November 1st, 2017: A tradition for 13 years on the day after Halloween!
If you've ever tried to carve a pumpkin, you'll appreciate the efforts involved in the crafting of all the pumpkins lined up along the sinuous paved path of Sorauren Park on November 1st.
For years, the Roncesvalles community has joined in the fun, bringing to the park the pumpkins that were put to good use the night before,ÂÂÂ for a last showing. It's the one who started the trend in Toronto. When I arrived at 6:30 p.m. a few hundreds were already displayed and many people were still walking towards the park, heavy pumpkins in tow, in strollers, on scooters or carried by strong dads. In the park, families were discussing the advantage of one spot over another to display their jack-o'-lanterns. As they were lighting theirs, they happily lit their neighbours', blown off by the wind. (I suspect the event is even more spectacular on windless nights.) By 7:30 p.m., there was a large crowd of all ages, with enough space to move around over one thousand pumpkins. Kids were thrilled to discover the funniest or scariest ones. Beyond its cosy nooks, Sorauren is a big park with a vast open space (with the CN Tower at the horizon) so dress warmly.
I left the park at around 8:30 p.m. and the event was still going strong! (Click here to see a photo gallery of my visit on November 1st, 2014)
