The Rise Of The Jack O’ Lanterns

Wavering between four and five stars. We’ve attended three times over two years. First time in 2014 was definitely five stars worth of awesomely carved and displayed Jack o’ Lanterns. The whole family loved the experience.
Returning in early October 2015 on a Saturday night it wasn’t quite as special. Perhaps because we’d been before. Perhaps because it seemed like the number of themed displays were less or not as spectacular as the previous year. Some of the ambient smaller pumpkins weren’t lit. Just a variety of small things added up to make it not seem as stellar.
The kids enjoyed it, though. So that was important!
We returned several weeks later with friends who couldn’t make the first date. We went on a Thursday evening. It was still well-​attended, but didn’t seem quite as crowded as the Saturday night.
The second time was better — seemed like all the pumpkins were freshly lit and ready to shine. Just the added lighting made a marked improvement. There was a tangible sense that the event was back on track.
The gift shop decorations were fantastic. Including some photos of many of their themed trees. Wonderful job!

«The Rise» is a unique and neat event, and definitely worth seeing once.
As others have stated, there are several opportunities to get a discount on the entry cost, so definitely take advantage.
The viewing of the Jack O’Lanterns is done at your own pace, but you can pretty much get your fill in about an hour.
Tip: The temptation to take pictures of everything is pretty strong. However, don’t count on those pictures turning out very well. The low light on the path contrasted with the brightly lit pumpkins just isn’t optimal for photos. Instead of attempting to impress your Instagram followers, I’d recommend just being in the moment (without photography) and enjoy the experience!

4 stars if and only if you purchase discounted tickets. More like 3 stars if you purchase tickets at full price ($ 28) — which I hope you don’t! Groupons were also available but I didn’t see one for the Descano Garden location. Sign up for their e-​mail list on their website for a 50% off promo code. I personally would not pay full price for this.
We enjoyed our visit as it was our first time. Don’t expect too much to avoid disappointment. I tried not to view too many photos prior to keep the element of surprise & awe alive. Just imagine a bunch of cool lit up pumpkins curated in various themes (movies, sports, celebrities, etc.) with eerie music in the background. Some pumpkins are very simple and some very intricate and detailed. I read on their site that some of their pumpkins are fake but nonetheless it was a great experience! Parking was free — we went to around 9:30 PM. Wear comfy shoes as the tour takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour and is on a dirt trail. Great for kids!

This is my second year coming to rise and I always have a great time. Living in LA there aren’t a lot of opportunities to experience a traditional fall festival like they have on the East coast, this is about the closest I’ve found so far.
It’s amazing to see over 5000 pumpkins all lit up. The carvers are so talented and really create an incredible display.
You can find discount tickets online and if your not bringing the kids go late, our tickets were fit 9:30 and it was perfect. The crowd was small and there was plenty of space to get up close.
We had a nice cool night but bring layers it can get a little chilly. Also comfortable shoes are a must, it’s an uneven, dusty path. We always stop at Starbucks first for a fall flavored coffee, no one minds if you bring in and outside drink. There are some food stands that sell snacks and drinks. The caramel apples looked amazing.

I wanted to love this so much, but there is nothing that stands out. Throughout the whole time I was there all I was thinking «I’m so happy I didn’t pay full price for this.»
Great thing is parking is free and there was no line upon entering. The displays itself were so beautifully done and in between displays it seemed like kids from neighboring schools carved their own little creations. However I felt that there was going go to be an abundance of pumpkins everywhere and it would be really «in your face with them» (which is what I was hoping for), but it wasn’t.
However, if you have little kids with you they’ll absolutely love it.

