Halloween got off to a magical start at the Dalston Eastern Curve Garden last weekend when it was lit up by almost 400 carved pumpkins for the sixth annual Lantern Show.

Around 2,000 children, young people and adults descended on the garden in Dalston Lane over two days to take part in marathon carving sessions and to enjoy the big light up of all of the creations on Sunday evening.

Visitors wandered through the Garden discovering cats, bats, ghosts, skeletons, and other spooky carvings, all hidden among the trees and in every nook and cranny. There were ‘Day of the Dead’ themed pumpkins and even a Star Wars ‘Death Star’.

Marie Murray who organises the annual show at the Garden said: “We were just bowled over by the popularity of the carving sessions this year.

“The number of people who came to experience the spectacle of all of the pumpkins lit up in the Garden was overwhelming.”

Luca Prokifiev, 9, said: “It was magical seeing all the faces lit up in the dark – it was really cool.”

The Halloween Pumpkin Lantern Show launches the annual ‘Festival of Light’, with lantern-making workshops and installations to light up the garden throughout winter.