Forget those triangular eyes and gap-tooth smiles; the Chicago Botanic Garden is elevating the traditional jack-o-lantern to an art form.
From Oct. 26-29, it will be host to a plethora of pumpkins at an event aptly dubbed โThe Night of 1,000 Jack-o-Lanterns.โ Families can venture out on a pathway lined with professionally carved gourds, more than 100 of which will weigh at least 150 pounds. (These are not your grocery store pumpkins!)
The jack-o-lanterns will be arranged in various vignettes, including The Wonders of Chicago (famous landmarks like Willis Tower), Chicago icons (Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow among others), sports teams and figures, Halloween classics like Frankenstein and Dracula, and, to tie into the garden theme, โMonsters in the garden,โ such as bats, bugs and the oh-so-stinky corpse flower.
The pumpkins will be lit by sensory-friendly LED lights rather than the more traditional candles.
Along the path, costumed, not-too-scary performers will interact with guests, and food and drinks will be available for purchase. Tickets include admission to the Model Railroad Garden, which will be decked out in its own version of spooky splendor.
We’re certain the whole event will spark some extra imagination as you carve your own pumpkins this year and lead to some truly epic Chicago-flavored jack-o-lanterns.
If you go
Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns
Oct. 26-29, 2017
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL
