Halloween Is Coming... Get Ready for the Great Pumpkin Ball! - Double the Fun with Gardens of Light

MONTRÉAL, Oct. 20, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Fall is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a brilliant time at Montréal Space for Life. Until November 1, Gardens of Light invites you to stroll through the multi-hued lanterns in the Chinese Garden and admire nature decked out in amazing colours in the Japanese Garden. Esmeralda, the friendly witch, will be waiting for you in her all-new décor in the Main Exhibition Greenhouse and encouraging you to take in the 30^th edition of the Great Pumpkin Ball, where you can admire over 600 fabulously decorated squash. The many fall activities will delight visitors of all ages from early in the morning til after dark. Even the Insectarium and the Biodôme are joining in the celebrations.

Some essential activities to make the most of this colourful season

At the Botanical Garden – Until November 1

• Gardens of Light – At dusk, visitors of all ages can amble through the Chinese Garden to admire and photograph the almost 1,000 colourful lanterns recalling the Chinese New Year festivities and telling the legend of Nian. You'll learn how villagers drove off the ferocious sea monster with blazing lights, loud noises and large red banners. Then you can top off this luminous experience with a stroll through the Japanese Garden, where the interplay of shadows and multi-coloured lights reveals the surprising hues of the plants and the hidden details of the architecture and symbols all around you.  
• The Great Pumpkin Ball – Starting at 9:30 a.m. every day, Esmeralda plays urban gardener and casts her growth spell to grow her vegetables amongst the decorated pumpkins. Even her hat doesn't escape the magic! Come say hi to her in her new house.  
• Un cadeau pour Pépo, l'histoire de l'Halloween – In a 30-minute show for ages 4 to 8, Pépo tells kids how Halloween became the holiday we know today. Free passes at the Reception Centre counter.
• Little Monsters Courtyard – From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., loads of physical and mental challenges in store for the under-10 set in an outdoor play area.
• Squash Kiosk – From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Botanical Garden grows some fifty different varieties of squash, so we have a well-stocked counter for you to explore. Sorcerers and sorcerers' apprentices are invited to play BingoRalda, the quiz put together just for you.

At the Insectarium – Until November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

• Tricky Spiders – Spiders are not only great charmers, but also fearsome hunters, with amazing adaptability. Halloween is the perfect time to learn about their exploits.

At the Biodôme – October 31 and November 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Pumpkin Treats – Here's your chance to see how the animals use their ingenuity and natural talents to tease their favourite foods out of their surprise pumpkin-shaped packages.

Montréal Space for Life is made up of four attractions on the same site: the Botanical Garden, Biodôme, Insectarium and Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium. These four prestigious municipal institutions form Canada's largest natural science museum complex. Together, they are launching a daring, creative urban movement, urging everyone to rethink the connection between humankind and nature and cultivate a new way of living.

For further information and to purchase tickets online, see our website montrealspaceforlife.ca.

SOURCE Espace pour la vie

Karine Vendette, Communications Co-ordinator, 514 872-2227, [email protected]; Leticia Rebollar, Communications Assistant, 514 872-4325, [email protected]