--- description: Dozens were injured and arrested title: Pumpkin Festival Near Keene State College Goes Horribly Wrong image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4610fee6cbdfdb3/69876198f887dc80c5e879a4/pumpkin-fest-new-hampshire.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Annual Pumpkin Festival Goes Horribly Wrong  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 19, 2014 2:07 PM CUT  Local police, firefighters and ambulances in New Hampshire responded to large crowds and several injuries at the annual Pumpkin Festival near Keene State College on Oct. 18, 2014. Local police, firefighters and ambulances in New Hampshire responded to large crowds and several injuries at the annual Pumpkin Festival near Keene State College on Oct. 18, 2014.Seth Meyer—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 19, 2014 2:07 PM CUT At least 30 people were injured and 20 taken to the hospital as police used riot gear and tear gas to break up [an annual pumpkin festival that went awry](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/18/college-arrests-injuries-during-pumpkin-fest/17533999/ "undefined") near Keene State College in New Hampshire early Sunday morning. “People were just throwing everything they could find — rocks, skateboards, buckets, pumpkins,” student Ellery Murray [told the Boston _Globe_](http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/10/18/keene/DxaL6d2HARAHNiTvsBDWtK/story.html "undefined") about a party Saturday night that got out of control. “People just got too drunk.” At the annual Keene Pumpkin Festival, locals usually try and set a world record for the greatest number of jack-o-lanterns in a single spot, _USA Today_ reports. This year, people overturned cars, ripped down street signs and ran from tear gas clouds as riot-gear-clad police tried to halt the disturbances. At least 12 arrests had been made. “We deplore the actions of those whose only purpose was to cause mayhem,” Anne Huot, the college president, said in a statement. According to the college officials, both out-of-town guests and students were involved in the incident. \[[_USA Today_](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/18/college-arrests-injuries-during-pumpkin-fest/17533999/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3522409/pumpkin-festival-keene-state/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3522409/pumpkin-festival-keene-state/"},"headline":"Annual Pumpkin Festival Goes Horribly Wrong","datePublished":"2014-10-19T14:07:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:52:31.347Z","description":"Dozens were injured and arrested","url":"https://time.com/3522409/pumpkin-festival-keene-state/","keywords":["Crime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4610fee6cbdfdb3/69876198f887dc80c5e879a4/pumpkin-fest-new-hampshire.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd4610fee6cbdfdb3/69876198f887dc80c5e879a4/pumpkin-fest-new-hampshire.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pumpkin Fest Crowds","caption":"Pumpkin Fest Crowds","creditText":"Seth Meyer—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3522409/pumpkin-festival-keene-state/","name":"Annual Pumpkin Festival Goes Horribly Wrong"}}]}] ```