RISE of the Jack-O-Lanterns

This was fun, but I guess it was less that what we expected. For the price, we wanted more. It is nice that you are admitted by appointment, which does a great job controlling the crowd, but it lacked some entertainment value. I think we were looking for more «amazing» and got only «pretty cool». I think we’d try again with a coupon, these kinds of events tend to step up their game year-​over-​year.

The pumpkins were cool but the company put much more hype into the experience then it deserves. The overall experience just wasn’t there. Hopefully in a next few years they will increase the total experience. We needed something low key as we have a 5 month old so it suited us but yeah just not really worth the money yet. Also the site mentioned needed the actual passes which you actually did not need. Huge negative the handicap parking is on the other side of the event so if you are handicapped like me expect to actually walk extra to get to the front of the event.

We attended this with our friends. being all of our 1^st time & reading the FB comments & seeing the videos, we were excited. The tickets stated & event instructions stated we needed to be at the park exactly on time for our time slot. So when we arrived at exactly 630, it was disappointing to see hundreds of people in line who still hadn’t been let in and they were 615 & 630 times. What?!? Also, the amount of strollers there rivaled Disneyland’s dreaded «Stroller Hell Row».yeah, you know where I mean!
I have kids, I get it. But I never brought their double wide stroller to parks. They either walked or I carried them if they couldn’t make the walk. This event was NOT a long walk… the kids could do it. We also saw so many kids poking & breaking the pumpkin carvings. No signs were posting saying «Don’t Touch», that would be obvious??? But parents didn’t warn their kids & let them touch the art carvings. All this plus tge disorganization at the entrance definitely lost them 2 stars!
Now for the pumpkins: so cool!!! The first scene was Under the Sea. Amazing carvings of clams, jellyfish, turtles.& most of the large creatures are made up of smaller carved pumpkins! Then there were safari animals, & lastly… vintage cars. Definitely a neat experience… once! We won’t go again for awhile. But I highly recommend everyone see it at least once… without strollers please!!!

WOW, well worth the trip to Escondido Safari Park for this event. Lots of available parking and things to do while you wait to be let into the Rise of the Jack-​o-​Lanterns. I went with my sister, and saw other friends, families, and couples on dates there. Even though there are quite a few people in a group, the exhibit is set up so well that you never felt crowded or had to wait to see the pumpkins. I can’t wait to go again next year. The details in the pumpkins and theme pumpkin areas is amazing.
If you don’t go, you are missing out!

We had a good time viewing all the pumpkins and they are certainly creatively built. However, we were full-​price schmucks and I didn’t think it was worth the full price. While they say no flash, the workers unfortunately don’t enforce it at all so you have a bunch of amateurs thinking their cell phone flash is helping with a photo of a pumpkin 8 feet away which can ruin the dark, fall mood the event is otherwise supposed to put you in. If you can get discounted tickets, go, enjoy a good time, skip the initial line where they take your photo and just get to the next line to get to they pumpkins (this one moves quicker).

My wife and I ended up checking out this event on a Saturday. I purchased our tickets online for ¹⁰⁄₂₄ at 6:45pm. We ended up getting there a bit late. The parking lot was a bit confusing. We were directed to park down to the left. Some people were directed to park to the right, which is up the hill closer to the entrance. I’m not sure why some people got to park closer since parking was free. That was not clear and I didn’t like how me and my wife had to park far while others got to park closer. It just didn’t make sense to me.
When we finally got up to the front of the entrance, it was mayhem! There were no lines at all. It was just a crowd of people trying to push through to the entrance. This confused me even more as it seems like a lot of people were here not at the time slot they purchased. I thought the purpose of buying a ticket for a certain time slot was to prevent crowds like this. There was a tent where you can take a picture for the event and a bar. If you’re not interested In buying the picture, just bypass that line and go through. The food and bar was somewhat of a waste. No one is going to carry the food while walking in the event. Just doesn’t make sense. When you get to the front of the line, there are haystack dividers and people scan your ticket for entry. No one was checking the time slots. This was so disorganized and just a complete mess.
Once you finally get inside, there’s pumpkins setup on both sides. The walkway is pretty big. The lighting is very dim so you need to be careful as you may bump into kids running around. The pumpkin carvings are pretty cool. The dinosaurs were my favorite part. Some pumpkins on the floor looked fake but I couldn’t tell. You can walk through the whole path in about 25 – 60 minutes depending on how long you want to take.
Overall, the pumpkins are pretty cool to look at, but at $ 26 per person, it’s definitely not worth it. I used the promo code off of the website to get 20% off. If I had known that time slots don’t matter, I should’ve bought the 50% off ticket prices for the later time slots. The event was way too disorganized for me to give it any higher than 2 stars. Not what I was expecting but at least I didn’t pay full price.

