A Bead of Roses is pleased to announce the first annual Newtown Pumpkin Festival. Through a collaborative effort between A Bead of Roses, Newtown Kindness, Newtown Youth Academy, and many other Newtown non-profit groups and local businesses, Halloween is returning to Connecticut this year.

Two years of storms have forced the cancellation of trick-or-treating, but this year will be different, promises Lisa Rose, founder and managing partner of A Bead of Roses, a bead and jewelry shop in Plaza South.

The mission of the festival is “to bring Halloween back to Newtown in a magical way, focusing the community on a shared event that benefits causes close to the hearts and minds of the people of Newtown,” she said.

Based on the hugely successful pumpkin carving event in Keene, N.H., an October 12 festival in Newtown will celebrate the luminous beauty of thousands of glowing pumpkins, all carved with love by community members.

The event will run from noon until 9 pm, with pumpkin drop-off at Fairfield Hills all day. Pumpkins needs to be carved and decorated at home; there are no plans for carving to be done during the festival.

Pumpkins will be displayed and lit at dusk, while families celebrate the season with food vendors, craft vendors, games, and music throughout the day and evening.

There is an entrance fee of $25 per passenger vehicle to attend the festival. The all-inclusive ticket fee covers event entrance for up to eight people per vehicle, along with as many pumpkins as you those in each vehicle would like to carve, parking, and shuttle service from off-site locations to Fairfield Hills.

Those planning to attend must register online at www.newtownpumpkinfestival.com. Upon registration, attendees will receive an assigned parking location and pass so that they can safely shuttle to the festival. Prizes will be awarded for most creative pumpkins.

Donations will benefit the many non-profits who are helping to run the event including Newtown Kindness, The Avielle Foundation, The Chase Kowalski Fund, and Ben’s Lighthouse.

Visit www.newtownpumpkinfestival.com for more information and to register. There is also a Newtown Pumpkin Festival event page on Facebook, where organizers plan to have additional information posted as it becomes available.