This is dangerous… but I am going to disagree with my Unilocal CM on this one… I ADORE Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns! I have visited multiple times for two years now and everyone I have brought is delighted and charmed. I brought kids. I brought senior citizens and everyone LOVED it.
It takes about an hour to walk through the whole thing. Your tickets are timed entry. If you sign up for their mailing list (
) and buy early, you can get discounts. The EARLY tickets go first since many people do bring their kids. The later entry is your best bet if you’re only with adults. It IS DARK and the trail is uneven and dusty. I had to hold onto my mom the entire time because she was afraid she’d trip. I’d suggest a jacket– it gets chilly once the sun goes down, and I’d suggest closed-​toe shoes (kids and strollers!). One more tip– go to the restroom before you leave the main entrance– there are NO restrooms as you walk through Descanso Gardens where the pumpkins are displayed.
Everything is made from individually carved pumpkins! The displays are gorgeously creative and change from year to year. This year we had: a cruising section with pumpkin cars and a pumpkin Hollywood sign, an undersea area with jellyfish pumpkins and crabs and an octopus, a Savannah section with lions and giraffes, a dinosaur area with several different types, a 1,000 year old tree with hundreds of pumpkins dangling from it (beautiful!), an in memoriam section (with deceased stars) Leonard Nimoy, Spock, from Star Trek, Wes Craven (horror movie director) and B.B. King (blues singer & guitarist extraordinaire). We even had a Donald Trump pumpkin and a Hillary Clinton pumpkin!
There were also kid-​interest areas: pumpkins painted to look like Minions, a display for the movie Inside Out, a MineCraft work of pumpkin art and a Star Wars section.
At the end of your walk through pumpkin central, the gift shop has a dizzying and amazing array of all things Halloween. The snacks offered for sale (outside, next to the gift shop) were great– popcorn, pretzels, candy bars, cupcakes that look like Frankenstein… there’s even beer and hot apple cider.
I love it and I’ll come back every year and introduce new people to this event. It’s creative and seasonal and just good, old-​fashioned fun. Bring your camera!!!

I was very excited to go to The Rise for the first time. There are a few things that are keeping me from giving it 5 stars.
I enjoyed the pumpkins, they were stunning and very creative. The tree in the center was a masterpiece of its own.
One thing I didn’t like, it advertised live carving, I walked up to 2 men talking about their pumpkins, but not doing any actual carving.
Another thing I didn’t like, there was no food options. An event like this could benefit from having pumpkin food and drink options, maybe even have some food trucks park in the parking lot.
Upon the purchase of my ticket, I had to pick a time slot. I chose 9pm, thinking there would be less people. The small walkway was very crowded and I found myself waiting in small lines to see the pumpkins because the people in front of me were stopping and taking photos and the small walkway doesn’t allow you to move so far ahead, but then again you’re there to see the pumpkins so you don’t want to move ahead, rather you want to see the pumpkins at your own pace.
I will probably go back next year. It is definitely a great place to take children, or go on a date. It is a fun fall activity.

I think this experience is based more on personal preference. If you enjoy these types of events and viewing artsy Halloween stuff then you may like this.
This was my first time visiting the Descanso Gardens but I am glad I wore comfortable shoes for walking but they were pretty dirty after this event. There was a five minute walk from the parking lot to the entrance but entry was a breeze although we were about 10 minutes early. It was a bit crowded, our time was 8:30pm on Sunday but it was not unbearable. We were still able to walk around freely without any pushing and shoving.
I must admit that I wish there was more to look at and some of the displays should have been closer to the walkway. But it was a cool experience to me and I thought it was a great event for the family especially those with young kids. My nephew and niece which are 4 and 1 seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. Maybe it’s just the kid in me that enjoy these types of things. But some of the displays were pretty cool, especially the larger ones with stacked pumpkins connected: the dragon, tigers, dinosaurs, etc. The giant tree supposedly had 5000 Jack o lanterns all over but it was quite hard to see from the distance of viewing.
The detailed carved pumpkins were pretty nice and you can get close enough to feel the details carved on each one of them. It was dark enough to get a good view and pictures of the pumpkin displays.
The entire event lasted maybe about 30 – 45 minutes including me stopping to take pictures, buying drinks (the hot chocolate tasted watered down) and snacks, and using the restrooms. My mom and I were looking in the gift shop for another twenty minutes including waiting in line to pay. They had a lot of little toys, decorations, magnets, candy, etc. It was a cute store but pretty packed and small.
Overall the experience was nice, I would probably visit next year if they have new and more displays. I’m kinda glad I was able to get discounted tickets and did not have to pay full price.

