Pumpkin Carving Demonstrations Archives

This Weekend: Carve Out Some Family Time

Posted in Programs and Events on October 17 2014, by Lansing Moore

Ray Villafane pumpkin picasso master carving class — Ray Villafane leads his sold out Pumpkin Picasso carving class at NYBG

Ray Villafane is back at NYBG tomorrow for Pumpkin Carving Weekend. See this year’s massive zombie carving come to life after touring The Haunted Pumpkin Garden. Check out Ray’s exclusive artist’s rendering of his apocalyptic pumpkin vision here—it’s like no jack-o’-lantern you’ve ever seen! In fact, Ray is at Grand Central Terminal today until 7 p.m. beginning work on his masterpiece in a live demonstration that is open to the public! Stop by if you’re in midtown, but come to the Garden this weekend to see the finished product.

Kids are welcome to complete the Halloween fun with the Budding Masters Creepy Pumpkin Carving Adventure this Saturday, open exclusively to MasterCard cardholders. Saturday and Sunday will also feature the return of Creepy Creatures of Halloween. Erik Zeidler, the host of this popular and educational program, recently visited Good Day New York with some of his amazing reptiles to discuss his work with the Garden. Head below to check out some of the eye-popping live creatures your family can visit this weekend, along with our impressive pumpkin installation.

Kiku has only a couple of weeks left, so come enjoy a bite at our Japanese Pop-Up Restaurant while there’s still time! In the meanwhile, enjoy this Creepy Creatures clip from Good Day New York, and check out the full schedule of weekend programs.

Pumpkin Power

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 22 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

This is the time of year when we celebrate everything autumnal at the Garden. As part of the Haunted Pumpkin Garden, some of the year’s biggest pumpkins have been carved by master carver Ray Villafane and his crew from Villafane Studios into a display with a theme resembling a home garden run amok. I am personally hoping to see Rick Moranis pop out of one of these pumpkins and wow us with his endearing humor, but something tells me that won’t happen. In addition, we have a lot of fun activities going on at the Garden right now, from demonstrations with bats and bugs to the statuesque and enthralling Japanese chrysanthemum exhibition, Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden.

In the spirit of the season, I’ll be in the Perennial Garden this weekend giving a demonstration on how to make decorative arrangements with pumpkins and gourds. This demonstration is always a popular one, giving homeowners some fun, easy, and creative ideas on how to dress up their homes for the holidays.