I love Autumn, and particularly October which packs in Thanksgiving and Halloween into the same month. There are a number of things on my family’s to-do list leading up to Halloween, but right at the top of the list has to be Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village.

This will be my third year in a row returning to the Pumpkinferno Halloween display, and so far it has never disappointed. It’s not a short drive – it takes about an hour or so to get there from Ottawa, but it is well worth the trip.

The entire village is transformed with 7000 hand crafted pumpkins on display. If you have been before, you can expect to see some familiar fan-favourite carvings, but every year there are new ones added. They are gorgeous and so creative, with different themes along the route as you walk through the village. Pumpkinferno is family friendly, with the emphasis on beautiful, not scary. There are kids activities in addition to the displays, no haunted houses or anything too spooky.

Stay for Dinner

There are a couple of restaurant options at Upper Canada Village, so you can make a whole evening of it and enjoy dinner on site as well. There is the more casual cafeteria-style Harvest Barn, and the sit down table d’hote menu at the historic Willard’s Hotel. My family really enjoys grabbing dinner at the Harvest Barn, and then taking a hot apple cider to-go as we stroll around the pumpkin displays.

Something I have just learned of – and we will be trying out for the first time this year – you can actually reserve an early pre-tour dinner at Willard’s Hotel or the Harvest Barn. You can eat you dinner in the Village before Pumpkinferno even opens to the public! If you are interested in trying this out too, just call 613-543-0660 to make pre-tour reservations. Just note: admission tickets to Pumpkinferno must be purchased online, before entering the Village for your reservation.

Pumpkinferno Dates

Pumpkinferno opens on Friday September 28 and after that runs Thursday through Sunday evenings with the final night being Sunday October 28th. It is open from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm until October 18 when it begins opening at 6:30 pm. At times in the past, this has been pushing my kids bedtime, but often I bring their pyjamas along and change them before the car ride home so they are ready for bed as soon as we get there. It really has been worth it.

Pumpkinferno Tickets

Something new this year – Upper Canada Village is introducing date-specific tickets to help with customer flow. Make sure that you have selected the correct date when purchasing tickets.

I HIGHLY recommend buying tickets online ahead of time, and don’t be dissuaded by a long line up (in my experience the line moved quite quickly). And just note – Saturday evenings are by far the busiest evening.

Visit the website HERE to purchase your tickets online ahead of time.

Be Prepared

Make sure you dress appropriately! Be prepared for muddy paths if there has been recent rain. Two years ago it was super muddy there. And of course, dress warm for that cool, fall weather. Upper Canada Village is right on the St.Lawrence, so I always find it to be a few degrees cooler there than in Ottawa. It is a very stroller friendly event, so feel free to bring one along if needed.