By Anthony Riley —

With spooky season officially at a close, I’m saying goodbye ’til next Halloween with an analysis of Louisville’s biggest lighted pumpkin exhibition. The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular originated in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1988, and Louisville’s version has been running since 2012. The event runs every year October 8 – November 3 from dusk to 11 p.m.

The trail is a third of a mile long, located along one of the woodland paths in Iroquois Park. Of the 5,000 pumpkins on display along the trail, about 100 were given special attention and finely carved into some quite impressive works of art.

 

These pumpkins are an unexpected but excellent representation of America’s obsession with pop culture; nearly every popular franchise, celebrity, event or holiday you could expect showed up this year.

The event is managed by the Louisville Parks Foundation, and they have a company set up to design the pumpkins:

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“Passion for Pumpkins Inc. is a multimedia production company with over 27 years of experience in redefining fall by transforming any landscape into an illuminated organic gallery.”   –From the JOLS site.

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Sunday – Thursday: $14 Adults; $12 Seniors, 65+; $10 Children, 3-12 (younger than 3 are free)

Friday & Saturday: $18 Adults; $16 Seniors, 65+; $14 Children, 3-12 (younger than 3 are free)

For the money, it’s definitely a fun outing or family event you can attend with your relatives for the spooky season. Personally though, once you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all. Rating: 4/5 pumpkins.

Photos by Anthony Riley // The Louisville Cardinal