2011 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
Roger Williams Park
Providence, Rhode Island
October 6 – 31, 2011
Open nightly, rain or shine, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (trail closes by 11 p.m.)
Tickets may be purchased at the gate
Experience the glow of thousands of pumpkins, set in a magical display of artistry during this night-time Spectacular and feast your eyes on hundreds of artfully carved jack-o-lanterns depicting people, places and scenes from popular culture to old-time favorites and everything in between – all with painstaking detail and amazing intricacy! Don’t miss this unique, family friendly evening event, commended by the U.S. Library of Congress, featured by The Early Show, CNN and the Associated Press and hailed by USA Today as “extraordinary.”
All-new theme for 2011! The theme of this year’s show will be “A Journey Around the World.” It will include scenes from the Seven Wonders of the World (Taj Mahal, the pyramids and Sphinx, Mayan ruins, the Great Wall of China, and others) as well as representations of nations around the world, including a “European Vacation” and a trip through the Great White North complete with falling “snow”! And of course the famed centerpiece of the display, the “Laughing Tree,” will be back in all its spooky splendor. Visitors will be dazzled by hundreds of glowing jack-o-lanterns on the ground and in the branches, from tiny sugar pumpkins to gigantic gourds reaching up to 1600 pounds!
Directions:
Located just 50 minutes from Boston and 90 minutes from Hartford with well marked, easy access off Interstate 95. GPS users, enter address “1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence RI.” FREE PARKING
From:
95 S – take RI exit 17. Left at light, left at intersection of Park Ave and Elmwood Ave (4th light), and left into the Park (second light).
95 N – take RI exit 16 bear right at the spilt, right off exit. Take a left onto Park Ave (1st light), left into Park (second light).
10 S – take the Elmwood Ave Exit, off exit. Take a left onto Park Ave (1st light), left into Park (second light).
Once inside the entrance of Roger Williams Park, follow the signs for the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular to the Zoo.
For more information: http://www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org/jols/info.cfm
Keene Pumpkin Festival®
October 22 2011 – in Downtown Keene, New Hampshire
The sun starts to set and hundreds of volunteers rush to light thousands and thousands of carved pumpkins as visitors from around the world watch the dark become illuminated by nearly 30,000 votive candles then the wait for the final count to be announced and fireworks to start. This and much more awaits you at this yearly festival.
On the Friday before the there is a special Community Night held from 5 to 10 p.m. The evening includes live music at Central Square, DJ music, pumpkin drop-off stations at both Railroad Square and Central Square, food, information tents from Cheshire Medical Center and a sneak peek of Saturday’s grand finale with two towers lit.
The Keene Pumpkin Festival® is held on a Saturday in mid-October from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. While you’re waiting to see what that many pumpkins lit at one time looks like, the entire family can spend the day downtown with special activities for the kids including a costume parade, a seed spitting and pie eating contests, live music on three stages, facepainting, craft booths, lots of food provided by area non-profits, and much more. The evening ends with a spectacular fireworks display.
Friday Activities
Costume Dance Party: Friday, October 21 from 7 – 11 pm at the Courtyard by Marriott. Tickets $10 per person. Cash prizes for best costumes with three categories. Two cash bars along with a light Hors D’oeuvres menu. All proceeds benefit the Keene Pumpkin Festival.
The night before the pumpkin festival, Friday, October 21, you will find one of the most beautiful, welcoming downtowns in New England featuring fine dining establishments, a lavishly restored theatre, wonderful shops and boutiques—the very same enchanting scene you will find every other Friday in Keene, NH, accented with a sprinkling of business and school children’s pumpkins.
For more information: http://www.pumpkinfestival.org
Great Pumpkin Fest 2010
Family-friendly Halloween fun, Saturday, October 23, Noon to 9:00 p.m.
EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
Don’t miss the biggest Halloween celebration for families in Central Massachusetts!
Visit the EcoTarium for Great Pumpkin Fest on Saturday, October 23. Noon to 9 p.m.
Enjoy creative displays of hundreds of carved, lit pumpkins. Take a free hayride and a train ride, and enjoy a free digital planetarium show, games, animal encounters, crafts, pumpkin-carving demonstrations, temporary tattoos, and much more festival fun.
