The trail's mascot is named Jack, who is pictured on the pumpkin.(Giselle Rhoden / LPM)A longtime Louisville pumpkin show is moving to the city’s amusement park grounds this fall, making this the first year the event won’t be held at Iroquois Park.Kentucky Kingdom officials announced Tuesday th at the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular will move to the park for the 14th annual event this year. Amusement park leadership said the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular will combine with another Kentucky Kingdom fall event and include admission to the park.In a press conference Tuesday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the Parks Alliance of Louisville–the primary collaborator with the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular–will no longer partner with the event in the future.The Spectacular was the largest fundraiser for the Parks Alliance. Greenberg said the Parks Alliance will host a separate “pumpkin event leading up to Halloween” at Iroquois Park this fall.“In and of its own right, [the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular] should be a wonderful event for Kentucky Kingdom and for our community to enjoy, as well as the other event that will take place at Iroquois Park,” Greenberg said.According to its website, The Parks Alliance will host “Jack’s Lantern Trail: Follow the Pumpkin’s Glow” at Iroquois Park from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1.“The Parks Alliance of Louisville is excited to continue our fall pumpkin tradition at Iroquois Park in 2026,” officials said on its website.What began as a small backyard pumpkin display in Massachusetts in the 1980s transformed into 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins illuminating a wooded walking trail in south Louisville’s Iroquois Park.Passion for Pumpkins, Inc. brought the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular from Massachusetts to Louisville over a decade ago. Company leader Travis Reckner said parking at Iroquois has become an issue, according to WLKY.The 2026 Jack O’Lantern Spectacular will be a joint event with Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom, a smaller fall festival.“We're thrilled to begin the next chapter of Jack O' Lantern Spectacular at Kentucky Kingdom,” Reckner said in a news release. “This new home gives us the opportunity to welcome even more guests while enhancing the overall experience, allowing families to enjoy our handcrafted pumpkin displays while also hopping on their favorite rides, chowing down on fall-themed treats, and enjoying the fifth year of Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom.”Spokesperson Carly Uglow said admission to the joint event will include rides and other attractions at night, on site parking, trick-or-treat stations with candy, a hay maze and live entertainment.“We're excited to preserve the legacy of Jack O' Lantern Spectacular while introducing it to our guests in a whole new way alongside the rides, attractions, and family experiences that make Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom so special,” Uglow said.The Jack O’Lantern Spectacular and Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom will run Wednesdays through Sundays from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. ...read more read less