Daniel Island Pumpkin Walk gets bigger, brighter this Halloween

Hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns, carved by people who live, work, or go to school on Daniel Island, will soon take their places around Smythe Lake. 

The annual Pumpkin Walk & Halloween Bash returns to Smythe Park on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Last year’s event drew more than 700 families, and this year organizers are adding new activities, more community groups, and five themed stops around the lake. 

But the pumpkins are still the point. 

“There’s something pretty magical about walking around Smythe Lake on a fall evening with hundreds of carved pumpkins glowing along the path,” said organizers Kelsey Urtz and Jenny Browning of the Daniel Island School PTA. 

Families are being asked to help fill that path by carving, painting, or decorating a pumpkin at home and dropping it off between noon and 2 p.m. that day at the corner of Purcell Lane and Daniel Island Drive. 

Organizers don’t have a record they’re trying to beat, but they hope to see hundreds of pumpkins lining the lake by the time the walk begins. 

“The more pumpkins people bring, the more incredible the lake will look that evening!” Browning said. 

This year, there will be more to discover along the way. Families will make their way through Witches, Ghosts, Spiders, Monsters, and Skeletons stops, each with its own decorations and mix of games, crafts, giveaways, and activities. 

Kids can pick up a scavenger hunt card near the first stop, collect a stamp at all five, and turn in a completed card near Pirate Park for a light-up prize. 

A new Glow Sports Zone will give kids another place to play. Charleston Soccer Club will host 3v3 soccer, the PTA will set up gaga ball and other games, and South Carolina Stingrays mascot Cool Ray will make an appearance. 

On the main lawn, families will find carnival games, face painting, crafts, food trucks, a DJ, seating, and performances, including one from the College of Charleston Cougarettes. 

The Daniel Island School PTA and Daniel Island Community Fund have partnered on the event for years, with the Daniel Island Recreation Center joining the effort this year. The Flying Fish Swim Team, Cub Scouts, Daniel Island Music Academy, Rotary Club, Bishop England Parents Guild, the Charleston Battery, local schools, sports organizations, businesses, and others are also helping with activities, performances, and displays. 

Pulling it all together takes months of planning and plenty of volunteers. Before families arrive, volunteers collect and place the pumpkins, decorate the themed areas, set up games and seating, prepare scavenger hunt materials, and coordinate participating groups and food trucks. 

Families who contribute pumpkins can take them home beginning at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, with pickup continuing until 9 a.m. Monday. Any remaining pumpkins will be recycled.  

Organizers are still looking for pumpkins, volunteers, and groups interested in participating. Community organizations can join at no cost by contacting events@dispta.org. 

“The activities make it fun, but the community is really what makes the Pumpkin Walk special,” Urtz said.