The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring’s Great Pumpkin Festival offers four themed evenings of family-friendly activities, kicking off on Friday, October 3rd and continuing on the following three Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. Festivities feature hands-on projects, seasonal fun, and special character appearances, with each night ending in a costume parade.
Each night will highlight a pair of emotions drawn from the museum’s featured traveling exhibit, Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out, inspired by Disney and Pixar’s animated film Inside Out.
Great Pumpkin Festival themes include:
- Oct. 3 – Joy & Wonder
- Oct. 10 – Fear & Courage
- Oct. 17 – Disgust & Delight
- Oct. 24 – Facing Big Feelings
Costumed kiddos enjoying the water table at The Discovery Center.
Programming features interactive STEAM experiments, themed art activities like pumpkin painting and slime-making and a nightly costume parade. Families can also meet popular costumed characters such as Bluey, Spiderman and Pikachu. Guests will also experience live encounters with the Discovery Center’s Animal Ambassadors, including snakes, ferrets and reptiles. Treats available for purchase include Cepimania, a traditional Venezuelan shaved ice truck.
“The Great Pumpkin Festival is a chance for families to celebrate the season while engaging with themes children can relate to,” says Tara MacDougall, President and CEO of the Discovery Center. “When kids dress up, meet an Animal Ambassador, and connect those experiences to emotions they recognize from Inside Out, the result is both magical and meaningful. With support from Toot’s Restaurant, we’re able to expand the festival’s offerings—adding more hands-on stations, more characters, and ensuring the event remains accessible for the community.”
Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out, developed by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, will remain on view through Jan. 4th, 2026. The exhibit invites children and families to explore emotions through interactive and digital experiences that connect play with learning.
The Discovery Center is located at 502 SE Broad Street in Murfreesboro. Tickets for the Great Pumpkin Festival (members get a discounted ticket of $8) include admission to Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out and are available at explorethedc.org.
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