MORRISBURG – Upper Canada Village’s ‘Pumpkinferno’ has shattered attendance records this season with 74,763 visitors attending the event.
Pumpkinferno was open for five weeks starting on September 29th and featured new displays celebrating Canada 150.
The event hosted more people this season than the 2015 and 2016 seasons combined according to the St. Lawrence Parks Commission.
“So many aspects of the event aligned this year,” said Upper Canada Village acting manager Tracey Ogilby in a release. “The weather, the artistry of our team and the addition of Canada 150 themes which really resonated with visitors.”
Larger crowds meant the agency had to adjust parking and admissions to the event. On October 21st, traffic overflowed on to County Roads 2 and 41, and backed up the Highway 401 interchange for hours. One week later, traffic lineups were localized to the entrance to the park.
“All of these pieces contributed to making this year our biggest year yet,” said Ogilby.
The record crowds also provided a boost to the local economy. According to SLPC, the event had an economic impact of $8.6 million to the area, up from $4 million in 2016. The agency used the province’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model (TREIM) to calculate the economic benefit.
Crews are now in the process of preparing UCV for Alight at Night. New this year, the village fairgrounds will be transformed into Twinkletown, a setting of winter-themed play areas for children, set among twinkling musical trees.
Alight at Night opens on select nights from December 1-20th (Thursday through Sundays) and open nightly from December 21st to January 6th. The village will be closed December 24th and 25th.