Carving pumpkins at home is fun right up until someone has to scoop out the guts and wipe down the kitchen table. Delta has a better idea this year. The Great Pumpkin Carve is a brand-new, free City of Delta event on October 24 and 25: you carve your pumpkin in the park with tools they provide, then leave it on a lit-up Glow Walk that the whole community can visit until Halloween.
It runs at two parks at the same time, one in Ladner and one in North Delta, and each has its own extras. Here’s how it works and how to pick.
When & Where
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Dates | Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2026 |
| Time | 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. both days |
| Ladner | Paterson Park, 5800 Clarence Taylor Crescent |
| North Delta | McKitrick Park, by Sungod Recreation Centre, 7815 112 Street |
| Cost | Free. Bring your own pumpkin or pick up a locally grown one on site by cash donation |
| Glow Walk | Carved pumpkins stay on display until October 31 |
| Weather | Rain or shine (it’s outdoors) |
| Who it’s for | All ages |
Check the official Great Pumpkin Carve page before you go in case anything changes.
How It Works
- Bring a pumpkin, or grab one there. Locally grown pumpkins are available on site by cash donation.
- Carve it at a carving station. The City provides the carving tools. You’re welcome to bring your own specialty tools too.
- Add it to the Great Pumpkin Glow Walk. Your pumpkin joins a glowing community display along the park walkway.
- Come back during the week. The pumpkins stay lit up through the week, and anyone can visit. You don’t have to have carved one.
- Pick it up for Halloween. If you want your pumpkin back for your porch, collect it on October 31 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Anything left after noon gets composted.
Register or Walk In?
The event is free and walk-ins are welcome, but registering is the safer bet for families:
- Registering guarantees you a carving spot at the time you pick and reserves a light for your pumpkin on the Glow Walk. Each park has its own registration page (Ladner, North Delta).
- Walking in works too, but carving stations are first come, first served, so there may be a wait, and Glow Walk space is limited. If all the reserved lights are taken, you can still add your pumpkin. Just bring your own battery-operated light.
- Want to take your pumpkin straight home? The City asks that you don’t register and come as a walk-in instead, since registered pumpkins are meant to stay for the Glow Walk.
Ladner or North Delta: Which One?
Both parks have pumpkin carving, the Glow Walk, pumpkin crafts, harvest games, food trucks and live music. The differences are in the extras:
Paterson Park (Ladner) – Party Barn bouncy castle – Local market vendors – Food trucks on Saturday: Cookies Ice Cream, Tsawwassen Boundary Bay Lions Club, Shwarma King – Food trucks on Sunday: Furry Fairy Bites, Tsawwassen Boundary Bay Lions Club, Alohaaa Hawaiian Hot Dogs
McKitrick Park (North Delta) – Giant inflatable corn maze – Festive mini golf – Food trucks on Saturday: Furry Fairy Bites, Rotato Potato, Meet2Eat Mexican – Food trucks on Sunday: Cookies Ice Cream, Rotato Potato, Shwarma King
For little kids who need to burn off energy, the bouncy castle (Ladner) or the corn maze and mini golf (North Delta) may decide it for you.
Local musicians play at both parks on both days, with sets at 11:30 a.m., 1:00, 2:30 and 4:00 p.m. The full line-up for each park and day is on the City’s event page.
Food
The City’s event is a nod to Delta’s farmers, so expect food made with locally grown ingredients alongside the food trucks. The free curly fries (Ladner) and free Twisted Potatoes (North Delta) have already reached capacity, but the City says both will still be for sale on site. Bring a wallet for food and some cash if you’re picking up a pumpkin there.
The Carving Contest
Every pumpkin on the Glow Walk is automatically entered in a community carving contest, with prizes in five categories:
- Scariest Pumpkin
- Most Creative Pumpkin
- Friendliest Pumpkin
- Kids Carve (for children under 12, and adults can’t enter this one)
- Best Overall Pumpkin Design
Voting is by QR code on the sign board at the park. You can vote for as many pumpkins as you like, in as many categories as you like, from October 24 until 9:00 a.m. on October 31. Winners are announced the following Monday.
Parent Tips
- Register a carving time. It’s free, it guarantees a station, and it saves you standing in line with a toddler and a pumpkin.
- Dress for mess and weather. It’s outdoors and runs rain or shine. Pumpkin guts on a costume isn’t fun, so an old hoodie or a rain jacket works better.
- Bring a battery tea light. If the reserved lights are all used up, your pumpkin still gets to glow.
- Let the kids do the design and an adult do the cutting. The tools are provided, but carving is still knife work. Younger kids can draw the face and scoop the seeds.
- Come back after dark. The Glow Walk is the payoff. A second visit later in the week to find your pumpkin and vote is a nice, short evening outing. The City hasn’t posted specific Glow Walk viewing hours, so go early in the evening and bring a flashlight.
- Dogs are welcome if they’re on leash and comfortable around crowds.
- Make a pumpkin weekend of it. Near North Delta, the Bear Creek Pumpkin Train in Surrey runs through Oct 31. And if your crew wants fireworks on Saturday night, Celebrate the Night in Maple Ridge is the same evening, Oct 24.
Quick Answers
Is the Great Pumpkin Carve free? Yes. Carving and tools are free. Pumpkins on site are by cash donation, and food is for sale.
Do I need to register? No, but it’s encouraged. Registering guarantees a carving time and a light on the Glow Walk.
Can I take my pumpkin home? If you register, you’re asked to leave it for the Glow Walk and pick it up Oct 31 between 9 a.m. and noon. If you want it right away, come as a walk-in instead.
Can I visit the Glow Walk without carving? Yes. Everyone is welcome to visit between Oct 24 and Oct 31 and vote.
Is it on if it rains? Yes, it’s rain or shine.
Can adults carve too? Absolutely. Adults just can’t enter the Kids Carve category.
Final Thoughts
The Great Pumpkin Carve takes the messiest part of Halloween out of your kitchen and turns it into a free afternoon in the park, with games, music and a bouncy castle or corn maze on the side. Register a carving time, dress for rain, and plan a second trip later in the week to see your pumpkin glowing with the rest.
Event page: The Great Pumpkin Carve — City of Delta Registration: Ladner (Paterson Park) · North Delta (McKitrick Park)
