Community's Creativity Shines Again at Tribeca Pumpkin Carving Contest

Left: Lots of excitement from kids (and adults, too) at the Washington Market Park Pumpkin Carving Contest. Right: Best of the best—the overall winner—was this pumkin astronaut and alien by Nana Burias and the Sopp family. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

There was a gumball machine and apple core, a hamburger and a bat (the flying kind), an alien spaceship, a Barbie, and even a box of “Pumpkin Donuts.” All were among the mind- boggling variety of nearly 90 entries in Washington Market Park’s annual Pumpkin Carving Contest, sponsored by Friends of Washington Market Park [1] and held on Oct. 28. It’s a Tribeca tradition that draws bigger crowds and more contestants each year. The contest’s six judges had the tough job of picking winners in six categories—most creative, most realistic, cutest, scariest, and funniest, plus an overall winner. 

Below are some creations that caught our eye. Go here [2] for a video of the park’s next-day Halloween “parade,” not quite a parade due to rain, but the show went on.

Photos by Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

And some moments from the event.