What an awesome display of the best pumpkin carving I’ve ever seen! Just beautiful! Great place to take kids who are old enough to appreciate it, without the usual Halloween scariness!
The tickets were a little pricey but worth it! It’s awesome, go check it out!

This is the first year of The Rise in San Diego… will it be the last?
From the advertisement, marketing, location, and videos in other major cities really hype it up and drive you to have high expectations. It’s highly considered as a family friendly atmosphere. It’s not intended to be scary for little ones but more on the creative and curious aspect of «how do they do that?» or «wow that looks cool» especially in the dark.
This event is totally separate from the Safari park which closes at 5pm so if you want to attend The Rise you need to buy separate tickets online and you can get the promo code for discount tickets. I think the price was worth the discounted price but we are so happy we didn’t pay full price.
As my husband and my son and I arrived, we got an end parking spot (parking is free for this event) near the entrance tent at 6:00pm Sunday. Our time slot was 6:30pm. We begin through their tent where they snap a photo of your party and you have an option to buy your photo package later for $ 32. In the tent there are light up flash lights, glow in the dark items for sale, beverages to walk with, and then it opens up to the gate where they opened at 6:15pm for the «pre-​show» which was one guy carving a Buddha and some a few carved pumpkins and the hay bales that made 3 lines to enter the main entrance where they scan your tickets or phone. Meanwhile the event is all in their parking lot rows that zig-​zagged through the lot.
Our favorite pumpkins were: the jelly fish, octopus, USS Midway, the dinosaurs, the tall giraffes, the Spider-​Man, spider, and spider web, and will you marry me with huge heart, and the pumpkin lit trees were fun. Those were the most memorable besides the painted pumpkins like the minions and a bunch of random pumpkins.
I recommend if you chose to check this event out to go early before the crowd catches up with you.
Once you reach the end you are lead through a path with walls of lighted animals to your photos of course where you get suckered into buying a photo package like at Disneyland. Or you can buy a cocktail for $ 11 with the light up plastic souvenir cup. Wait what? Why are they at the end? Because they don’t have a liquor license in the parking lot. Why would anyone want to buy a drink then leave and go drive home? And of course their gift shop is open for more shopping for the kids.
The question is: would I go again? Probably not. Or wait until my son is older and he understands what’s going on.

My family and I didn’t know what to expect but I read some Unilocal reviews and decided to go and this was really a cool display. Very creative and imaginative. We went at 8:30 on a Sunday night and I think that was a good choice. The crowds weren’t bad at all. We were able to take pictures and look at everything with no one blocking our view. I really loved the dragon! My kids loved it all.

My husband and I attended this last night for our «date night». We bought tickets a week ahead of time $ 22 – 30 unless you have a promo code, then you pay $ 15 – 22) and we’re excited to do something different.
We were both extremely disappointed with the artistic effort and enginuity put into this event. We could carve pumpkins better ourselves. Many of the pumpkin «sculptures» looked nearly identical, whether we were looking at 15 skeleton carvings or 10 different portraits of famous people. The portraits were the only pumpkins displaying artistic skill, but they were little more than sketches on top of pumpkins. Virtually none of the pumpkins wowed us, and we will not be wasting out money again next year.

My wife Margaret and I took the opportunity to have a date night in Escondido with friends to checkout the Rise of the Jack-​O-​Lanterns at the SD Zoo Safari. Both of us were seeing the exhibit for the first time.
Since our entrance time was 8:15pm, the darkness made for excellent viewing of the jack-​o-​lanterns. There was an impressive diversity of themes presented: sports, video games, ocean life, safari animals, dinosaurs, and Brangelina (LOL).
We especially liked the Chinese dragon, jellyfish, automobiles and dinosaurs.
We went on a discount, so it was only $ 15 for each of us and it was absolutely worth that amount. If we would have had to pay twice as much, the usual rate, we would not have considered it worth the expense.
A very cool and alternative activity for a date.

