Pumpkin Carving You Have to See to Believe

Each October, thousands of people descend on Louisville to see an art gallery like no other. Now in its eighth year, the Louisville Jack O’Lantern Spectacular uses five thousand pumpkins to transform a trail at Iroquois Park into an eerie-yet-magical scene. Among the simple jack-o’-lanterns sporting wide, toothy grins and narrow eyes, around 150 pumpkins serve as canvases for intricate works of art. Organized by the production company Passion for Pumpkins, twenty to forty local artists contribute their drawing and carving skills to craft pumpkins with elaborate scenes or characters that fit into a theme; this year’s is “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Magical Places.” Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event will be drive-through only this year. The show, which runs now through November 1, is best witnessed in person, but for those who can’t make it to the awe-inspiring patch, we’ve rounded up thirteen outrageously detailed pumpkins from years past.