On Halloween, from 5pm to 8pm, the downtown stretch of the South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas—beginning at the Self Realization Fellowship Gift Store at K Street, and continuing all the way to up Encinitas Boulevard—becomes transformed into “Pumpkin Lane,” with safe trick-or-treating, and over 40 downtown merchants that give out treats to children of all ages.
Pumpkin Lane is uniquely magical because it’s decorated at different viewing locations with glowing, lit-up pumpkins—all donated by the Self-Realization Fellowship, whose monks and lay members carve the pumpkins for the enjoyment of the community.
The pumpkins are grown by the SRF on two properties, the largest referred to by the monks as “The Farm,” near Summit and Santa Fe Drive, and the other, “The Produce Garden” at Cornish and Santa Fe Drive, overlooking Swamis, and the SRF ashram. This years pumpkin crop is estimated to be close to 200 pumpkins.
The Self-Realization Fellowship has been growing pumpkins on its properties in Encinitas since 1985. The SRF’s Halloween events for the Encinitas community began that same year (in 1985), which eventually attracted upwards of 13,000 people to the ashram—where the pumpkins were originally displayed.
Beginning in 2001, the SRF started donating its carved pumpkins to the Downtown Encinitas Merchants’ Association who’s newly created “Safe Trick-Or-Treating” Halloween event then took over, as the SRF decided to discontinue their event at the ashram because of the overwhelming crowds.
The SRF still provides a major attraction along Pumpkin Lane with their “Magic Castle” and “Queen’s Court,” where children are given candy and gifts, so bring the kids on down to the 101 for a totally unique Encinitas Halloween tradition.
More From the Shoot
Two frames the magazine had no room for — the same doorway a few steps back, and the other field, the one nobody photographs.
As It Ran in Print
The original spread, Encinitas Magazine, October | November 2015, pages 52 and 53, in the Memories of Old Encinitas section. Click either page to see it full size.
