The Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns

So I’ve never done anything like this before and I guess I was expecting it to be a lot more different than what it is.
I got this deal and thought that it was pretty reasonable for something to do on Halloween night but I don’t really think they put much effort into it.
The rope was put too far so when you took pictures of the pumpkins sometimes they were actually really hard to see.
The place looked a little rushed if anything like it was put on last minute with no thought into it.
Yes there were a lot of pumpkins but some of them looked really crappy. As if a three year old did them.
Ok yeah you do have some pretty crazy ones but I didn’t feel like it was enough to pay $ 18.00 per ticket for.
Also finished this in 20 minutes. The only thing I guess was a bit positive was you don’t have to pay for parking.

Came here on Nov. 1 on a double date. I thought it was a really chill way to end our Halloween.
General Info:
–Beautiful gallery of hand carved Jack-​o-​lanterns
–Paid $ 18 per person off a deal from LivingSocial
–Took us about an hour to casually check out all the exhibits
Pros/​Cons:
–Really calm atmosphere and good for a chill date
–They gave out free pumpkins to people that came
–Although the gallery was really great, I didn’t feel like it was worth what we paid

I went to the Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns at Descanso Gardens and the Santa Anita Racetrack and I was VERY disappointed by the one at the Santa Anita Racetrack. It was set up in the parking lot with tacky green fencing surrounding it and tons of bright lights that killed the ambiance and the opportunity to take any nice pictures. The music changed with the theme of the pumpkins and was more cheesy than creepy Halloween music. It was also the SAME display as the one in Descanso Gardens! What the heck!?! My friends and I would definitely not come back to the one at the Santa Anita Racetrack.

Best to choose the last time available because the earlier you go the more kids and people you have to navigate around. You will be on your feet for at least an hour, so take comfortable shoes. Event is not spooky or scary, it more like the Tournament of Roses, after they park the floats, except you’ll be amazed at what they made with pumpkins. Ooohs and awwwhs when you think of the work that went into each pumpkin sculptures. It’s very dark in some areas so tape glow sticks on the little ones cuz you might loose them in the crowd.

Meh. For the price, I really was expecting more of a wow factor. Although it advertises 5000+ jack o lanterns, about half of them on the ground look like I could have carved those simple faces themselves.
The actual displays were really nice and interesting, but after strolling through everything in about 30 minutes you can wonder where your money went.

Way too expensive for what we saw. Expected more displays of pumpkins. And the displays were far from the public areas. Never go back. Too expensive.

It’s my very first hand-​carved pumpkin event and I’m excited to be there! Amazing hand-​crafted pumpkins by various artists, it’s indeed an eye-​opener. Got a good deal on the tickets at 55% off, paid around $ 11 per ticket. Though some people might feel that it’s a waste of $$ to go but I don’t, I think it’s worth it, probably because I didn’t pay the full price to go.
Tips:
~ Make sure you check on the deals via livingsocial/​goldstar, for the next Rise of the Lanterns if you’re planning to go again
~ Our tickets is for 8pm but we got there at 8.15pm, they let us in and no queue. So do note that it is not necessary to come so early to wait in line.

The oft-​maligned Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns must be doing well since it has not one but two locations in LA this year: Descanso Gardens and Santa Anita Park. The location at Santa Anita Park is a letdown because, you know, it’s held in the parking lot. Part of me wonders whether the one held at Descanso Gardens would better resemble promotional material with endless rows of pumpkins and pumpkin-​covered pathways, but that’s probably not the case. The atmosphere of the event would be awesome if it weren’t tainted by the bright lights of the parking lot, the corporate logos emblazoned on the Westfield mall next door, and visible pavement (in spite of attempts to blanket the ground in a mesh-​like covering). Nevertheless, the pumpkins, both real and fake, are pretty spectacular, and I wish I had the know-​how and skills to transform my pumpkin into a masterpiece.
There’s absolutely no reason to pay full price ($ 28) for admission, as discount websites, such as Groupon and Goldstar, regularly offer discounted tickets (~$ 16.50 + service fee). But, even with discounts, the event remains overpriced. Had there been more displays and activities, then I would have felt more comfortable with the discounted price because it doesn’t take more than an hour to enjoy and take pictures of everything. If you’re not inclined to take pictures, then you could probably be finished in 20 – 30 minutes. Parking is, fortunately, free, but the rationale according to Rise is that the price of parking is already included in your ticket. That’s crazy talk.
Would-​be photographers should keep the following in mind: flash photography, tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks are prohibited. That, however, doesn’t necessarily stop people from using flash, inadvertently ruining their neighbors’ experience in the process. Do bring your DSLR if you happen to own one, as this is the perfect opportunity to practice night-​time photography sans tripod/​monopod; it’s kind of fun (?) to see how you can pull-​off slow shutter photography without many stable objects. In this case, I would recommend using the metal barrels (to which the barrier ropes are connected) to stabilize your camera and adjusting angle by placing your cellphone/​lens cap under the camera’s body.
One of the (pleasant) surprises for me here was the array of medium-​large pumpkins at reasonable prices if you purchase multiple. While one pumpkin cost approximately $ 5 – 6, three pumpkins cost $ 12. That’s not bad considering TJ’s and Ralph’s sell medium-​sized pumpkins at, respectively, $ 2.99 and $ 3.99. Plus, you don’t actually have to have a ticket to the event to access the pumpkins! Too bad my friends and I had already carved pumpkins earlier in the afternoon…
Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns has been criticized to the pumpkin moon and back, but that doesn’t mean it’s a total letdown. As long as you temper your expectations and avoid paying full price for admission, you’ll be awed by the handful of truly masterful carvings, even if they’re not all real pumpkins. Is this going to be the next holiday tradition? Probably not. But, as others have mentioned, it’s worth going to at least once in your lifetime.

