What to Know
- "Nights of the Jack" at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas
- $26.99 and up
- Sept. 27 through Nov. 3 (select nights)
- An "immersive walking trail" passes thousands of carved pumpkins; carving demos are also part of the family-fun scene, as are goodies for sale
Calabasas, we do utterly adore you throughout the calendar, whatever the week or month.
But our Calbasas-directed ardor only increases when September arrives and we are fully overcome with a serious squash mania.
Sure, we love squashes year-round, but pumpkin-y pleasures definitely rise when autumn shimmers on the haunted horizon.
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And the enticing idea that there is A) a lovely Southern California city with a beautiful name that means "squashes" in Spanish and B) this same city is home to one of the largest pumpkin-themed events in the entire region?
The squash-centric synchronicity feels as though it was invented for a Hollywood screenplay. But wait, it's true: Nights of the Jack, a large-scale outdoor experience at King Gillette in Calabasas, is all about spooky squashery adding some shimmer and shine to our fall fun.
Tickets for the annual event went on sale Aug. 12. Weekends do fill up faster as do the dates closest to Halloween. But you won't have to wait for October to up the eerie factor in your life: The "Jacks" begin their atmospheric reign Sept. 27.
The Scene
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The heart of the happening is the "immersive walking trail," a pumpkin-laden pathway that takes you by thousands of carved beauties. It measures around 3/4 of a mile, so you'll go a good distance and soak up several seasonal sights along the way.
Some of the gourds are simply straight up jack o'lanterns (though "simply" isn't casting aspersions; they're cool).
And other pumpkin displays are all about sizable figures and scenes cleverly created from pumpkins and other fall-themed decorations.
In addition to the trail, a "Spookeasy" is a busy spot — treats and sips are available for purchase at the event — and there's a place to observe carvers at work.
Tickets start at $26.99 and can be found flickering, jack o'lantern-style, at this site.
