Pumpkin Parade
Every November 1, the day after Halloween, the world-famous Pumpkin Parade takes place at Sorauren Park. With more than 1,500 pumpkins on display in some years, the Parade is a neighbourhood and even regional highlight of the season. From witches and cats, to politicians and world events, the artful jack-o-lanterns represent the spirit of Halloween and also the spirit of the times.
Add your pumpkin to the parade. It starts at 6 pm, with the busiest times after dinner. There is no competition… but will your pumpkin get noticed? And what will be the dominant theme this year?
Place your pumpkins along the inside edge of the path around the park. Please light your pumpkins with wax candles and not battery-powered lights or tin-bottomed tea lights that contaminate the eventual compost. Your candle-lit pumpkins make the parade come alive.
Walk or take transit to the park. The streets are narrow and busy and there is no parking at the park. The 505 Dundas and 506 College streetcars stop at the top of Sorauren, a three-minute walk from the park. The 47 Lansdowne bus stops at Rideau St., also a short walk away. Be safe.
The Sorauren event was launched by neighbours in 2004, led by founder Colleen Kennedy, and has sparked similar events across Toronto, Montreal (Parade des Citrouilles) and in Upper Manhattan (hello Inwood). It has been blogged in Copenhagen.
Put “sorauren park pumpkin parade” into your favourite search engine to find more great photos of parades past.
Sorauren Park 
So glad you do this. I’ve added you to my good Toronto directory here: http://www.t.isgood.ca/community/pumpkin-parade-sorauren-park/
I read in the newspaper today that the city will not be picking up the pumpkins this year. Does this mean the parade will be cancelled?
I read that the city wasn’t picking the pumkins up this year. Has that changed?
Councillor Perks has arranged for the pumpkins to be picked up. The pumpkin parade will march on.
Hi! What’re the hours? This looks amazing.
Folks drop off their pumpkins late in the afternoon and throughout the evenings. Looks best after sunset at 6:08 p.m., most pumpkins in place by 8 p.m. for sure. If the weather is clear, big crowds start forming by 7 p.m. ish. Enjoy!
Best after dark as they will all be lit.
This is a great event, I have gone a number of years in a row and last year decided to go to another park doing something similar but the one at Sorauren is way more impressive.
Looking forward to it!
The best Pumpkin Parade in the land.
This look amazing!!
Will the pumpkins be still there on Sunday?
The pumpkins are removed on Sunday morning, usually pretty early. Best to see them lit on Saturday night if possible.
Sorry, the pumpkins will be gone by Sunday night. Very much an ephemeral event, catch it while you can!
We were pleased to see that, in spite of the cold, lots of people still brought their pumkins Here are two shots we took on Saturday night:
How are they lit up? Tea lights? Battery operated lights?
Yes, they are lit up. Tea lights/simple wax candles that burn down are preferred. Thanks!
On for 2015. I wanna go! 🙂
Thanks for the great idea! We are in our 2nd year and having a great time.
We will be at the East York Civic Centre on Sun., 7-9 pm, with our own pumpkins
celebrating the night with you.
Hi There,
Wondered if there is a permit required for a pumpkin parade? We live near the junction and would like to host one in our local park. Any advice you could share is appreciated. Thank you!
Hi, yes, you need to get a permit from the City of Toronto (they are free) to host a Pumpkin Parade. Here is the link: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/venues-facilities-bookings/booking-park-recreation-facilities/simple-permit-booking/
Good luck!