Descanso Gardens is a yearlong garden wonderland, but every Halloween lights go up that make the place even more magical. This event called Carved starts on October sixth and ends on the twenty ninth. It is a thirty minute tour from 6pm to 9pm.. It is available to everyone as long as you buy a ticket and even if you have a yearlong pass you are still required to buy a ticket, just at a cheaper price. The tickets are thirty-five to forty-five dollars for non members, thirty to forty dollars for members, and about half the price to go to this experience at day times.
This event is stunning and has many different parts to it such as hundreds of pumpkins completely covering the Camila Forest for a mile in all three weeks of the event. The first section of these pumpkins are fake facially carved pumpkins, but the second section contains real pumpkins that are carved with inspiration from popular movies and famous celebrities. There is also an altar as a tribute to Dia de los Muertos. Rhizome, a glow in the dark installation by Tom and Lien Dekyvere is also a part of Carved. Of course, there are gigantic carved pumpkins as well, as the name suggests. The Descanso Garden Website says,”This year, Carved returns with a new route, new locations and enhanced experiences. As visitors wind their way through the Camellia Forest and picturesque Rose Garden, they will be enchanted by luminous jack-o’-lanterns, fall foliage, and whimsical displays.” As you go further through the decorations you will come across a house made of pumpkins! They are put in thick clusters and put together to form a small house that is a great photo opportunity. As you stroll you will find that when you stomp near the trees there are spooky noises, such as a witch cackling. Other than the hundreds of pumpkins there are fake cobwebs and glowing straw lanterns everywhere. Since this is a family friendly event the music is mood, but not scary. A lot of people want to take photos to keep as memories, and the whole experience is filled with areas to take photos such as pumpkin house. The hay maze is a returning part of Carved, showing that it received positive feedback the year prior. According to the CARVED article,”You can also enjoy delicious fall-themed food and drinks as you stroll through the garden.”
There are some differences between last year’s Carved experience and this year’s one. These might be improvements, depending on your perspective. One of these changes is that last year there were more real pumpkins nearer to the front, but this year they have been moved further back into the Carved experience. Thanks to the amazing response and the demand for the tickets, Descanso realized this is a popular event and decided to add a whole new path. The article Carved by Michael Juliano says, “For the 2023 edition, Carved promises a new route and additional locations, plus an expanded Día de los Muertos ofrenda altar.”
On a not so busy day, the average person spends about 45 minutes at this experience and, because you might be tired, you can go to the courtyard where you can get free hot cocoa or cider. You still need a timed ticket for access to the courtyard and the free drinks.
On Yelp, many parents described the event as a fun family experience for all ages, which is exactly what the Descanso Gardens states this seasonal event is. Some people asked for a longer experience because they believe that they could add more things to Carved to make it last longer. “There are people working in every area if you have a question & to guide you in the dark,” a Yelp review says. As this comment describes, the customer service is good. People think positively of this Carved experience, and starting on October sixth, you can go experience it yourself.
