La Cañada Flintridge

Gloaming Roaming: ‘Carved' Opens at Descanso Gardens

The annual pumpkin festival will add ethereal October-y outdoor oomph to the La Cañada Flintridge gardens through Halloween.

Descanso Gardens

What to Know

  • La Cañada Flintridge
  • Through Halloween 2021
  • $32-$35 non-member; $25-$28 member (tickets are separate from daytime entry to Descanso Gardens)

Reaching the middle part of October?

That's when you can, without apology, start breaking out the ultra-fanciful words, the kind of terms you might find in a spooky novel, like "gloaming" or "deepening" or "crepuscular" or other indicators that reveal that the nights are growing longer and the air has a chill.

In that spirit, October is deepening, and deepening days, and earlier evenings, mean we long to have ethereal outdoor experiences, the kind that wrap us in a veil of autumn ("veil," like "deepening," is a fanciful fall word, for sure).

That deepening is now in full autumn mode, starting on Oct. 11, at Descanso Gardens.

For "Carved," the La Cañada Flintridge destination's annual pumpkin-stravaganza, is debuting, meaning those who wish to wear the veil of autumn will find riches galore.

Among those riches?

A mile-long path lit by all sorts of creatively carved jack o'lanterns, pumpkins with oodles of imaginatively realized panache.

This whimsical walkway wends through the garden's old oaks and spectacular shrubbery, adding more crepuscular-style charms to the starlit strolls.

Other charms await, however, in the forms of pumpkin carving demonstrations, strange 'n sweet sculptures made from natural materials, and snacks and sips created just for an alfresco autumn adventure.

There's nothing too scary here, but "Carved," which will glimmer through Oct. 31, is an after-dark treat, and you are out in the forest-y back acres of the vast garden.

That's a little spooky, surely? Roaming in the gloaming, all to soak up some of the season's gentler thrills?

Tickets are available now, but do keep in mind that some of the sights can be seen in the daytime, like Gordy, the squash-covered sea monster (a fall favorite with returning fans).

But the glowing elements, like the grinning jacks, will definitely be a "Carved"-only event, after the sun goes down.

It's a separate ticket from daytime entry to Descanso, so book yours now (and, indeed, those weekend tickets do go faster).

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