More than 10,000 hand-carved jack o'lanterns are lighting up a mile-long, tree-lined path at South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Peninsula this fall, as Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns returns for another season of glowing pumpkin displays, food vendors and photo backdrops. The family-oriented event, which skips the scares in favor of seasonal charm, runs September 18 through November 1 on select nights, with tickets starting at $29.99.
As reported by NBC Los Angeles, the walk features seasonal displays alongside the thousands of carved pumpkins, plus a synchronized pumpkin light show every half hour. Norberto Urrea said Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns is returning to South Coast Botanic Garden for another season, according to the outlet's report. The 2026 edition also brings new and expanded scenes, including a circus display, a Día de los Muertos tribute, an underwater ocean landscape and a Fun Zone anchored by a massive pumpkin-shaped bounce pad, per Creepy Kingdom.
A Landfill Turned Botanical Sanctuary
The 87-acre garden hosting the event has an unusual backstory: it was built directly atop 3.5 million tons of compacted municipal refuse and former diatomaceous earth mine pits, according to SFGATE. Residents began advocating for the site's transformation in 1958, it was officially dedicated as a future botanical garden in April 1960, and major planting began in April 1961. The garden is now considered one of the world's first public botanical gardens built over a sanitary landfill. That legacy of settling ground remains active today, with shifting and compacting refuse beneath the garden causing bumps and divots.
The pumpkin trail itself isn't native to Palos Verdes. Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns first launched in Colorado before expanding to South Coast Botanic Garden in 2023, per L.A. Parent. Hoodline previously covered the Littleton return of the same brand's Colorado edition.
Sensory-Friendly Night and Overlapping Troll Exhibit
Families with neurodivergent visitors have a dedicated option this year: a Low Sensory Night scheduled for September 27, featuring a modified, reduced-sensory experience. The event also offers food and beverages for purchase and festive photo opportunities throughout the walk, per NBC Los Angeles's report.
Visitors who attend before October 4 can catch a second attraction on the same grounds. The garden is currently displaying Danish artist Thomas Dambo's TROLLS: A Field Study, an outdoor exhibit of 12 giant troll sculptures hand-crafted from reclaimed wood, according to the blog Avoiding Regret. Later in the season, the garden will also host several dinosaurs beginning November 7, per the same NBC Los Angeles report.
A Family-Friendly Bet From Halloween's Biggest Producer
Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns is presented by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which operates more than 30 live entertainment attractions across 17 U.S. cities and ranks among the largest producers of Halloween experiences in the country, according to Theme Park Duo. Locally, intense fright attractions include the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park and Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in Long Beach, which Hoodline recently reported returns for a 13th season. The pumpkin trail is a non-haunted, family-friendly offering.
Large-scale seasonal attractions like these are part of the Halloween entertainment landscape. Dark Harbor is a Long Beach attraction. Halloween spending and seasonal plans have also been tracked in National Retail Federation surveys.
