A behind-the-scenes look at Roger William Park Zoo’s gourd-ous display
Though Halloween isn’t until the 31st, a flip of the calendar page signals the official start of spooky season at Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWPZ). The 2025 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular kicked off September 26, bringing back last year’s fan-favorite Trivia theme, but with a completely fresh spin for the second edition. Before the gates even opened, a team of creative and crafty minds has been hard at work since early August to put on the beloved show that’s been charming visitors for over two decades.
Behind the magic of glowing gourds, farcical faces, and enchanting music is a minefield of logistics that would give a lesser team quite a fright – but not the resourceful Passion for Pumpkins, Inc. and RWPZ staff, who have turned pumpkin illumination into a science. Weather, climate fluctuations affecting the growing season, and even traffic patterns are no match for John Reckner, who launched the first Spectacular at RWPZ in 2001.
“Early on, everyone would get there at around six o’clock Saturday night. We had traffic backed up on I-95, two miles each way,” he recalls of that inaugural year, a three-week show that saw 85,000 people, well over the anticipated 30,000. The timed entry most of us are familiar with today solved that problem – which is good news since the show has only grown over the years.
Though we cross our fingers for more starry nights than rainy ones all October, Rhode Island weather in the fall is notoriously fickle. Even in the best of circumstances (crisp autumn nights and no torrential downpours), pumpkin sculpture – as anyone has observed in the lovingly carved jack-o-lanterns set out on our stoops for Halloween – isn’t an artform known for its permanence. When the shapely smiles turn gummy, the team swaps out new gourds every week or so to keep the show fresh (literally).
But they’ve also devised tricks for extending each organic sculpture’s shelf life. “We have LED bulbs and keep the electrical socket outside the pumpkins so it doesn’t heat them up, and we have fans inside each pumpkin,” Reckner explains, all strategies developed over trial and error over time.
The artists working tirelessly in the background are the secret sauce behind the whole production. Many are professional illustrators or tattoo artists the rest of the calendar year. For the very ornate, attention-grabbing pumpkins that bring each year’s theme to life, Reckner says, “You’re looking at 12 hours of work for some of them. These are real detailed showstoppers.”
One of these talented artists is George Nickolopoulos, who has had a hand in just about every facet of the show over his tenure with Passion for Pumpkins, Inc., and has carved over 10,000 pumpkins. His work has gained attention in regional and national outlets, from The Boston Globe and The Providence Journal to Good Morning America and the PBS documentary, “Oh My Gourd: The Jack o’ Lantern Spectacular Story,” among others.
“The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular has provided me with the amazing and humbling opportunity to bring joy, wonder, and the spirit of the season to over 175,000 of fellow Rhode Islanders, as well as visitors from far and wide, every year,” says Nickolopoulos.
Reckner explains that the process starts with “a simple pen,” much like home pumpkin-carvers may be familiar with. The sketch is traced over with a Sharpie once it’s to the artist’s liking, and then the carving begins. They use wood-carving tools to scrape away where the light will shine through, creating intricate designs that use shadow and light to enhance realism.
Based in Oxford, Massachusetts, Passion for Pumpkins, Inc. is the multimedia production company that puts on the show every year. Reckner was inspired by a pumpkin display he encountered in Vermont. “Back home, I’m taking my dogs for a walk through the cathedral pine trees, and I’m thinking of these pumpkins up in Vermont, and how I could take it a step further with large, ornate pumpkins carved with detailed images and background music in an attractive landscape setting. That’s the key. It’s got to have a nice environment,” he explains. “A lightbulb went off for me.”
He went on todo a small pumpkin display for a school fundraiser event, and each year the concept continued to grow, soon catching the attention of the City of Providence.
The rest is history. Nickolopoulos notes that the “Pumpkin Show” was designated a National Local Legacy by the Library of Congress in 1999, and has appeared in eight cities across the United States, entertaining over 5 million visitors.
For Rhode Islanders who return every year, the thrill of trekking the winding path of light and sound, discovering each new interpretation of the theme etched into pumpkin canvases is a hallmark of the season, and an excuse to tap into a childlike sense of wonder.
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is now open, and runs nightly through November 2. Purchase tickets online, and visit the RWPZ website for pricing, sensory-friendly dates, volunteer opportunities, and everything you need to know! Visit us on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes video about the Spectacular!