IN SUMMARY:
«Amazing pumpkin art in the fence surrounded parking lot of Santa Anita Mall you can see AMC sign in the background for an ONE WAY self walk tour that last about 30 – 50 minutes for the price between $ 18-​$ 28.»
Our tickets were for the 9:30pm and we arrived about 15 mins late, the sign said 9:30 admission is now admitting and we walked in with no lines.
No flash, no selfie sticks and no tripod.
It was kind empty with only handful of people wandering around so at first it was kind spooky and dark. Because it’s so empty we got to keep all to ourselves and took our tim. Plenty workers around, one even told us that we can touch those pumpkins near the standing line to feel the texture of the surface or the deep or shallow the carve.
When we got out, all the booths outside were closed. We still managed to take photos of the pumpkin heads in the tank. (My favorite!) it made me think of the scene in Walking Dead We were the last group walked out and the gate closed behind us.
Parking: Free, you can actually park anywhere at the Santa Anita Mall and walk.
For $ 18 (Groupon), $ 20.25 (Goldstar) and $ 28 (regular admission $ 26 online w $ 2 fee).
I think its a good place for a date or hang out but would be too expensive and not worth it for families w kids.

My first Rise of the Jack O’ Lantern experience!!! Bought my ticket through Livingsocial for a discounted price. Thought the overall experience was family friendly and for all ages. It’s a lot of neatly carved pumpkins placed into sections by theme. The whole experience took me and my buddies an hour to complete. Including parking, waiting in line, walking around the pumpkins and taking group pictures. Parking is free too.
There are some areas room for improvement. Didn’t think it was worth the Livingsocial discounted price. It was too short of an experience. Would recommend more themes, pumpkins and music. It was a good attempt and hope next year will be better.

I think 3 stars is overly generous.
1– Parking at the mall lot was horrible. It was dark and those tall lights on generators werent that helpful as far as guiding drivers.
2– Those darn tall lights, AGAIN, did ruin the ambiance of having a spooky atmosphere. Didnt look good with the photos l’ve taken. Read other reviews; they said the samething.
3– l’d be back… only at another venue where it’s more background appropriate… let say DESCANSO GARDEN ?
4– Why couldn’t they do this at the Huntington Library or the Arboretum across the mall?

Hardly worth the $ 28 paid per ticket.
Parking, figuring out where to enter, and where to check in was so confusing and disorganized.
I wouldn’t suggest you do this unless you really love being out in the dark (literally) and you really love carved pumpkins. Some of them weren’t even carved from pumpkins (I think)!
If you have young kids, they would probably really like it but beware, it is really dark in there and you can easily lose each other if you’re not paying attention. They also have the metal bumper things where they keep electrical cords covered and bundled. The problem is that it is so dark, you can’t see and can easily trip on these.
If we do this again, we’ll try La Canada Flintridge next year but it’s a BIG maybe. The only thing enjoyable about doing this is having good company.

The jack-​o-​lanterns get 5 stars, but the venue gets 2.5! The pumpkins were really spectacular although I expected more of them. What really killed it was that you could see the Westfield mall in background and all the pictures I took sucked cause the lights from the parking lot were so bright.
I would attend rise again, but maybe at Descanso Gardens.

