Ogle Over 5,000 Jack-O-Lantern Luminaries At This Magical Fall Festival In Kentucky
By Sarah McCosham|Published August 24, 2022
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
While they say “everything’s bigger than Texas,” no state does fall festivals bigger than Kentucky. From baking the world’s largest apple pie to seeing scores of Colonel Sanders lookalikes, Kentucky’s fall festivals are the biggest and best in the country. For further proof of this, simply visit the annual Jack O’Lantern Spectacular in Louisville. With over 5,000 jack o’lantern luminaries carved in the most intricate and amazing designs you could possibly imagine, there’s nothing more magical than this fall festival in Kentucky.
Do you believe in magic? If you don't, you certainly will once you experience the Louisville Jack O'Lantern Spectacular.
Now celebrating its 10th anniversary; each year, more than 5,000 intricately carved jack o'lantern luminaries line the trails of Iroquois Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
The 2022 Louisville Jack O'Lantern Spectacular happens nightly from Oct. 4-31. The show runs daily from 6:30 to 10 p.m. from Sunday-Thursday, and 6:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The artistry at work here will blow your mind. Thousands of hours go into creating these gorge-ous (pardon the pumpkin pun) works of art, which visitors can enjoy while strolling along a well-paved, 0.3-mile trail.
Please note: There are a couple of steep slopes on the trail; however, the trail is compacted with crushed limestone which allows for easier mobility for guests with wheelchairs.
This is one of the fairy godmothers responsible for the magic; a real-life magician casting the most marvelous Halloween spell.
The pumpkins arrive several weeks before the event, and artists get to work. The outsides of the larger, more intricate pumpkins are carved well in advance, but they aren't gutted until the day they go on the trail. Once gutted, the jack o' lanterns only last a few days, before the stroke of midnight/fall weather turns them back into (mushy) pumpkins.
Because this fall festival in Kentucky is nothing short of magical.
Have you experienced this magical fall festival in Kentucky before? Fall weekends fill up fast, but this is one seasonal event in Kentucky you absolutely must check out. The 2022 Jack O’Lantern Spectacular happens Oct. 4-31 at Iroquois Park, and tickets can be purchased on the event website.
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