More than 5,000 carved pumpkins light a trail in Mason through Nov. 1, with apple butter and a carillon concert later in October

MASON, Mich. — A walking trail lined with more than 5,000 hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns opened Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Ingham County Fairgrounds, 700 E. Ash St., and stays lit through Nov. 1.

Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed arranges the pumpkins in more than 30 scenes and themes, according to the fairgrounds. Some of them took four hours to carve. Most are “forever pumpkins,” carved artificial ones, mixed with real pumpkins in the displays. The last admission is 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays and 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Online, an anytime ticket costs $20 for adults and $15 for teens 13 to 17, seniors 62 and older and military members. A ticket good only on a Thursday or Sunday costs $15 for adults and $10 for those groups. Children 12 and under get in free and need no ticket. There are no refunds, but if bad weather closes the event, tickets carry over to another night.

Doors open a half-hour before the walk begins. While they wait, visitors can play free glow golf, let small children race trikes on a straw-bale course or pay for bounce houses and rides. Stands sell mini doughnuts, cider, roasted almonds and popcorn, and a bar serves beer, wine and mixed drinks.

Dogs are allowed on Thursday nights only. The path is paved except for the last 500 feet, which the fairgrounds warns could be muddy after construction this year, and strollers and wagons are welcome. Organizers say the walk is meant for all ages and has no jump scares.

Back in Lansing, Fenner Nature Center, 2020 E. Mount Hope Ave., holds its 52nd Apple Butter Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25. Admission is free, with a suggested $5 parking donation. Visitors can take a turn stirring the apple butter kettle, cut a tree cookie with a crosscut saw, paint pumpkins and walk the trails. The festival raises money for Fenner Conservancy, the nonprofit that runs the center with the city.

On Thursday, Oct. 29, Michigan State University carillonist Jon Lehrer plays a free outdoor Halloween concert at 8 p.m. at Beaumont Tower on the East Lansing campus, with large projected images by theater professor Alison Dobbins lighting up the tower, Gander Newsroom reported.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed opened Oct. 8 and continues through Nov. 1; opening-day language is now past tense. This guide was published before them, and its schedule language has been changed to the past tense. Fenner’s Apple Butter Festival (Oct. 24-25) and the Oct. 29 Beaumont Tower carillon concert remain ahead.

Updated Oct. 13, 2026: The headline was updated because the trail opened Oct. 8; it continues through Nov. 1.

Sources:
Ingham County Fair, Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed, https://fair.ingham.org/index_halloween.php
Jack O’ Lanterns Unleashed, Tickets & Deals, https://jackolanterns.saffire.com/p/tickets
Fenner Nature Center, Apple Butter Festival, https://mynaturecenter.org/visit/festivals/applebutterfestival/
Gander Newsroom, “Fall fun in Lansing 2026”, https://gandernewsroom.com/local/things-to-do/lansing-pumpkin-patches/
Photo: Nheyob, “Jack-o-lanterns 2012,” Oct. 31, 2012, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack-o-lanterns_2012.JPG

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Tags: Lansing · Michigan Travel · Live Music · Pumpkins and Corn Mazes · Parks and Recreation · Festivals