If you ask anyone from the Hudson Valley to Manhattan, the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton-on-Hudson is one of the largest must-hit cultural events of the season. Locals, celebrities, and visitors alike come out year after year to see the massive light sculptures constructed from thousands of carved pumpkins.
Here’s everything you need to know about the spectacle, including its history, how it works, where to get tickets, and — of course — some truly epic shots to get you primed for your next visit.
What Is the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze?
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze — often just called “the Pumpkin Blaze” or “the Blaze” by locals in the know — is an annual event held at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson by Historic Hudson Valley, a local nonprofit historical preservation society, which also holds several other Halloween events in Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and throughout Westchester County.
@westchestermag The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is a MUST visit fall event in Westchester. 🎃 The Blaze officially opens tomorrow, September 15! Be sure to grab your tickets to embark on a magical pumpkin filled evening. #westchester #westchesterny #thegreatjackolanternblaze #crotononhudson #fyp ♬ Halloween ・ cute horror song – PeriTune
Originally started as a local celebration in 2005, the Pumpkin Blaze has swelled in popularity over the years, topping more than 160,000 visitors in recent years and adding a Long Island iteration at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration Site in 2020.
Each Blaze features intricate light sculptures and landscapes built entirely from lit, ornately carved pumpkins. Fan favorites like the Headless Horseman, Statue of Liberty, pumpkin planetarium, and the Pumpkin Bridge — née the “Pumpkin Zee Bridge” — are reconstructed yearly from gourds (as well as longer-lasting artificial “Funkins”), along with a rotating assortment of new designs. Recent additions of a New York cityscape and jellyfish walk-through, as well as upgraded galleries of pumpkin-y masterpieces and dinosaur skeletons, have all proved popular.

The walking tour, which typically lasts about 45 minutes or so, depending on your pace and where you stop for photos, also includes a working pumpkin carousel designed by William Dentzel, a modern-day descendant of one of this country’s very first carousel makers. (Try overlaying it with Richard Christy’s fabulous two-volume “Blaze: The Soundtrack” and thank us later.)
“The pumpkin sort of tells you what it wants to be,” says Historic Hudson Valley VP of Communications and Commerce Rob Schweitzer. “It may not be the perfect pumpkin for this idea I have in mind, but the pumpkin might have another idea, and you end up carving that.”
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All that carving starts early with plenty of local volunteers. “We really start in earnest the end of August with carving Funkins,” Schweitzer says, “then we’re carving real pumpkins throughout the run of the event, because we’re replacing about a thousand pumpkins every week.” That’s a lot of seeds and guts. (Don’t worry, though: Gourdish entrails, carved scraps, and “retired” pumpkins are all composted for the gardens at Historic Hudson Valley sites throughout the region.)
Guests can also select from an incredibly diverse assortment of pumpkin and pumpkin-themed and Halloween-y items in the Blaze gift shop. Delicious food like popcorn and fresh cider donuts pair nicely with beer, wine, and soft drinks, available at the entrance/exit.

Get Tickets — How It Works
Tickets are available online for scheduled dates and times, staggered every 30 minutes or so to ensure a steady flow of guests in and out. Tickets start at $24 depending on admission time and date. (Weekends and holidays tend to be a bit pricier.) Senior tickets are available, and Historic Hudson Valley members and children under two always get in free.
If you purchase a FLEX-Ticket, you will be able to attend the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze any night during any time slot, for one night only. Present your ticket at the register to receive your complimentary food or drink item.
The Blaze is rain-or-shine, so definitely prepare to get muddy if the former holds true; a good set of mud boots may be advisable.
This year, the Blaze runs from September 14 through November 17.
What’s New at the Pumpkin Blaze This Year
This is a big year for the Blaze as it’s celebrating 20 gourd-eous years in the Hudson Valley. As such, it’s marking the occasion with a giant birthday cake and celebration arch. It’s also introducing the Gourd & Goblet Tavern, a new VIP experience on the pumpkin trail. Blaze + Tavern Combo Tickets are available and include timed admission to the event and the Gourd & Goblet Tavern, a speakeasy set in an 18th-century inn in which visitors can enjoy a complimentary drink, snack, and souvenir. This ticket combo is for ages 21 and up.
Additionally, guests of the Blaze will meet the pumpkin-ified classic movie monsters and spot the giant Kraken rising from the Croton River.
Let’s See the Blaze Photos!
Thought you’d never ask.



























Will I Get to See Celebrities at the Blaze?
Probably! (Possibly.)
I love this season. Go see the Hudson Valley Jack-o-lantern Blaze. 7,000 pumpkins! @hhvalley #pumpkinblaze pic.twitter.com/z6SbPUsfws
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) October 19, 2015
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Happy Halloween! Love the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton NY… # pumpkinblaze pic.twitter.com/YqEj8AkCMx
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) October 31, 2014
Visit my blog today https://t.co/PaKhJ8WIq0 for my fun Halloween visit to @HHValley Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze. pic.twitter.com/PhrRm4Guo2
— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) October 21, 2015
Loved visiting the @HHValley #PumpkinBlaze. If you love Halloween as much as me you can’t miss it! … https://t.co/OHyue64jEa
— Liv Tyler (@LivTyler) October 22, 2015
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