The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze comes to New York’s Hudson Valley every fall, and as a self-professed Halloweenie, it’s one of my favorite haunts. If you love Halloween, autumn, and pumpkins, it’s a must-see.
What is the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze?
The Blaze is a walk-through trail illuminated by jack-o’-lanterns. Thousands of intricately hand-carved pumpkins light up the night sky in larger-than-life displays. According to the Blaze’s official website, local artisans hand-carve over 7,000 pumpkins each year. That’s a shit load of pumpkins. Synchronized lighting, a soundtrack, and special effects enhance your visit.
The blazing jack-o’-lanterns are located on the historic grounds of 18th-century Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.1
Historic Hudson Valley, an educational non-profit, organizes The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze each year. 2026 dates run from September 18 to November 8.2
A Museum of Jack-o’-Lanterns
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is like an open-air museum of hand-carved art. In this case, the medium happens to be pumpkins. So, what can you expect to see at the Blaze?
Feast your eyes on actual structures made from pumpkins. My favorites include the Headless Horseman Bridge from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” dinosaurs, a planetarium, the Emerald City, and a windmill. Also, be on the lookout for some iconic New York landmarks.
The 2026 Blaze has changed things up a bit, with new displays and themes. A spooktacular addition is the Creature Feature Forest, filled with iconic horror film characters. Vampires and werewolves and creatures, oh my!
Standard jack-o’-lanterns with carved faces are a staple at the Blaze. You’ll also see cute pumpkin people doing fun and silly activities. Take a close look at these pumpkin peeps, because famous characters make surprise appearances.
Tips, Tricks, and Treats
Tickets & Parking
You must purchase your standard timed ticket in advance. Flex tickets for any date and time are also available. Check out the Blaze’s website for more info.
I advise getting your tickets as soon as possible! This event sells out quickly.
If you have a timed ticket, get there early because traffic can be a bitch. There’s often a long line just to get into the parking lot. Parking is free, though, so yay!
Timing & Audience
The Blaze is family-friendly. There aren’t any spooky actors jumping out to scare you or creepy horror displays. This isn’t a haunted house-type deal.
The walk-through typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour, but you can take your time. No one will kick you out unless it’s closing time.
Treats
Fear not, the Blaze feeds you. Café Blaze offers apple cider, hot cocoa, beer, and snacks. In my opinion, there’s nothing like hot cocoa and a cider donut on a nice fall evening. Drinks and food are available for purchase and are not included with your standard timed ticket.
For more adult-themed libations, purchase a combo ticket (in advance) to experience the Gourd & Goblet Tavern. Enjoy alcoholic beverages and sweets in this historic 18th-century inn. But beware, the tavern is recommended for visitors aged 18 and up.
Alcoholic beverages are also available at the Headless Horseman Hideaway. This family-fun venue also includes non-alcoholic drinks and German snacks. The latter is a nod to the Horseman’s roots as a Hessian mercenary during the Revolutionary War. Our favorite Hessian may appear at the Hideaway, and although he’s missing a head, he’s always ready for a photo op.
Finally, there’s a cute shop called Blaze Boo-tique, which has jack-o’-lantern and Halloween-themed merch.
All in all, The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is a fun, must-see Halloween experience. It’s a wonderful treat to witness beautifully hand-carved pumpkins blazing up the night sky.
If you’re interested in learning more about the history of jack-o’-lanterns, check out the article The Origins of the Jack-o’-lantern.
For a Halloween travel-themed post, see Spookiest Places to Celebrate Halloween in the U.S.
Footnotes
- Not to be confused with Van Cortlandt House Museum in the Bronx, New York. Same historic family, different houses. ↩︎
- As of 2025, the Blaze will not be returning to Long Island, NY. ↩︎
Bibliography and Further Reading
Historic Hudson Valley. “The Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze.” 2024. https://pumpkinblaze.org/index.html
Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories. Edited by Elizabeth L. Bradley. Penguin Classics, 2014.
A Bit of Halloween Relaxation
*These and the Washington Irving link above are Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no cost to you.
I fucking love coloring. It’s relaxing as hell and lets my creativity flow. What I love even more than coloring is Halloween coloring. It brings joy to my heart to color in jack-o’-lanterns and other Halloween icons.
The Beauty of Horror: Tricks and Treats Halloween Coloring Book by Alan Robert is one of my go-tos. It’s part of a larger series, each one full of gore and horror. Suffice it to say, unlike the Blaze, this coloring book is not family-friendly.
Another Halloween horror coloring book is Freak of Halloween by Crook Crook. Nothing says relaxation like coloring in a skeleton eating an eyeball.
A less terrifying adult coloring book is Color & Frame’s Halloween. This one is a more PG-13 vibe with jack-o’-lanterns galore.
Happy Coloring!
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