From September 22 to October 31, Burnaby is hosting the Pumpkins After Dark event. The spooktacular light show begins earlier and earlier in the evening as the nights grow longer. Tickets for Pumpkins After Dark can be obtained online. The show is in association with Burnaby Halloween Festival 2022. The Cascade was invited to take an early look at the event before doors opened to the public.
Pumpkins After Dark is an illumination art event that makes use of pumpkin carvings as a medium. The walk through attraction features over 6,000 carved pumpkins that come together to form large and dimensional displays. The creations are made and carved by Canadian artists. The carvings are a mix of real and high-quality foam pumpkins to make sure displays remain fresh throughout the event’s duration.
In addition to the hour-long walk through the pumpkin carvings, there will also be food trucks to quench your thirst and fill you with warming treats. While chowing down, there will be live pumpkin carving demonstrations and more interactive displays to see.
At the walk, displays vary from spooky to elaborate feats of creative carving. Many of the displays feature fictional characters such as Dracula, Shrek, and Edward Scissorhands. The displays are often grouped into themed sections. Some of the themes seen throughout are the mythical creatures, nature, and Canadian symbols.
The attraction is wheelchair and stroller friendly and has workers with flashlights to help guide guests around the darker corners of the walk. It is recommended that wheelchair users have assistance with them when coming as some parts of the path are bumpy and may be unsafe to traverse alone.
The first ever Pumpkins After Dark was hosted in 2019 at Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario. The attraction is a wondrous event that came from the mind of James Fraser, self-declared chief pumpkineer. Fraser is in charge of the layout and making sure that the content of the carvings are appropriate for all while finding a balance that keeps the spirit of a Halloween event.
Fraser works in tandem with Joe Milana, creative director, who is in charge of the creation of the pumpkin carvings. Milana has several years of experience with pumpkin carving and began experimenting with the concept of combining carvings to create larger displays, which led him to working with Pumpkins After Dark.
The award-winning event has multiple attractions set up across Canada. This is the first year it is being hosted in B.C., and Pumpkins After Dark expects a large turnout in the coming weeks. Get your tickets and head on down to see what a little imagination and a whole ton of pumpkins can do.
Emmaline is working on her BA and ambitions to become an English teacher. They always say, those who cannot do, teach. She spends her free time buying, reading, and hoarding books with the hope that one day she will have no furniture and instead only have piles of books.