I was really excited to go to this event. We traveled two hours to attend this event. We got in no problem, the display was beautiful and we really enjoyed it. The problem was, it was so short. Took us 20 mins to see everything. Also, at the beginning they take a pic of you and your family. We asked if we could have them if they were included and they said yes. Then at the end, they have a wall of them out there for you to take. When we took ours, a woman asked us if we would like to be purchase them. We had the idea that they were included in the ticket price. They weren’t. The woman rolled her eyes at us and said «no. They’re not free.» Then she proceeded onto a tacky sales rant that ended in her breaking down the prices and offering us the package for $ 35. No way. We paid a good amount for those tickets. No way we’re spending he same amount for the pictures that we thought were already included as well. We just kindly thanked her and walked away. Then there’s a whole party going on at the exit. Light up drinks… Food… The whole shebang. And nothing was included!!! I feel that for the price, they could have thrown in a picture –even a small one– or a drink or something. Nothing. We left empty handed and so disappointed. Two hour travel for 20 mins of viewing. We’ll never go back. Waste of money and time.

What a great way to start the holiday season. I don’t think this event was widely publicized so there weren’t large crowds when we went –the first weekend it was offered and on a Sunday night– but I expect that to change when word gets out by next year. I stayed away from the opening hours as well which probably helped –around 8pm. It was a nice leisurely walk through the displays and took us about an hour which I’m guessing is the average time for most.
The displays were well done, the concepts were fun, and the builds were well conceived. If you look at their website, the one thing that was missing in the SD location was really outstanding artisan carvings. Didn’t really matter as the magnitude of the sheer numbers of carvings made up for this. I thought a couple fog machines along with some colored lights would enhance some areas but maybe they want the purity of the carvings out front. Or, maybe some additional sound effects for the specific displays would be interesting and inexpensive.
I thought full price was pretty high before we went but I can see why the price is set where it is. They change out the carvings/​displays every week and it seemed like there’s an entire pumpkin patch –or two– on display there including those gigantic expensive pumpkins that you see at patches. I know they get these at wholesale or less but there must be thousands including these small jack-​o-​lanterns hanging in trees. I thought those were those decorative string-​of-​light plastic lanterns but we realized those were actual carved pumpkins and it seemed like there was 100 of them to a tree. There’s also a large staff there for parking and some working in the rows to remind people not to use flashes so we’re talking a lot of overhead. Talked with a couple people working the event and they were having a great time as well.
All-​in-​all we’ll be going back next year if it’s there.

First and foremost, this event was a lot of fun. It’s bright, artistically beautiful, and well structured. They use a couple thousand pumpkins to craft a vast array of dazzling pieces ranging from impressive portraits on larger gourds to wall frescos of scenes from Orange is the New Black and Game of Thrones to creating 20′ tall sculpted giraffes and dinosaurs out of stacks of the orange pumpkins. That’s pretty badass and something most people should take a moment to see. On the flip side of that are a handful of things the Safari Park should definitely improve upon and one thing that is out of their control.
Starting with the latter is the lighting. Now, I know you have to do this at night for the full effect of watching these Jack o’Lanterns glow, but, man, is it dark and tough to see. What little light is offered to showcase the path is not enough to help avoid the throngs of people that are both slowly milling about and pushing their way to the ropes to get a better glimpse of a 1950 Chevy made out of shining pumpkins. With a stroller and a wheelchair in tow, there were a couple of near misses and one collision as a six year old ran right in front of us without a care. Again, out of the Safari Park’s control, just something to be very wary of.
And those things that can be dealt with; first up … that entrance. Basically, it’s just a wide open space where patrons gather, not sure where to go, before being squeezed forward into thin aisles between suddenly appearing hay bales. Supposedly, tickets are only good during certain time frames (7:00, 7:15, 7:30, etc.), but when the lines become so thin, with no real exit for anyone that needs to walk out for whatever reason with so many people demanding entrance from behind, I can’t really see them pulling people out of line if they are 20 minutes before their tickets say they can go in. Needless to say, this made for some grouchy people trapped in the pushing throngs complaining up a storm at the start. Expanding on this, since this starts so late, there will be quite a few kids who are wandering through around or after their bedtime … this makes for both careless and whining tykes running about.
Second, and this is kind of the real bummer, apparently quite a few of the pumpkin sculptures aren’t real. While quite a few of the art pieces are actually carved before the start of the event, a number of others are plastic or foam or something or other that both glows nice and warmly at night and doesn’t rot in the heat. Now, I can understand the need to keep this whole exhibit ‘fresh’ for its entire run, it still doesn’t change the fact that knowing that takes a bit of the magic and wonder out of it all.
Sure, of course its gorgeous; it was mold injected and vacuum sealed to look that way!
The last is a minor quibble, a bit absurd to have a problem with, actually. But, there isn’t much in the way of merchandise related to the Rise of the Jack o’Lanterns. We didn’t see any glowing pumpkin figurines, no replicas of the lanterns that line the paths, no pumpkin shaped cups you can get drinks in, not even a t-​shirt commemorating the event. I’m not saying they should go full Disney on the thing, but a little blinking statue would have been nice to get for my son.
All in all, an average time to be had. It’s beautiful and wonderful to behold, but the way the entrance is handled and the fact that most of the sculptures were made in a factory with no artistry beyond the machine that cut it out of the foam brings down the coolness factor down to a 3-​Star for me.

