Paying for tickets to sit in your car and drive past a bunch of carved pumpkins may seem dull and uneventful to some, but the right company and music can make it a fun experience.
Pumpkins After Dark, a 2.5 km drive-thru, includes different pumpkin-carved themes that will leave you wondering how people manage to cut such straight lines.
Now, you may be wondering: why would you possibly pay $39 (and more – depending on the number of people in a vehicle) to sit and look at pumpkins?
This time, last year, Ontario was in Stage 2 with several restrictions limiting possible Halloween activities. There wasn’t much to do––and a drive-thru seemed to be the most COVID-friendly Halloween activity possible. I was skeptical about the event, but given my need to get out of the house, I gave in.
My boyfriend and I went to the drive-thru attraction for the first time last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a radio station you could tune into during the drive that played all the Halloween hits that made me reminisce back to my elementary school dances. I can admit that the car speakers barely made it out alive.
I couldn’t wait to go back next year and make this an annual event.
Although my expectations were high, I did not expect to be that wooed – they are pumpkins, after all. The website flaunted that they added around 70% new content to the event, and that did not disappoint.
The drive, being substantially much longer than what I remembered from the previous year, had different themes, including Greek mythology, video games, movies and much more.
A substantial amount of the pumpkin displays were on the driver’s side which was frustrating, but I still found myself fascinated to see more. The only downside, in my opinion, was the tunes. I’m a sucker for the classic “Monster Mash”, but the radio station was only playing eerie sounds and not the classics I anticipated. But thankfully, the aux cord saved the day.
I can understand why there were so many cars lined up but I was still baffled by the amount – they are just pumpkins.
Nonetheless, if you’re looking for something exciting to do during this Halloween season, I would recommend going to Pumpkins After Dark. Just don’t forget an aux cord, and make sure you’re comfortable enough to be right up against the person on the driver’s side!