In Ludwigsburg, pumpkins can take new shapes.

Every year, the city about 12km north of Stuttgart, Germany, hosts the world's largest pumpkin festival, featuring more than 450,000 pumpkins of over 600 varieties from all over the world, ranging from the edible to the decorative.

This year, the theme is Pumpkin Forest, and larger-than-life pumpkin sculptures of woodland creatures like this fox sculpture have been created. The event, which opened yesterday and is located in the Ludwigsburg Palace grounds, also offers visitors a chance to sample pumpkin-inspired food and drinks.