Carved at Descanso Gardens has created a gently haunted, transcendent Halloween-time experience this year, with a fresh route, hand-carved wooden spirit creatures created by Chainsaw Jenna, and more of the large, crazy-cool pumpkins visitors have come to know and love.
The garden setting is lovely and the lighting sets the mood for glowing, spooky fun.
The charming new Descanso Railroad is playfully aglow; Rhizome, an installation from Tom and Lien Dekyvere offers mesmerizing, futuristic beams of light.
And of course there are the ever changing – because they only last three days – carved pumpkins to delight young and old. The artists creating them are ready to chat about their unique designs from Beetlejuice to Pikachu.
Then there’s the delightfully haunting pumkin trail, where pumpkin sculptures offer a mix of toothy grins, and fierce gazes. There are pumpkin-headed scarecrows, and pumpkin families as well as a purple-lit, water based installation that depicts a storm tossed and tattered ghostly pirate ship, rainstorm periodically descending over it.
A pumpkin–filled mesh dragon shifts colors with cast light in another water spot; glowing red lanterns illuminate a tunnel in the Japanese Garden.
The garden’s tree forest features illuminated bases with touch pads that emanate spooky sounds when trod upon.
Wire figures of ghostly boys and girls are positioned eerily in the rose garden.
Even the parking lot attendant’s booth gets into the spirit of the event, with a jaunty skeleton ticket taker pointing the way to the entrance.
The whole event is original and delightful, and has grown exponentially in both size and charm since its first years. This is a don’t- miss for families and those who like their Halloween thrills compelling but not filled with jump-scares; haunting in a mist-shrouded, purple-lit, leave-it-to-your imagination way.
There’s also a pumpkin house photos stop, a beer garden, snacks, coffee – and hot chocolate, and delicious cupcakes, cookies and pastries alluringly near the pumpkin carvers.
The event is open from now until October 30th. Ticket discounts for members. Non-members will pay a well-worth-it $35-45 for adults and $25-30 for kids.
Hours are 6-10 pm, with timed admissions at 6, 6:30 7, 7:30, 8, 8:30, and 9 p.m.
- Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis and Jack Burke