Gardner Village has gone through a frightening makeover for the coming Halloween season. Overrun with witches, ghosts, devils and vampires, Gardner Village looks very different from its typical decor and theme. With 25 years under their belt for Witchfest, Gardner Village knows what they are doing. Starting through the end of September and going through October, the Village features seasonal activities for people of all ages. 

There’s a Halloween-themed escape room, Halloween-themed shows, spooky dinners, and a variety of scavenger hunts all across the Village that draws in crowds of children and adults alike. One such visitor of the haunted Gardner Village was dressed in a red outfit, a mascara dye mask and red horns. “I like the shopping at Gardner Village during the fall,” said the masked visitor, “but tonight I’m on my way to the devil's dinner the (Gardner) Village does.” 

One shop owners in Gardner Village is particularly excited about the seasonal changes. Heather Arteaga, owner of Boho Chic Boutique, was knowledgeable about all the happenings around the shopping center. “This is my second Witchfest as a shop owner,” Heather said. She is particularly impressed with the changes made to The Chocolate Covered Wagon, a candy shop located in the village. “They have, like, 12 or 13 different flavors of caramel apples available,” she said. 

Her shop also has changed along with the season including making custom witch hats for customers at her boutique. 

Gardner Village now hosts their kid-friendly park on the west side of the complex, which includes a petting zoo, little roller coasters and pony rides. This area is also decorated to match the fall holiday, with skeletons strewn about the play place and pumpkins in every corner.

Across Gardner Village, each shop boasts new spooky decorations, often inside and out. Each shop is responsible for their own decorating, and they all stepped up to do their part in decorating to the delight of visitors. λ