Pumpkins After Dark is an annual fall celebration in Milton, Ontario, and it’s the best way to get into the Halloween spirit. It’s held at the Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario, about an hour’s drive from Toronto. This pumpkin festival is the perfect combination of Halloween and art with over 150 pumpkin sculpture displays. It’s the best place to view pumpkins at night, and you likely won’t see this many carved pumpkins all in one place anywhere else.
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All About Pumpkins After Dark
Pumpkins After Dark is a fall pumpkin festival that’s both fun and festive. Drive the 2.5km loop to witness spectacular pumpkin displays around every turn. There are traditional Halloween characters and carved pumpkins influenced by popular culture. There are carved pumpkins for every interest and taste, and you’ll be amazed at these intricate displays. Some of my personal favorites included the animal displays (tigers, zebras, and giraffes!), the Mexican sugar skulls, the Nintendo and Super Mario pumpkins, the Ouija board, and the tarot cards.
For the first time this year, Pumpkins After Dark is a drive thru only event. This means that you’ll stay in your car the entire time. In fact, you aren’t allowed to get out of your car for safety reasons. It’s pretty comfortable to sit inside your car and watch the pumpkin displays as you drive by. Feel free to stop at the exhibits to take a closer look. You’ll generally follow behind other cars that are also driving the loop.
Staff members at Pumpkins After Dark will put light barriers on your headlights. This way, the car headlights aren’t too bright or distracting while you’re viewing the carved pumpkins. You’ll still be able to navigate the loop without any difficulties. There are staff members with light batons to guide you along your journey.
To learn more about Pumpkins After Dark as you drive around the property, there’s a radio station that transmits spooky music and details about the pumpkins. It’s fascinating to listen to some of the behind the scenes commentary, so I suggest that you tune in to this guided audio tour.
Plan Your Visit
Pumpkins After Dark is an annual pumpkin festival at the Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ontario. This Milton pumpkin festival happens every September and October. This year, Pumpkins After Dark operates from September 18th until November 1st. Please note that you can attend every Thursday through Sunday. Pumpkins After Dark is not open on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. You’ll find all of the pricing information on their official website.
While you’d typically walk the grounds of the event, Pumpkins After Dark is a drive thru event only this year. You’ll need to reserve a ticket in advance for the date and time slot of your choice. Then, drive up to the gates and you’ll wait for a short time in a queue for your time slot. You’ll drive behind the other cars through the grounds in a 2.5km loop to see all of the pumpkin displays. Enjoy the pumpkins from the safety and comfort of your own car.
More Things to Do in Milton and Area
Looking to spend more time in Milton or Halton region before you attend the event? Take a look at these top things to do while you’re here.
- Go hiking at Crawford Lake in Milton, Ontario [read more on Justin Plus Lauren and Ontario Hiking]
- Go hiking at Mount Nemo Conservation Area
- Dine at Beertown in Burlington
If you’re looking for another pumpkin festival to visit in Ontario, check out Pumpkinferno in Eastern Ontario. Pumpkinferno is closer to Ottawa and Brockville if you’re looking for brilliant carved pumpkins in that neck of the woods.
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Pumpkins After Dark Frequently Asked Questions
Have any questions about Pumpkins After Dark? Here are our answers to your questions from our own personal experiences visiting this Halloween event.
You’ll want to take the right amount of time to admire each display. At the same time, you’ll keep up with the cars ahead of you. It takes about an hour to drive the entire 2.5km loop.
Arrive close to your designated time slot, and no earlier than 15 minutes in advance of it.
The staff at Pumpkins After Dark will fit you into a different time slot, but try your best to be on time!
While some of the carved pumpkins are real, most of them are craft pumpkins. Real pumpkins tend to go bad after 72 hours, so it wouldn’t be realistic to use real pumpkins. All of the craft pumpkins are carved using the same techniques as real pumpkins, and you’d never know the difference!
Tickets are only available online. We highly recommend that you reserve them as far in advance as possible. Time slots and dates are selling out. Get yours while you can!
Pumpkins After Dark runs rain or shine. If there is extreme weather, the event may be cancelled. Otherwise, there are no refunds or exchanges if it rains.
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