Popular Milton Halloween attraction getting big financial boost

Pumpkins After Dark among this year’s beneficiaries of Experience Ontario program

Milton’s annual Halloween staple, Pumpkins After Dark, is among the chosen festivals to receive provincial funding in 2025.

The spooky walk through light show — featuring roughly 10,000 hand-carved pumpkins and sculptures — will be the beneficiary of $125,000 from Experience Ontario. The program is providing funding for over 350 festivals across the province, strengthening local events.

Held at the Country Heritage Park each fall, Pumpkins After Dark features intricate statues covered in multicoloured lights to get attendees into the Halloween spirit. Last year’s event featured a new medieval maze, statues of King Kong hanging off the Eiffel Tower and Day of the Dead skulls.

“We like to describe ourselves as an outdoor Halloween art exhibit, bringing pumpkins to life,” said event creator and chief pumpkineer James Frazer, who brought the concept to Canada five years ago after discovering a similar event in New York.

Pumpkins After Dark ran in five other Canadian cities last year, with organizers looking ahead to a possible European expansion.

Local MPP Zee Hamid praised the event’s unique appeal during the funding announcement.

“The pumpkin artists and organizers work tirelessly year after year to create a spectacularly immersive experience for attendees. With this new investment, Pumpkins After Dark will be able to grow even further,” he said in a press release.

Hamid also mentioned the importance of supporting local businesses and encouraged Miltonians to check out events and businesses in their community.

“I encourage everyone to get out this summer and fall and take part in the amazing events happening right in our backyard. Supporting local festivals and businesses can help make Ontario an even better place to live, work and visit!,” he said.

Visit milton.pumpkinsafterdark.com for more about the attraction.

By Holly Joth-Smith, MiltonToday.ca