The city of Sycamore is about to grow by the thousands.

The Sycamore Pumpkin Festival kicked off Wednesday and continues through Sunday.

This year’s theme is “50 Fabulous Years of Pumpkins,” said Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy. During the five days of the festival, Sycamore hosts 100,000 to 200,000 people, Mundy said.

Decorated pumpkins made by members of the community will be on display on the front lawn of the Sycamore courthouse.

“There’ll be 800 to 1,000 pumpkins there for the pumpkin decorating contest,” Mundy said. “There’s a lot of fun and a lot of imagination.”

Pumpkin Fest hosts activities like craft shows, fireworks and concerts planned throughout the rest of the week.

“Hundreds of people over the 50 years have volunteered their time and effort,” Mundy said. “It continues to be a great way to have some fun at the end of October.”

There are two separate carnivals for teens and kids, said Sycamore Police Lt. Cary Singer.

Pumpkin Fest is beneficial for the businesses in the area, Munday said. The Stratford Inn Hotel, 355 W. State St., has reservations made a year in advance, said owner Rachel Bauer.

“It’s pretty common for guests to be repeat guests of the hotel for this weekend,” Bauer said. “They typically make their reservations for next year when they check out of the hotel this year.”

Sycamore ends the week with a large parade at 1 p.m. Sunday. About 120 additional people are brought in to assist with Sunday’s events, including police from nearby cities.

“The parade is one of the larger parades in the state of Illinois,” Singer said. “Generally, it draws an awful lot of people.”

The parade consists of more than just bands, Mundy said.

“There’s animals, a lot of kids marching in costume, different businesses have different racks and displays, there are singing groups that get a hay rack and get pulled by a truck or a tractor,” Mundy said. “It’s a lot of fun.”