Arizona’s Pumpkin Fest at the Princess is back this year by popular demand. Now through Halloween, you can come out to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort and take part in all the thrills of the event, while enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
Pam Gilbert, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Princess, recently joined YurView’s Main St. Living show with details on the haunted happenings going on right now at Pumpkin Fest.
Watch the video above for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the festivities. Or, read the full interview transcription we’ve provided below, lightly edited for clarity.
- Pumpkin Patch at the Princess
- Princess Restaurants and Spa
- Halloween Festivities at the Princess
- Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Special Offers
Pumpkin Patch at the Princess
Cheryl Nelson, Host of Main St. Living (00:22) – This is one of our favorite resorts here on Main St. Living. And now through Halloween, you can join in on the fun. I’ve got to get out there. Here to join us is Pam Gilbert. She’s the Director of Sales and Marketing at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Welcome back to Main St. Living. Always good to have you on the show.
Pam Gilbert, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Princess (00:41) – Good to see you all. And my friends at Main St. Living are always welcome at the Princess.
CN (00:46) – Oh thank you so much. We’ve got to make that happen. And Pumpkin Fest sounds like the perfect time to visit. Tell us all about it.
PG (00:53) – Well, if you’re like me, you’re ready to get a little fall immersion. The temperatures are cooling off. Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s in the 80s now here in Arizona during the day, and in the evenings it gets even cooler. And it’s the perfect time to join us for the Cider Orchard where everything apple….and you know that first taste of crisp cider is so quintessential fall. Then you have our cinnamon roasted pecans. Oh, the smell gets me. I have to get them every time I walk by.
PG (01:27) – Then you go into the Mystic Passage, spooky with skeletons that are animated and ghosts that are singing and witches that are brewing. Then we have as well, the world’s oldest bellman there to check you into Hotel Transylvania, and spooky sounds and fog and smoke and lights, just spooky enough without scaring the little kids. It’s fun.
(01:58) – Then you walk into the Pumpkin Patch, everything pumpkin. You can pick out your pumpkin to take home and carve and make pumpkin pie. Or you also have the opportunity to meet Patches. Patches is our scarecrow, and he’s very similar to the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” and has a little dance he does with the kids and a great photo op.
(02:22) – Speaking of photo ops, lots of photo ops there, “Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch” and the opportunity with our vintage pumpkin truck. And of course the Pie House. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, homemade and ready for you to enjoy at the Pie House.
CN (02:40) – Oh man, Danielle, that’s for you. Danielle loves pie.
Danielle Alvari, Host of Main St. Living (02:44) – I love it.
PG (02:46) – Okay. Well, we’ll see if we can get you some.
Princess Restaurants and Spa
PG (02:49) – Then you go to Jack-O-Lantern Lawn & Lane. And that’s where you can sit around the fire pits, roast smores with the kids. And then take breaks there as they’re breaking from the thrilling rides. The Yo-Yo…it’s so high and so fast and so fun. And this Spider Ride for the older kids. Then for the little kids – the Dizzy Dragons ride. And walk through the hay maze. You know, and you can end the night at one of our fabulous restaurants.
(03:20) – La Hacienda, our Mexican restaurant’s celebrating Day of the Dead all month long with great traditional Mexican celebration foods. And at our spa, you can get pumpkin facials and warm ginger honey scrubs. It’s a wonderful time to enjoy fall at the Princess.
Halloween Festivities at the Princess
DA (03:44) – Amazing. I know you mentioned that things are cooling down there as well. Sounds like perfect fire pit weather at night. And Cheryl and I heard that there’s a flaming hard cider. We need more details. Tell us about this cider.
PG (03:56) – Yes, a little whiskey, a little cider, cinnamon and sugar around the rim. We flame it. It’s warm. It’s the quintessential fall grown-up drink.
CN (04:10) – I’m all about the grown-up drinks. I think everybody on this show knows that. So I am down for one of those. And how perfect would it be to drink one of those and watch some fireworks? And you’ve got some spooky fireworks, don’t you?
PG (04:21) – Every Friday and Saturday night at 8pm, our families and couples gather to watch the skies light up with Halloween fireworks, spooky fireworks to enjoy. And that’s available all October long. We close on October 31st. And on the 30th, in the same area, we have an adult Halloween party – Hollywood Horror: Nightmare on Princess Drive.
CN (04:54) – This is so much fun.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Special Offers
DA (04:56) – What if you want to make a weekend of it, Pam? Are there any special offers to stay over?
PG (05:02) – There are some great rates available – Sip, Savor, & Spice Package where you get a $100 credit to enjoy towards food and beverage, or a Family Package. Buy one room, get the second room half price. Or one of my favorites…if you’re coming maybe from California or outside Arizona, is the buy one, get one night free Stay Close offer that we have available.
CN (05:29) – All kinds of good stuff going on there. And you also have a contest right? For social media involving the Pumpkin Patch?
PG (05:36) – Absolutely. Here at the Pumpkin Fest, people can take their family photos. And little kids…those precious photos with the pumpkins. Or the couples…romantic. We even had an engagement here recently with the Pumpkin Patch. And so they can take their photos, tag us at #AtThePrincess. Tag us with Pumpkin Fest. And we will enter you in a weekly contest to win a stay for Christmas at the Princess opening November 15th this year.
DA (06:14) – Amazing. Pam, so for more information on the Pumpkin Fest at the Princess and the fall overnight offers, where can we find that information?
PG (06:21) – Everything’s available at scottsdaleprincess.com/pumpkin-fest.
DA (06:28) – Thanks so much for stopping by again today, Pam. We love having you on Main St. Living.
CN (06:32) – So much fun. We’re going to get out there.
PG (06:35) – Please do. Thank you. We love Main St.
DA (06:39) – We always have a good time when we visit with the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Just so much fun.
