COVID-19 won't spook Louisville's annual Jack-o-lantern Spectacular in October

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The coronavirus is not going to cancel one of Louisville’s fun Halloween traditions.

The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is scheduled to start up in October with a few extra safety precautions this year. Every October, Iroquois Park transforms into a spooky maze of thousands of gorgeous glowing gourds. The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is the Louisville Park Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the entire year, with a portion of each ticket sale supporting public parks and community centers.

“The community needs this," said Brooke Pardue, the foundation’s CEO. "Everyone needs something to look forward to right now. And just to be able to give folks a lift, something to enjoy, and something they know they can enjoy with their family and be safe."

Pardue said the team has been coming up with multiple backup plans for the fall event starting in March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Louisville. She said it became clear that one option would be the safest: a drive-thru spectacular.

Typically, Iroquois Park is packed with thousands of people, shoulder to shoulder, walking through a spectacular display of jack-o-lanterns. Crowds like that would be the makings of a coronavirus horror movie. So this time, it will be organized as a drive-thru event, like last year’s first-ever Winter Woods Spectacular.

Pardue said all the pumpkins will be positioned at car-height, and there will be more than the usual 5,000 pumpkins on display. The theme this year will be A Hitchhiker’s Guide.

It will be a cash-less event, to minimize any transactions between volunteers and passengers in the vehicles. Tickets are already available online. Instead of paying per person, you will be charged per vehicle. A car, SUV or van will cost $35. A limousine or passenger van will cost $50.

For more event or ticket information, click here.