First off let me just say I am giving this 3.5 stars. I’m not sure why the reviews are so bad! I actually enjoyed it. I went on a Saturday night and It wasn’t too crowded. Enough room for my group to get in and out and see everything. You have to stop and think about all of the hard work that goes into creating all of the designs. They have to redo everything once a week! That’s pretty crazy!
They have a snack stand set up outside of the entrance. Of course everything is way overpriced, but that is expected.
Even though I enjoyed it I also expected more, it was very spread out with a lot of dead space. Maybe next year I’ll go to another location.

I saw this deal on groupon 18 dollars a ticket. I thought maybe it would fun to do something different with my boyfriend.
The event says it is at Santa Anita park but it’s more like the parking lot area of San Anita mall normally where they have the 626 night market.
There was maybe a stand for snacks, take a picture, pumpkins, and in general there wasn’t much stuff.
They block out an area and also make like a pathway. They just call your time when it’s your turn. If your a child you might think this is really cool but pricewise so not worth it. I paid 36 dollars for two tickets but general admission is originally 26 dollars a piece. It took me about a 18 minute walk to see the whole area which was nice with the different carvings of games, sesame street, animals, and etc.
I definitely wouldn’t go here again what a way to eat your money.

I was on a search for a Halloween activity that is family friendly since my daughter doesn’t like scary events like I do. Luckily, I came across LA Weekly’s advertisement for the Rise of the Jack O’Lanterns. The name of the event sounded so cool and we have never gone to a pumpkin event, patch or otherwise. It was our first time going and did not know what to expect. I didn’t even read the reviews for the La Canada Flintridge location since I wanted to be «surprised».
I purchased our tickets through
and used a discount provided by LA weekly. Please be advised that ticket prices at
vary depending on the time slot that is selected. Some friends informed me that Groupon and Living Social also had discounted tickets at a fixed price. Unfortunately, I already purchased the tickets through the Rise and it was approximately only a dollar or two difference per ticket.
The event was held at a portion of the Santa Anita Race Track parking lot, adjacent to Santa Anita Mall. It was sectioned off with fences all the way around. Parking is free which was music to my ears. Before the area where tickets are scanned, there are 3 vendors for products, food and services this event: 1) Drinks/​Snack Stand 2) Photoshop stand via green screen and 3) Light-​up toys/​accessories stand. Also, there is a section where 2 artists are working on their carving masterpieces.
The line to get into the events was long but it was efficient and moved quickly, approximately 15 minutes from the back of the line to the time our tickets were scanned. Once we past the entrance, the pumpkin displays were either on the left or right side along the fence. It would have been nice if the organizer of this event had employees direct traffic so the crowd is going in one direction and not every which way.
We picked the left side route to view the lighted, carved, assembled, and painted pumpkins. At the end of the route, we made a u-​turn at the end to see the right side pumpkin displays. There were political, song artist, gaming, and other famous personalities carved on pumpkins. My favorites are: Darth Vader, Sponge Bob and the dragon pumpkin. I liked that the walkway were spacious that people with disabilities and strollers can walk smoothly through the crowds.
Our actual walk through was approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes but that’s because it took me so long to take pictures to get the best angle and we had to wait for other people to be done taking pictures. We enjoyed the event but I was hoping for more. For the prices that they are charging, which is almost the price of 2 movie tickets for 1 entrance fee, there could have been more activities/​vendors at the event or things to do. It would have been nice if they had pumpkin products (i.e. candy, soap, pie), activities for the kids, coloring, or have musicians playing music to stay with the pumpkin theme. Hopefully, the organizers would improve on this event.
Is it worth the price? As is, no. If they had more activities, maybe.

This is my first time at The Rise — Jack-​O-​Lantern festival, and I enjoyed the 30 – 45 minute «trail» of lantern spectacular.
Parking: Free, but the parking lot was not well lit, so one needs to be careful about not running people over in the dark or scratch others’ car
Venue: open space, but there are various lights/​neon signs that interfered the enjoyment of the lanterns, also making taking picture difficult.
PRE-​EVENT:
— Photo Ops: some free photo op areas as well as dedicated professional photo booth for souvenir picture at a fee.
— Carving Master: professional caver is onsite to demo and answer all you want to know about carving pumpkins, which include 6 steps: pick, paint, gut, light, carve, and display
— Food/​snack stand: they don’t allow outside foo
The «TRAIL»: You enter the event based on the time you have purchased the ticket for, and there are signs that you lined up under the corresponding time. They do this for crowd control. Once you’re admitted, you go at your own pace taking pictures and enjoy the lanterns.
There are lots of families bringing little ones, strollers, and wagons, so be sure you don’t get run over by them and vice versa. There are various themes of lanterns including Sponge Bob, Sesame Street, sea creatures, safari kingdom, dinosaur, cars, Spiderman, and more. All are unique and showcased master carvers’ creativity and talent.
TIP:
1. Get discounted tickets if you can. I went with a friend who had an extra ticket, and we didn’t have to wait long, so it was a breeze for me. Could see how this may be a disappointment if you paid full price of $ 26 though.
2. Best to take pictures without flash on your phone.

