Today, Thursday 23 October, the winning pumpkin from the Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship was transformed into Denmark’s largest — and perhaps most terrifying — jack-o’-lantern inside the historic 182-year-old amusement park Tivoli Gardens, in the heart of the Danish capital Copenhagen. Until Sunday 26 October, Tivoli’s guests can experience the Danish-American artist Malik Mabe wielding his chainsaw as he transforms the nine giant pumpkins that competed in this year’s championship into enormous, glowing, and delightfully spooky pumpkin lanterns.
This year’s winning pumpkin — an impressive specimen weighing 903.5 kg (1,992 lbs) — is roughly the same weight as a male African buffalo or a small car. Guests can admire the artist’s spectacular and eerie pumpkin creations until 2 November, the final day of Halloween in Tivoli Gardens.
When Malik Mabe visits Tivoli Gardens from 23 to 26 October, visitors can expect a truly extraordinary sight. With a mix of precision, humour, and craftsmanship, he will turn nine of Denmark’s largest pumpkins —from the 2025 Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship — into the country’s biggest jack-o’-lanterns. Using a chainsaw and carving knives, the Danish-American artist transforms the enormous pumpkins into hauntingly beautiful figures that light up the night and add an extra spark of spookiness to Halloween in Tivoli Gardens.
The winner of this year’s championship, Peter Holst Olsen from the town of Næstved, claimed first place with his massive 903.5 kg (1,992 lbs) pumpkin — only his second time competing. His prize pumpkin was the first to be transformed into a pumpkin monster. The other competing pumpkins weighed between 439.5 kg (969 lbs) and 81.5 kg (180 lbs).
The 36-year-old artist begins carving each day at 11:00 a.m. from 23 to 26 October. On Halloween night, 31 October, all of the giant jack-o’-lanterns will be illuminated, ready to spread both fright and fascination throughout Tivoli Gardens. When Tivoli Gardens wraps up the Halloween season on 2 November, the giant pumpkins will be donated to Copenhagen Zoo, where elephants and other animals will enjoy them as a seasonal treat. Tivoli Gardens will then reopen for Christmas in Tivoli, running from 14 November to 4 January.
Malik Mabe looks forward to beginning his work
“This year’s pumpkins range from 81.5 to 903.5 kilos, so there’s plenty to work with and lots of room for creativity. Each pumpkin has its own shape, colour, and personality, and it’s a fun challenge to bring out the best in them. I hope Tivoli’s guests will leave with a big smile — and maybe a touch of awe — after seeing my monstrous creations.”
From Beet to Pumpkin: A Danish Halloween Tradition
While many associate Halloween in Tivoli Gardens with an American celebration, its roots go back to the Celtic New Year festival Samhain and the Christian All Hallows’ Eve, as well as traditional European and Nordic harvest festivals. Since the 1800s, people in many parts of Europe have carved lanterns from beets to ward off evil spirits. In Denmark, it was once common to place carved beet lanterns outside homes — a tradition that gradually evolved into using the orange pumpkin we know today.
In total, Tivoli Gardens is decorated with more than 22,100 pumpkins of all shapes and sizes as part of its Halloween celebration. This marks the 20th anniversary of Halloween in Tivoli Gardens, which can be experienced until 2 November.
20 Seasons of Halloween in Tivoli
Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark celebrates Halloween for the 20th time this year.
In 2025, the Halloween season was extended by one week, now lasting four weeks in total.
The Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship was held for the 18th time this year. The winning pumpkin, weighing 903.5 kg (1,992 lbs), was crowned on 4 October. Peter Holst Olsen from the town Næstved had grown the winning pumpkin.
With a pumpkin weighing 1,115.8 kg (2,460 lbs), Peter Holst Olsen set a new Nordic record at the 2024 Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship held in Tivoli Gardens.
22,100 pumpkins are placed around the Gardens.
Halloween in Tivoli Gardens can be experienced until 2 November.
Tivoli Gardens’ 2025 seasons:
The Summer Season: 4 April – 21 September
Halloween in Tivoli: 3 October till 2 November
Christmas in Tivoli: 14 November 2025 till 4 January 2026
About Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen was recently hailed as the world’s best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) — and at its heart lies Tivoli Gardens, the city’s historic amusement park. The 182-year-old attraction is an iconic symbol of Danish identity, yet is also enriched by influences from around the world, clearly visible in its historic buildings inspired by global cultures and architectural styles. When tourists think of Denmark and Copenhagen, they think of hygge, New Nordic cuisine, open-faced sandwiches, fairytales, Danish pastries, leisure, quality, and design — and only in Tivoli Gardens can all these uniquely Danish hallmarks come together in one place, enjoyed by both Danish and international guests.
This is also where Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen himself strolled, and where his fairytales are now staged as ballets — with costumes and sets created by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe — and where, in the 1950s, Walt Disney found inspiration for Disneyland in California.
Today, Tivoli is Denmark’s largest tourist attraction, and since 1843, these fairytale Gardens have offered a world of unforgettable experiences. Tivoli Gardens welcomes guests who come to admire its beautiful flowers and sparkling lights, enjoy its many concerts, dance performances, and more than 30 restaurants, as well as those eager to experience its 30 fun rides, including the Roller Coaster from 1914 — one of the world’s oldest still-operating wooden rollercoasters.
