“Rise” pumpkin art draws thousands

The artistic pumpkin-carving show “Rise of the Jack-O-Lanterns” that has become a national sensation over the last several years has come to Arcadia at Santa Anita Park.

Thousands turned out on opening night, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, to take a one-hour, 1/3-mile walking tour of about 5,000 pumpkins crafted by artists and sculptors to create an illuminated safari, car show, dinosaur exhibit featuring pumpkins as large as 100-pounds, and expositions of orange gourd versions of pop culture icons ranging from characters from Star Wars, The Terminator, Spider-Man and video games to The Minions, Muppets, and emotion-depicting characters from “Inside Out.”

There is also an Under the Sea area featuring Spongebob Squarepants and jack-o-lanterns with the gooey insides hangout out to resemble jelly fish, a celebrity couples section, a dragon stretching more than 50-feet long made of hundreds of pumpkins and surrounded by Japanese-style lanterns. There is even an “In Memory” section featuring likenesses of recently departed Hollywood horror film legends Christopher Lee and Wes Craven.

And specifically for Santa Anita, you’ll find several carvings and exhibits of parks featuring the logo of the race track, and life-size representations of recent Triple Crown winner American Pharoah as well as legendary thoroughbred champions such as Seattle Slew.

The show has spread from New York to San Diego and while it returned to Descanso Gardens this year, the sold-out popularity necessitated an expansion to Santa Anita, where it takes up a big chunk of the parking lot on Huntington Drive near the main Gate 3 entrance inside a sprawling green fence.

Parking is free but reservations are required in advance at the Rise.org web site. Entrance is limited to a groups booked to enter at specific times every 15 minutes. Tickets are $26 each for anyone age 3 to 64. Toddlers and seniors 65 and over are $22. The show opens at dusk (6:30 p.m.) and stays open until 9:30 – 10:30 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through November 1.

After your tour, and for those who arrive earlier than their appointed entry time, there is a large area offering demonstrations of artists carving pumpkins, keepsake photo booths, as well as a food/drink concessions and other activities. (Additional photos below…)

— By Scott Hettrick