Take part in this year’s Pumpkin Lantern Festival
Our annual Pumpkin Lantern Show has grown into a festival! Once again we are inviting children, young people and adults to help transform hundreds of pumpkins into weird and wonderful creations to take part in Dalston’s Pumpkin Lantern spectacle. All of the lanterns are then lit up together throughout the Garden on Sunday 22 October, 6-10pm, followed by nightly light ups until 29 October. Last year we had over 550 lanterns lighting the Garden and it really was a sight to behold!
Pumpkin carving sessions
Saturday 21 October, 12 noon – 5pm
Sunday 22 October, 12 noon – 4pm
(last carving sessions at 3.30pm or when we run out of pumpkins!)
Carving sessions are open to everyone – adults and children. We provide the pumpkins and request a small donation to help cover their cost. We ask you not to bring your own pumpkin. Our hard-working team of volunteers are here to help children and families and anyone else who needs assistance with carving. Children must be accompanied by parents or carers at all times.
All of the carved lanterns then remain at the Garden to make the Pumpkin Lantern Festival truly spectacular!
Pumpkin Lantern Show:
Sunday 22 October, 6 – 10pm
Priority entrance will be given from 6-8pm for pumpkin carvers, children and families
Entrance to the Pumpkin Lantern Show is free, although we will be asking for donations to help support our free children’s workshops and community events. Everyone is welcome. Word has got out about Dalston’s pumpkin lanterns and last year some of you will recall that a lot of people turned up on the first light up night! That’s why this year we are giving priority entrance, from 6-8pm, to the weekend’s pumpkin carvers and to children and families. We will also have more Pumpkin Light Up nights from Monday 23 – Sunday 29 October.
Would you like to help with pumpkin carving?
Pumpkin carving sessions are run by our hard-working team of garden volunteers and we can never have too much help on this busy weekend. If you can spare some time on the Saturday or on the Sunday, please email info@dalstongarden.org and we will send you details of timings and when volunteers are most needed. Even if you have never volunteered at the Garden before, we would love to have your help and it’s a great way to get started.
Halloween at the Garden
The Garden will be open as usual from 11am every day during half-term and on Monday 23 – Sunday 29 October, 6-10pm for ‘Pumpkin Light Up’ nights, with a spooky Halloween music & light show from 7pm on 29 October. We welcome families who would like to join our team helping with lantern lighting every night and would love to see some of you dressed up in your Halloween finery. Young ‘trick or treaters’ are welcome on the weekend of 28 & 29 October. Every night we’ll serve mulled wine and hot toddies from the bar and there will be fires, blankets and hot water bottles to keep everyone cosy. ‘Latto’s Pizzas’ will be served fresh from the wood-fired oven on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Pumpkin Lantern Festival launches this year’s ‘Festival of Light’ which illuminates the Garden throughout the Winter.
Photograph Pumpkin Lantern Show © Dalston Eastern Curve Garden
