Walking through the Jardins de l’Hôtel-de-Ville in Old Quebec this week, the giant pumpkins, oversized mushrooms and little fantasy structures looked less like ordinary Halloween decorations and more like a movie set being assembled.
There is a reason for that. We learned that the display comes from Ateliers du Carnaval, the year-round fabrication workshop connected with the Québec Winter Carnival. That makes the decorations more interesting than they first appear: they are part of the same local tradition of building oversized, theatrical environments that Quebec City is famous for in winter.
Ateliers du Carnaval works year-round
Most visitors know the Québec Winter Carnival for Bonhomme, parades, ice structures and enormous outdoor installations. Behind a lot of that visual world is a serious fabrication operation.
Ateliers du Carnaval says it has more than 65 years of experience creating event structures and scenery. Its team works in carpentry, sculpture, welding and painting, and the operation includes an 18,000-square-foot fabrication shop plus about 60,000 square feet of storage.
That last part helps explain why Quebec City can create such elaborate seasonal environments. The workshop can build large pieces, store them, reuse them and adapt them for different events. Its work is not limited to February: the Carnival itself describes the team as creating oversized decorations for Halloween, Christmas, Easter and other events.
For a look at the festival most people associate with the workshop, see our Québec Winter Carnival guide.
Why these Halloween decorations feel different
The scale is what caught our attention first. In the City Hall gardens, the pumpkins are taller than children, the mushrooms feel almost storybook-sized, and the landscaping is integrated into the set instead of simply having a few decorations placed on top of it.
It is playful rather than genuinely scary, which works particularly well in the middle of Old Quebec. The stone buildings, church spires and historic streets are still visible around the edges of the installation, so the fantasy scenery feels temporarily dropped into the real city.
We also liked seeing it before the event. There is something fun about walking by while the pieces are going into place and seeing how a public space gets transformed step by step.
The setting is for L’Étrange Carnaval
The installation is part of L’Étrange Carnaval, the Halloween event centered around the Jardins and Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. The 2026 edition runs October 23 through October 25.
The organizers describe it as an old-fashioned fair set in the heart of Old Quebec, with large-scale scenery, retro games, street entertainment and mysterious performances. The published 2026 program includes circus activities, mask-making, fairground games, magic, acrobatics, candy and a small themed market. The main outdoor event is free and open to everyone, although some individual activities and partner events are ticketed.
If you are planning a fall visit, our Halloween in Quebec City 2026 guide has the other confirmed seasonal events around the city.
A little bit of Carnival magic before winter
What we like most about this display is the connection it reveals. Quebec City does not suddenly invent its large-scale public scenery every February. There is a local group of craftspeople designing, sculpting, welding, painting, transporting and installing these environments throughout the year.
Seeing giant pumpkins and mushrooms beside City Hall in October is another side of the same creative machinery visitors usually associate with snow, ice and Bonhomme.
L’Étrange Carnaval 2026: October 23–25, Jardins de l’Hôtel-de-Ville and surrounding Old Quebec locations. Check the official event site before visiting for the current schedule and any ticketed activities.
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