MORRISBURG – The annual Pumpkinferno event at Upper Canada Village saw fewer people through the ticket gate in 2023.
The 12th annual running of the popular fall tourist event had an attendance of 35,000 people. That is an 18.6 per cent decrease (8,000 fewer) than in 2021, despite adding an additional night to the event schedule in 2023. The SLPC added Thanksgiving Monday (October 9) to the month-long schedule.
UCP operator St. Lawrence Parks Commission did not publicly release its 2022 attendance figures. This year, it released a combined attendance figure for its three Fall-themed events: Fort Fright at Fort Henry in Kingston; Pumpkinferno at the former Kingston Penitentiary; and Pumpkinferno at UCV. The combined attendance of the three events was stated by the SLPC as 75,000.
“The positive impact of these three fall events is estimated at nearly $9M, according to the Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model,” said SLPC spokesperson Katie Forrester in a release.
On follow up, Forrester released separate figure for Pumpkinferno at UCP as 35,000 and the TREIM economic impact as “just over $5M.”
Event attendance peaked in 2017 with nearly 75,000 people visiting UCV.
At that time, tickets were sold at the village box office. This prompted vehicle lineups several kilometres long to get into the parking lots.
A scheduled entry system and online-only ticket purchases eliminated the traffic chaos on neighbouring roads.
“Pumpkinferno is a must-see attraction bringing guests from all across Eastern Ontario & Western Quebec regions,” said Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry member of provincial Parliament Nolan Quinn. “The Parks of the St. Lawrence have done a tremendous job in developing and growing the exhibits, including new pumpkin carvings every season. My family always look forward to attending Upper Canada Village every fall to take in the thousands of carved pumpkins.”
SLPC chair Bob Runciman said he was pleased to have contributed towards the Eastern Ontario economy in a time of year that is normally slow.
“By offering guests different experience options as well as their favourite annual fall tradition in two distinct locations, we were able to appeal to the market and make these experiences accessible to them,” he said in a release.
“These kinds of guest-focused program enhancements are how we will continue to drive economic prosperity in the region while also providing memorable cultural and recreational experiences for visitors.”
Pumpkinferno this year featured over 7,000 carved foam lighted pumpkin sculptures, and was open on select days from September 29 to October 29.
