You Can’t Miss These Giant Glowing Pumpkins Underwater in New Jersey

If you think pumpkins belong on front porches, wait until you see where they’re popping up this fall!

Adventure Aquarium in Camden is getting a seriously fun Halloween makeover, and this year’s Fintastic Pumpkin Glow is turning the aquarium into an underwater pumpkin wonderland.

When is the Fintastic Pumpkin Glow at Adventure Aquarium

From September 18th, 2026 through November 1st, 2026, families can experience glowing pumpkins, colorful fall displays and plenty of Halloween fun while exploring the aquarium and getting up close with some of its incredible underwater residents.

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And honestly, where else can you see pumpkins floating alongside sharks and rays?

Get Ready for a Fintastic Fall Adventure

Fintastic Pumpkin Glow takes the traditional fall pumpkin experience and gives it a completely unexpected underwater twist.

Throughout Adventure Aquarium, guests will discover glowing gourds in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some will be floating above the water while others will be tucked beneath the surface among the aquarium's sharks, rays and other aquatic animals.

One of the newest attractions this year is a larger-than-life candy corn display, how cool is this, in the Rotunda. Three enormous candy corns will be glowing brightly, each complete with its own custom jack-o'-lantern face.

That's definitely going to be a fun family photo!

There Are Some Really Cool New Additions

Adventure Aquarium is adding even more reasons to make Fintastic Pumpkin Glow part of your fall bucket list.

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A new 10-by-8-foot illuminated photo wall will give families another colorful place to snap a picture, featuring playful pumpkin-themed designs including a pumpkin hippo and pumpkin jellyfish.

There's also a new educational experience called "Sea-sons of Change: Fall Migration." Guests can learn about the incredible migrations that happen in the waters off our local shores during the fall.

And if you've ever wondered what it looks like to carve a pumpkin underwater, you're definitely going to want to check out the brand-new video inside the Shark Cage, showing an Adventure Aquarium diver's point of view as they work on the underwater pumpkin displays.

And Yes, You Can Watch Pumpkins Being Carved Underwater!

This might be my favorite part.

Adventure Aquarium's popular underwater pumpkin carving is coming back, giving families a chance to watch the dive team create their pumpkin masterpieces beneath the water.

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You'll also be able to meet members of the Adventure Aquarium dive team and see their underwater pumpkin-carving skills up close.

There will be an underwater pumpkin octopus, a land-based pumpkin sea turtle, neon lighting and plenty of Halloween and fall decorations throughout the aquarium.

And if you're looking for even more family fun, there's Paint-A-Pumpkin in the Rotunda and the "Bones or No Bones" program, which explores animal skeletons using real X-rays and animal biofacts.

So yes, there's plenty to see beyond the pumpkins!

A Fall Experience Kids Will Remember

Fintastic Pumpkin Glow is the kind of fall outing for New Jersey families that gives kids something to talk about long after you leave.

Instead of simply visiting a pumpkin patch, you're wandering through an aquarium filled with glowing decorations, watching divers carve pumpkins underwater, looking at sharks and rays and discovering some pretty fascinating things about the animals that live in and around our waters.

It's Halloween, fall and an aquarium adventure all rolled into one.

And let's be honest, pumpkins underwater is not something you see every day.

Little Ones Can Get a Year of Aquarium Adventures

Families with children ages 2 through 5 can also take advantage of Adventure Aquarium's Pre-K Kid's Adventure Pass, which provides free, unlimited aquarium admission for an entire year.

There are two steps to get started.

First, parents or guardians need to register the child online. Then, families must visit Adventure Aquarium in person by October 25, 2026, to activate the pass at the Box Office and provide proof of age.

Keep Reading: Will We Have Pumpkin Weather this Fall at the Jersey Shore

Parents can also look into Adventure Aquarium membership for year-round visits with their little ones.

So grab the kids, bring your camera and get ready for a fall adventure you definitely won’t see every day. Glowing pumpkins, amazing sea life and a little Halloween magic? Count me in!