Disappointed. Not very organized. I understand each pumpkin is hand curved and I appreciate the artistic aspect of this event. Not so much going on. Atmosphere is not there. This heat is not helping.
Don’t get me wrong. Pumpkin display is amazing but I do not think this would be our Halloween tradition. 3 stars for the artists.
It would be more entertaining if the artist is curving on site or displaying the fact like how many pumpkins are there, how many hours it would take them to curve the pumpkin and etc.
We paid $ 53 for two adults and kid. This is after discount… Not sure it’s worth the price and drive.

The Rise Of The Jack O’ Lanterns at the Santa Anita Park (specifically in the race track parking lot). Opening Weekend (Oct 9– Nov 1, open Friday, Saturday, Sunday), MUST purchase tickets in advance.
If you wish to check out this creative pumpkin light display, enter through gate 3 off of Holly and Huntington Dr.
My husband and I came this evening for a 9:30 pm appointment (we had originally got here at 8:45 pm by was told they were not admitting people in prior to their appointment time, so we just killed some time at the mall in the meantime). Check in was easy (you can either print your tickets or show your tickets on your phone). Then walked into and saw the many interesting displays of carved pumpkins.
There are different themes throughout the carved pumpkin displays that include celebrities (carved portraits that include Taylor Swift, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton… all of which looked more in cartoon form), famous couples (including Prince William & Kate, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt), video games (Halo, Minecraft) and cartoon characters (the emotions from the movie Inside Out, Sponge Bob, Spider Man). There were also some interesting displays that were related to safari animals, dinosaurs and sea creatures (very creative jellyfish carved out of pumpkins, fish, algae, etc).
Now I have been to the Rise Of The Jack O’ Lanterns last year at the Descanso Gardens in La Canada (
) and really enjoyed the numerous of displays and carvings, but was rather disappointed with this location in Arcadia. This one at Arcadia is definitely smaller than the one at Descanso Gardens. It took us about 30– 35 minutes to see everything but at the Descanso Gardens it took closer to an hour. But one thing I do want to mention is that there is a special display that is unique to Arcadia with pumpkin carvings with a Santa Anita Park theme of horses and even a carving of a jockey on one large pumpkin. It is doubtful that Descanso Gardens would have this particular tribute.
Now a few more comparisons to note about Arcadia is that because it is at the race track, there are times when I was reminded of the presents of horse poop and hay in the warm air tonight (it was still about mid 80*F tonight).
Also restrooms are porta-​potties only (Descanso Gardens have regular restrooms in case you are wondering).
Parking (free) should be better directed. With people parking everywhere and crossing the lot towards the Jack O’ Lanterns event, an accident is bound to happen with low lights and lack of employees to help direct traffic and pedestrians.
If you still decide that you would like to check out the Rise Of The Jack O’ Lanterns at The Santa Anita Park, you may want to either come early or stay afterwards for the «preshow» where you can get your photo taken (souvenir photos at a price), buy light up props to wear and use while you are viewing all the pumpkin displays, take photos of other pumpkin displays in this general area and even speak to one of the talented carvers, as he is available to answer questions.
By the way, although it is true that some of the pumpkins used for these displays are made of foam (meaning they are fake…), there are also use of many real pumpkins. How do I know this you ask? If you look closely at the pumpkins on the floor carved with funny expressions/​looks, you will see the black mold inside and pumpkin seeds still inside.
Anyways, no flash photography. If you use it, employees will try to remind you of the rules. But there are not enough employees to enforce the rules and people were taking photos with flash anyway. Wished there was less light so that you could see the displays better.
But still was nice to see carved pumpkins to help get in the mood for Halloween.
Happy Halloween.

The pumpkins are impressive, well the carvings and overall, artistically. Def. not worth the money and thank god we didn’t have to pay for parking too.
Only available on my snapchat for 24 hours if you’re interested in seeing and not wasting your money on the event.
As a friend would say, «anticlimactic»
SC: violetcrimes