This place is really cool to experience one time, then you probably don’t need to go the next year.
The good: The pumpkins are amazing. The carvers are clearly talented and do some intricate work! The path is about ¹⁄₃ mile long, so there is a lot to see. The large displays include sea creatures, jungle animals, dinosaurs. They also have a few specially carved Star Wars pumpkins this year that are very impressive! There is free parking and people in the lot to guide you along. Parking is in the garden’s lot, so you don’t have to walk too far.
The bad: The standard cost ($ 28) is a bit high for the event. You can submit for a discount code (via their website), which will give you a certain percentage off based on what time you go. We paid $ 14/​ticket, which I think is okay. Also, the refreshments are very expensive ($ 6 for a churro, $ 4 for a hot chocolate or hot cider). They offer beer, wine, turkey legs, and hot dogs as well.
One thing I read a lot about was crowds, so we decided to go to the last open slot, which was 10:30 pm. There weren’t that many people on the path and we had no problems stopping and taking pictures along the way. I can imagine that it might be a little overcrowded earlier, so I’d suggest going later if you can.

Overall my family and I had a good time. The staff were friendly and the pumpkins were awesome. I appreciated them explaining how they do the cravings. That was cool.
Being your own water! They charged $ 3 for a 12 ounce bottle.
It was annoying that we waited in line like everyone else for 10 minutes and more, while the staff allowed other people to walk right in. Also, our tickets were for 6:45pm and they were letting people with 7pm tickets in before us, meanwhile we were in line as instructed for over 10 minutes.
The biggest disappointment was that it felt over crowded. It was difficult to seen the pumpkins having to maneuver around so many people. Especially with a stroller!

My girlfriend and I wanted to check this out because I’m a huge fan of the fall season coming from New York and wanted to check out something festive for the season. I have to say that it was definitely a really cool hour or so. The concept is so different, and you can see how much work goes into these carvings and displays! We will definitely be back yearly!
The only thing I would reccommend changing would probably be moving some of the displays closer to the barrier because some displays were so far back that you either couldn’t make out the detail or really appreciate it for what it was supposed to be. Also, I would probably do more start time waves. I think adding more intervals would really help the beginning not be as congested. With how many people stopped as soon as you walked in it was kind of irritating. I also thought it would have been a little longer as well.

Three stars if you have kids.
Two stars if you don’t.
I’m going to plagiarize my own tip, as I think it is the perfect summary of this event: «If you don’t have kids, pick the latest time available for tickets to avoid the stroller parade. Also, don’t pay more than $ 10 for this unless you’re really, really, really into the art of carving pumpkins.»

The stunning Descanso Botanical Gardens creates its own essence at night. We came during an October heat wave. The excessive heat from the day lingered, the humidity was high, the darkness enveloped you so greatly you could not see the bumps and dips on the dirt trail. The unnatural sound effects contributed to the special effects of each unique venue, but most importantly, it was about the pumpkins.
They were so numerous one cannot fathom the amount of time and skill it took to put this together. Sculptures, large and small. It could be one pumpkin with an entire magnificently detailed scene or face carved on it, or it could be masses of carved pumpkins, strung together then lighted to create large creatures or objects. There were the obligatory Halloween skeletons, jungle animals, an undulating Chinese dragon, dinosaurs, autos, even the Muppets and Minions, and on and on. How do they do it all? And how do they keep them in good condition for each night after night?
The talent and vision that it took to create this wonderment… Bravo. The venue… perfect. Great for kids and great for kids at heart.
A wonderful experience, but one I would most likely only do once for myself. Yeah, I could do it again for my young grandkids. 45 minutes to an hour of entertainment and an awkward stroll through a wonderland. Thank goodness for all the cheerful staff along the path with light sticks to point you in the right direction.
Not without commercialism. Expect to be assaulted by vendors selling food or toys for the kids.

