Last weekend was our Pumpkin Carving Weekend with Ray Villafane, and the Master Carver himself executed a massive pumpkin sculpture, after his own design, with the help of his crack team. The fruits—or gourds—of his labor are on display through October 31 as part of The Haunted Pumpkin Garden.
In case you missed the opportunity to see Ray’s zombie carving come to life, we have a video with Ray himself taking you through the process of carving his pumpkin sculpture for NYBG. The end result is a bone-chilling zombie climbing out of a 1700-pound pumpkin! Check out the installation this weekend as part of our annual Award-Winning Giant Pumpkin Display, or for the full Halloween experience get tickets to one of our upcoming Spooky Nighttime Adventures and see Ray’s creation fully illuminated for the first time in his four years working with the Garden.
Don’t forget that next weekend Ray Villafane returns to NYBG for our Pumpkin Carving Weekend. You won’t want to miss the chance to see his latest creepy creation come to life! Catch a sneak peek at Grand Central Terminal on October 17 when Ray will be there with his team, beginning work on a massive zombie carving. MasterCard® cardholders can also let their kids join in the fun with one of our Budding Masters Creepy Pumpkin Carving Adventures!
Click through for the full lineup of programs for the next three days, and come enjoy fall at the Garden!
Next Friday, October 17, NYBG is taking over Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal with a showstopping display of gargantuan gourds! Carve a little time out of your daily commute between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to see Ray Villafane and his team begin their work on an impressive zombie carving. Ray Villafane is an Arizona-based sculptor best known for his highly detailed pumpkin carvings. A regular competitor on the Food Network, Villafane was recently a finalist on Halloween Wars.
The apocalyptic pumpkin sculpture will begin coming to life on October 17, but those who want to see the finished projects in all its bone-chilling glory will have to come to our Pumpkin Carving Weekend here at NYBG on October 18 & 19, when Ray will continue to lead festive demonstrations for visitors. Click through for more information, plus a special sneak preview of the apocalyptic zombie carving that Ray has in store for us!
The countdown to Halloween has officially begun with tomorrow’s debut of The Haunted Pumpkin Garden! From now through October 31 the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden will be taken over by eye-catching pumpkins and spooky fun for all ages.
Kids can join in Halloween Parades every weekend at 1 and 3 p.m. and enjoy a whole variety of pumpkin-themed activities. Starting tomorrow, the Creepy Creatures of Halloween will visit NYBG every weekend. Get to know some of the oddest critters around and learn how they live in the wild. Explore the full program schedule for TheHaunted Pumpkin Garden, including upcoming events with Master Carver Ray Villafane and our Spooky Nighttime Adventures! Read on for this weekend’s lineup, including which creepy critters you can expect to see.
Ron Wallace and his heavyweight pumpkin (The Boston Globe, 2012)
It’s October 1, and that means exactly one thing: you can throw the unwritten embargo on Halloween decorations out the window! No more tamping down the urge to buy orange string lights. No more nibbling your nails as you scurry past the candy aisle. Free reign to stake your front yard with frightful scarecrows and tombstones, whether your neighbors scowl or not. And at the NYBG, we get to ramp up our coverage of the season’s holiday excitement! You may not think there’s much to celebrate in a simple gourd, but trust me, there’s nothing simple about a one-tonpumpkin.
Don’t bother with a double-take–that wasn’t a misread. Early predictions from farmers close to the Garden hinted that drought and heat would lead to a disappointing harvest, but pumpkin crops have pulled out a clutch win, with some gigantic gourds already smashing weight records in our neck of the woods. Included is the latest champion, a 2009-pound behemoth out of Rhode Island that took the title for grower Ron Wallace on Friday, September 28, at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts; that’s nearly 200 pounds heavier than last year’s winner. But the challenge isn’t settled just yet! Rumor has it there are still a few contenders lurking in the wings, not only in the northeast, but on the west coast and the continent, as well. We could see the record snapped more than once before 2012 crowns its prince of pumpkins.
Last weekend was our Pumpkin Carving Weekend with Ray Villafane, and the Master Carver himself executed a massive pumpkin sculpture, after his own design, with the help of his crack team. The fruits—or gourds—of his labor are on display through October 31 as part of The Haunted Pumpkin Garden.
