Pumpkins After Dark

Pumpkins After Dark is a family-friendly, Halloween-themed walkthrough experience with light displays and hundreds of carved Jack-o’-lanterns in Burnaby.

It took place for the first time in 2022 at Central Park from September 22nd to October 31st. Tickets for adults cost about $26 including taxes and fees. The event happens again in 2023 from October 6th to 31st.

To learn about all of the region’s various kid-friendly Halloween events, see our articles about Vancouver Halloween Events, Halloween Activities for Children, Lower Mainland Corn Mazes and Vancouver Pumpkin Patches. To learn about 2022’s new event in Burnaby, continue reading.

Pumpkins After Dark Halloween Event

Pumpkins After Dark is a new Halloween attraction in Burnaby in 2022. The company behind it already has locations in Calgary, Edmonton and Milton, Ontario, making this the fourth venue in Canada. The attraction ran from September 22nd to October 31st, 2022, for the first time in BC.

Pumpkin Patches are very popular in the fall. Pumpkins After Dark, however, isn’t a place where you go to buy pumpkins (although they do have them for sale). Instead, after the sun sets, the attraction opens its gates for visitors to experience a spooky series of beautiful Halloween light displays.

At Pumpkins After Dark there are hundreds of hand-carved pumpkins to see as well as light displays of various Halloween characters. At the event in 2022 there were skeletons, witches, ghoulish creatures, a dragon and even Shrek characters. You could also take in live pumpkin carving demonstrations.

We attended Pumpkins After Dark and loved it. We went with two older teenaged girls and two middle-aged adults. Younger kids and people of other ages would have enjoyed it too.

Location, Times and Admission

Pumpkins After Dark takes place at Swangard Stadium and in Central Park at 3883 Imperial Street in Burnaby.

The attraction in 2022 was open from Thursday to Sunday from September 22nd to October 31st (with a special Monday opening on Halloween night). It closed at 10:30 pm each night. While the initial opening time was 7:30 pm, it slowly got earlier over the course of the season until it opened at 6:30 pm the last couple weeks of October.

Tickets in 2022 cost $22 for adults and $18 for youth ages 4 to 16. After adding taxes, an environmental fee, processing fee and service fee, it worked out to just over $26 for adults. Children under the age of 4 got in for free. The tickets could only be purchased online. The same applies in 2023. Tickets are sold in timeslots in 15-minute intervals so it’s best not to show up too late.

Pumpkins After Dark begins and ends at Swangard Stadium. At the stadium you check in. There are a few displays and two or three food trucks in the area. From there you follow a trail through Central Park before returning about 30 minutes later to the stadium.

The Patterson SkyTrain Station is near the northeast corner of Central Park. The walk from there to Swangard Stadium is only about 10 minutes.

Pumpkins After Dark Displays — A Pumpkins After Dark Art Display

What to Expect

Expect to see lots of beautifully carved pumpkins and illuminated art displays at Pumpkins After Dark. It’s all really cool.

While the attraction does have real carved pumpkins, the majority of the displays are of creatures and characters. There are apparently a few thousand pumpkins (some of which are real while most are synthetic). You’re not going to see a bigger collection of Jack o’ lanterns anywhere else in the Lower Mainland this Halloween season!

Pumpkins After Dark is a walkthrough experience where visitors make their way through a designated path with pumpkins and lights on both sides (and sometimes overhead). There are sculptures and other displays of various Halloween characters, monsters like Godzilla or dinosaurs, movie characters and more. There are also pumpkin carving demonstrations and desserts for sale.

The carved character displays at Pumpkins After Dark are impressive. They have been handmade by Canadian artists.

This attraction is meant for people of all ages to enjoy and it’s family-friendly. The organizers do not, however, guarantee that the entire path is wheelchair and stroller accessible. Most of it though is paved, and from what we saw it looked pretty accessible.

Photo Time at Pumpkins After Dark — Pumpkins After Dark Photo Opportunities

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and extra information to help you make the most of your Halloween experience at Pumpkins After Dark

TIP #1: Don’t forget your camera. There are lots of great photo opportunities (including just before the entrance where your friends can take photos of you with dragon wings)!

TIP #2: Take public transit if you can. Parking is limited and the Patterson SkyTrain Station isn’t too far away.

TIP #3: Expect to stay for between about 45 minutes and an hour.

TIP #4: if you like Pumpkins After Dark and want to visit pumpkin-themed venues during the day then visit one of the Lower Mainland’s various Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes. Really good ones include Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack and Maan Farms in Abbotsford.

TIP #5: Other great family-friendly Halloween attractions to visit include HowlOver Canada at FlyOver Canada. Scary but also family-friendly is Canyon Frights at Capilano Suspension Bridge. There is also Tricks & Treats at Playland on the weekend just before Halloween. Vancouver Mysteries also offers fun family-friendly adventure games this time of year.