does not have to ruin your weekend plans. The manor team holds some activities indoors, so you can still enjoy them even when the weather turns unpleasant.
You can visit the wool workshop, explore the beekeeper’s workshop, or stop by the manor’s photography studio and costume atelier. If you are looking for more thrills, you can venture into the Punishment Cellar. Meanwhile, history enthusiasts can visit the old distillery.
You can also explore the machinery workshops, the manor’s brewery, the collection of vintage cars and the old arcade room. The latter houses more than 50 machines.
Practical information
The main festival programme takes place on Saturdays and Sundays. The grounds open at 12:00 p.m., and the weekend programme begins at 2:00 p.m. Artisans work until 5:30 p.m., the ticket office remains open until 6:00 p.m., and the manor grounds close at 6:30 p.m.
On Fridays, you can visit simply to stroll around and admire the autumn compositions. The main festival programme does not take place that day. The manor is also open on Mondays, when a special offer for seniors is available.
An online festival ticket costs €14 for adults and €12 for children aged six and over, students and seniors. Tickets purchased on-site cost €16 and €14, respectively. Children aged five and under enter free of charge. On Fridays, a ticket for a walk around the grounds costs €9.
For more information about the festival, visit the Pakruojis Manor website.
Why is it worth visiting?
More and more autumn and pumpkin parks open across Lithuania every year. However, Baroque Autumn at Pakruojis Manor is not just another pumpkin park. Here, the autumn harvest is used in a completely different way – as a material for unconventional art.
Eighty tonnes of fruit and vegetables, enormous ornamental carpets, Baroque arches, characters, performers, artisans and activities for children come together to create a true autumn celebration!
And while the photos first catch your eye with their colours, visiting in person reveals the most astonishing feature: the scale. When you stand beside these giant patterns, you can hardly believe that ordinary autumn produce from Lithuanian fields and orchards forms them.
We have probably visited most of Lithuania’s pumpkin farms, pumpkin parks and autumn attractions with our children. Yet we have never seen anything like this anywhere else.
