Halloween gets bigger every year, October half term sees families looking for fun things to do, often community BID and town council teams get in touch with us at Sand In Your Eye to see how we can engage and entertain their communities. Spooky Pumpkin Trails are just one of the ways we can entertain through this haunting season.
This year was our first opportunity to collaborate with Matt from the Crewe BID team on bringing a family friendly Halloween themed spooky pumpkin trail to Crewe town center and Grand Junction Retail park.
Jocasta worked closely with Matt to come up with 5 pumpkin scenes and plan the locations best suited to each spooky pumpkin character. Matt was using the trail to encourage locals and wider community to explore parts of Crewe that they maybe hadn’t been to before.
The trail was set to take place the weekend after The Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail, one of our biggest events of the year, which was perfect as it allowed the team plenty of space and time in the studio to create the kooky characters.
Jamie, Claire, Jocasta, Dan and Peter each had a design to work on, Mark was also busy in the workshop pulling together some of the additional props that really bring the pumpkin trail to life. There was a sculpted owl with a spooky moon scene, a frightful Dracula, a multicoloured, many-legged pumpkin critter, a coven of cackling witches around a bubbling cauldron. A new addition to our pumpkin skills is painted portraits; visitors will have recognized Wednesday Addams from the hit new Netflix series.
Installation day was the morning of 26th of October. Jamie and Rich headed out early so that the install was complete and they were back on the road before lunch. It has been agreed with some of the local businesses that they would bring the sculptures in over night, and set them out again ready for the following day.
Crewe’s Bid team had designed a trail map and advertised the event with flyers and posters around the town as well as social media outlets and their own website.
One community attractions website read –
Join the Pumpkin Trail in Crewe: A Spooktacular Adventure for Families!
Get ready for a delightful autumn adventure! On October 26th and 27th, Crewe town center and grand junction retail park will transform into a magical Pumpkin Trail, inviting families to explore the town in a festive and fun-filled way. From 10 AM to 5 PM each day, join us for a whimsical journey featuring creatively decorated pumpkins, carved by well renowned artists, scattered throughout the town.
The Pumpkin Trail promises to be an exciting experience for young families, encouraging exploration and community spirit. Participants will receive a trail map to guide them through Crewe, allowing them to discover local shops, parks, and hidden gems while enjoying the seasonal atmosphere.’
Speaking to Matt from Crewe BID after the event, he told us that public engagement had been really strong and feedback from the trail was positive.
Pumpkin season is always a really busy one here at Sand In Your Eye. We pioneered the pumpkin trail in the U.K. and love having the opportunity to install our goofy 3D carved pumpkins around towns for people to find.
Check out the mini Pumpkin Trail we installed in Wakefield in 2023 here
And the best bits from the 2024 Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail here.
