The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze Returns for 2020

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze—the beloved Halloween tradition at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson—is returning for the season this September with a COVID Courtesy Code implemented to keep visitors safe and comfortable during their visit. The event will also be coming to Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage for the first time this year. Tickets are now available for pre-sale by visiting this link and entering the code friends20.

Arguably the area's biggest, most elaborate Halloween happening, the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze has been around since 2005 and displays more than 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack-o'-lanterns in an elaborate walk-through experience. Meander through a historic, 18th-century riverside landscape and discover a breathtaking display—all made of jack-o’-lanterns.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Safety Precautions

Visitors will be required to wear a mask at all times, practice social distancing, monitor their symptoms in the 48 hours prior to arrival, to provide names of everyone in the party for contact tracing purposes, and to leave personal items behind. The event will occur at a limited capacity to ensure visitors can maintain proper social distancing with advance tickets required. Read more about the Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze COVID Courtesy Code here.

Know Before You Go

Get there early. It takes time to park and you don’t want to miss any of the fun. If you’re comfortable with dining out, think about grabbing a bite somewhere in Croton to beat some of the traffic.

Spend time in the tent.There are some very cool pumpkin carving demonstrations, which will mesmerize the kids, plenty of treats to buy, and lots of goodies for the kids like light-up swords to purchase.

Dress for the weather. This event is outdoors and held rain or shine. It can be very chilly at night.

Prepare your kids. Some small and even big kids might be spooked by some of the event's features, including scary music, hanging skeletons, and walking around in the dark. Talk to your kids ahead of time about the thousands of pumpkins created into some animals, fairies, and more. You might consider showing them some pictures online. And for those that scare easily, suggest that they use their glow sticks to scare the skeletons.