I just checked this out over the weekend and it was ok. Actually expected more pumpkins then there was. The location was great but I felt there was a lot of potential for bigger things like more pumpkin carvings.
We finished the whole thing in about 40mins or so and we were taking our time. A lot of the pumpkins were scattered around the grounds to fill in the empty spaces but you can tell they weren’t professionally done.
I love the idea of this place which is why I got tickets but it could have been a lot better in my opinion. I wouldn’t come again.
FYI — A friend of mine went to the Arcadia location and said it was super small and in a parking lot.
With that being said, I appreciate the effort and carvings made by the professionals who created these pumpkin scenes!

I really wanted to like this. Way too overpriced for what this is — a one and done Halloween event. We went to the Santa Anita Park (Arcadia) location and bought the 7pm. When we walked up to the entrance, there was a chaotic mob of a line trying to get. No organization whatsoever. No crowd control stanchions (may I suggest lining up pumpkins or more hay bales as stanchions?) and ONE man standing on top of a hay bale (no loudspeaker) trying to direct guests where to go. Did not work for me, as I just scooted to the side and helped myself in.
The art, however, was just beautiful. Hats off to the artists who spent a lot of time and effort on the pieces. Worth the walk and wait to see these as up close as we can get. But would be worth the $ if there were added «pumpkin patch» activities i.e. kids rides or simple games or perhaps food trucks? Tons of kids but nothing for them to do but look at the art and only a handful of kids would appreciate that!
$ 30 for kids, $ 40 for adults at a promo code /​discounted price via their website. Still a little costly for what it ended up being. Would I come back next year? Highly doubtful.

We scored a Groupon deal on the tickets and decided to have a Friday night double date night here.
Pro’s: The work on the pumpkins was unbelievable! The details were impeccable! I was in total awe. In the front you can even watch as the artists work on carving one of the actual pumpkins that will be going on display. It’s in the huge parking lot in front of the Santa Anita Race Track so there’s plenty of parking. The actual display area to walk through was large so there was plenty of room for gawking and picture taking.
Con’s: Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed at the venue and the type of people attending the event. First off there was very few signage directing people to the actual event. If you’ve ever been to Santa Anita race track the parking lot is huge! Good luck finding it if you don’t know where to go. At the entrance they have people «checking» your tickets. All you do is flash it and they take a picture of it in your hand. Wtf? We could have reused someone else’s ticket and saved ourselves $ 30. It clearly says on the website no pets, unless they’re service animals, allowed but people still showed up with their dogs in tow. It also says no flash photography yet people were lighting up the sky the whole night and the security wasn’t even saying anything to the people to stop them. Totally ruined the atmosphere. The bright parking lot lights also ruined the atmosphere because it interfered with the lighting of the pumpkins.
Overall, the art was awesome but the experience sucked. Would I go again? Probably not but it’s something everyone should see at least once.

We went to the one in Arcadia. Overall, it was nice. A bit crowded but still enjoyable.
Now, if you go really slow, you are done in 20mins or so. So I believe a reasonable price would be $ 10 pp.
Parking is free, so not that bad. Kids enjoyed but it was a bit harder for them to see the up close or small pieces since many were in front of them taking pics.
From what I heard, Arcadia venue is much better than descanso garden since it’s not that narrow, making it easier to maneuver strollers.

I wanted this to be a five star experience — but the lack of organization at the entrance made this an A-​OK event. Our family had tickets for 7pm, by 7:10, they hadn’t event started admitting guests (attended 10÷1÷15), we weren’t on the trail until after 7:30.
Yes, the jack o’lanterns are cool, but the folks working don’t know anything about the pumpkins or the displays. The only area you get to ask questions are the two master carvers at the front.
The «rise» loop is fairly small, in about 1.5 hours you can do it twice with plenty of stops. I thought this was going to be a nice pleasant experience for my little family, but the line situation was quite stressful, not exactly how you want to start an event off!
Buy discount tickets online, in no-​way shape or form is this worth full price.