Very cool event! I received a promo code for opening weekend which made the price of admission very reasonable. I would recommend going later if you don’t have kids so you avoid the chaos.

I am so glad I found this event. My mom is in town visiting and when I saw the advertisement I knew I should buy tickets because it would be something she would enjoy. We were both completely blown away and this definitely exceeded what we were both expecting! I thought it would be a bunch of individually carved pumpkins sitting on the ground, festive but not spectacular. This is definitely wayyyy more impressive with all the carvings and statues than what was in my mind.
You must buy tickets in advance. It is running on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights through October 25. The entrance times are staggered so it doesn’t get too crowded on the trail. The first time slot starts at 6:15pm and the last one is at 9:30pm.
The trail is about ¹⁄₃ mile and is flat and has adquate lighting. It is suitable for all ages. There is a little area at the end of the trail that has some food and cocktails. Parking fee is included with the event ticket.
I would highly recommend coming out to this event. It would be a great date night or family night out!

As a surprise «Daddy-​Daughter Date» I decided to take the kiddo to see the very first appearance of RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns at the Wild Animal Park (AKA Safari Park). She loved it and said several times it was a great surprise, «really fun», etc. :)
A few pointers that you might not know about since this is all new:
1. RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns is held AT Safari Park but not IN Safari Park, so no need to worry about whether you have a ticket for the Park. YOU DON’T NEED ONE. The entire experience is set up in the premium upper parking lots for Safari Park, which means you will be going uphill to move from one row to the next. I believe there are 3 rows total with several themes throughout. Each row has displays set up on both the left and right sides. Be sure to alternate between the two so you don’t miss anything! You can also go back
2. Parking is FREE for the event, unlike when you visit Safari Park. Don’t stop for the parking booths. Just follow the directions of the employees with the traffic wands.
3. You can get a photo taken before getting in line. Do it if you have time and you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a souvenier photo pack at the end of the experience. You’ll also get a card for
so you can access your photo (s) online to see other purchase options.
4. The line to get in got pretty long for the first group, of which we were a part (7:00 PM). Just make sure you are in line at the time when you’re supposed to go in and you should be okay. We got in line at 6:53 PM and didn’t get started in the actual RISE of the Jack O’Lanterns area until about 7:10 PM.
5. Flash photography is not permitted. Please try to abide by this rule as much as you can! I had a few photos I had to retake because someone was using a flash in the background on a lower level of the experience.
6. They don’t allow tripods, but I found I was able to get my best DSLR photos by using the oil drums set up all along the path. A steady hand is no substitute for a stationary object, so if you don’t have a better solution these oil drums work great for those long exposure shots. I’m an amateur when it comes to photography so there may be better techniques for you. I suggest finding out what works early on in your «safari» so you don’t miss too many opportunities for great shots before you finally figure it out (as I did).
7. I included some of my not-​so-​great shots in the album to show the difference between steady and shaky shots. You’ll know them when you see them. :-/​
8. At the end of the experience there’s a major bottleneck as you’re filtered into the area just past the turnstiles where you would normally exit Safari Park. To your right will be the area where you can see a packet that includes the photo you may have had the staff take when you first arrived. To your left you’ll find the point-​of-​sale stand where you can take that photo packet for final purchase. There’s a bunch of other merch to the left as well but I left before checking it out because the toddler was ready to GO.
9. Cell phone photos will most likely be okay, but I can’t speak from experience. I only used an iPhone I had with me at the time to take video footage. All my stills were taken with a Canon DSLR. The video footage I took turned out pretty decent, so if the stills aren’t working out for you, it might be better to take video then extract still frames from it later.
All in all it was a great experience! You can walk through at your own pace which is nice, so snap as many photos as you like, and above all, HAVE PATIENCE. And have fun!