The circus is coming to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden for one weekend only to celebrate Halloween. Carnival games, live entertainment, music, food trucks, candy stations and more await under the Big Top this year. The Imagine Circus from Raleigh will be coming down to show off some of their acts as part of the overall carnival theme.

“We will have a real person who will be doing stilt walking, a hoop artist and a juggler that will be showing through the garden,” Sheila Hanrick, the director of marketing, programs and visitor experience for Cape Fear Botanical Garden, said.

As with every year, the BOO-crew will be out as well. These skeletons will be acting up in the garden by showing off their carnival side.
While there won’t be any live animals at the event, there will be some “wild” ones. The topiary exhibit, “Garden Gone Wild” will still be in full force. Elephants, butterflies, gorillas, and more will all be on display as part of the larger-than-life animal topiary sculptures. A topiary is a living sculpture that is created using live plants.

This family-friendly event invites people of all ages to come in their costumes and enjoy the Garden completely differently. Even the topiary sculptures will be dressed up.

As part of the event, you can walk the pathways of the Garden, which will be lit by hundreds of lights designed by Mosca Design and jack-o-lanterns. There will be ten trick-or-treat stations throughout the garden for people of all ages to check out.

The event is all outdoors, so plan your costumes accordingly. Trick-or-Treat bags and flashlights are encouraged for the darker areas of the Garden.
For one night only, on Oct. 27, dogs will be welcome. Bring your costumed fur friends with you, and they could get a doggy treat as well.
This fun, spooky event is one of the major events for the Cape Fear Botanical Garden and all the funds go back into planning more events like it.

“Any time we have a public event like this, any proceeds that are placed at end of the event go back to the garden, whether it's supporting our horticulture or our environmental education or therapeutic horticulture. All money is turned around, and put back into the operating fund of the garden,” Hanrick said.

The BOO-tanical Garden will be available from Oct. 27 to Oct. 30. The events start at 5 p.m. and run until 9 p.m.
Tickets range from $7 to $12. Children 2 and under can get in for free. Members can buy tickets for $10. Children above the age of 3 would get a $7 ticket.

Tickets are non-refundable and are good only for the date/time of the ticket.
Henrick does recommend buying tickets early as last year, the event was sold out.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/26840/cape-fear-botanical-garden.