The Rise Of the Jack O’ Lanterns this year in California is at the Descanso Gardens. I came to this event this past Thursday with my husband. Our entry time was at 9:30 pm but we were able to come in earlier (we walked in at 9:15 pm) without a problem.
We started out with a few employees greeting us and thanking us for coming (they were so friendly the entire evening we were there). We stopped to look at a pumpkin carver working on a pumpkin and answered people’s questions about his handy work. He also mentioned that he sprays a mixture of bleach and water to help preserve the pumpkin (excellent tip, we used a mixture of vinegar and water after we carved our pumpkin yesterday night so that it will be keep til Halloween on Friday).
Then off we went to the different sections of the garden with different themes along the dirt pathway. You can check out the photos that other Unilocalers have uploaded onto this business page for more detail, but themed sections included characters sculpted/​displayed on pumpkins from video games, movie stars, Disney cartoon characters, characters from nursery rhymes (loved the Humpty Dumpty one) and celebrities (from television, movies and sports).
My husband wanted to take photos at almost every section (somewhere halfway through, he got tired of taking them). The photos look better with the flash off (note to those who plan on playing photographer as well). It took us about 45 minutes to get through the entire track. Although there were quite a lot of people here at the time we were there, it didn’t feel crowded and was quite manageable (trust me, I am not a fan of crowds).
This special event will stay at the Descanso Gardens through November 1. Tickets can be quite pricey, but you may still be able to get tickets on line at one of those discounted websites (but if not, as tickets have been sold out for certain days when I had purchased mine, there is always next year).
I truly enjoyed my experience of this special Jack O’ Lantern event. The displays and structures were quite visually appealing and creative. Although there are pumpkins that are not real, it still had that «wow» feeling for me at every turn and also made for an excellent conversation piece with my husband (this would be a great fun date).
Just a few additional notes to mention. If you do come, make sure to bring a jacket because it does get quite cold here at night (my face was rather cold and even with my jacket on, I still felt a little cold). Also make sure to use the restroom when you enter because I don’t think there are any other restrooms along the trail. Save your money and bring in your own snacks (or just eat before you go) and have fun browsing through their gift shop (still rather expensive, but browsing is free and fun).
Overall, an excellent night and am really happy that I was able to enjoy a nice evening out.

The Rise of the Jack O’ Lanterns was really fun!
I’ll give the positive first, and then I’ll conclude with the negative.
Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, and all of the other «same-​old» Halloween attractions have grown old and tired.
Also — there aren’t a limitless amount of choices for little kids other than variations of pumpkin patches with mostly the same ol’ same ol’.
This was new and fresh– something that felt fun, imaginative, interesting, and seasonally appropriate.
Our kids loved walking through the gardens and looking at the amazing carvings. Some of the most interesting ones were the massive pictures created by placing multiple pumpkins (real or foam — who cares) side by side and carving them individually to combine into something incredible (like the outer space scene, or even the massive pumpkin dinosaurs).
Eerie and fun music played in the background. That was a nice touch.
We also enjoyed watching the carving masters at work on new creations. I liked how they talked with us in a fun way, rather than just focusing in on their work.
Some people seem to have a problem with the real vs. foam pumpkin issue. Seriously — what’s the big deal? We all know if that place was filled all real pumpkins, they would rot in a couple of days. Why can’t you just go and appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry displayed with these phenomenal carvings?
Now onto the criticism–
Way too pricey. Period. With a family of 7 (half of our group consisted of small children), we paid quite a bit.
It was also almost uncomfortably crowded. I was really surprised considering the high cost of admission.
If they cut their cost in half, it wouldn’t have felt like we were robbed. But then again, maybe it would have been more crowded.
I don’t know if there’s a perfect solution. But either way, I think it’s a must see.