Family Pumpkin Carving in St. Charles, IL: Tuesday, October 20

Carve it here, skip the mess at home.

One pumpkin, the carving tools, two kids meals, a meet and greet with Charlie, games with candy prizes, and a photographer. $19.99 per family, 4 to 7 PM at Simple EJ’s. The pumpkin guts stay with us.

Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap · Fox Haven Square, St. Charles IL · Updated October 6, 2026

Pumpkin carving is one of the best Halloween traditions there is, right up until someone has to clean the kitchen floor. On Tuesday, October 20, Simple EJ’s in St. Charles is taking the whole thing off your hands: we bring the pumpkin, the tools, and dinner for the kids, and your family brings the jack-o’-lantern ideas.

What Is the Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration at Simple EJ’s?

The Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration is a ticketed, three-hour Halloween night for families at Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles, Illinois. Each family ticket covers one pumpkin, the carving tools, and two kids meals, plus a meet and greet with Charlie the mascot, games with candy prizes, and a photographer on site to catch the finished jack-o’-lanterns.

Think of it as pumpkin carving with the hard parts removed. No hunting for a carving kit in the junk drawer. No newspaper on the table. No pile of seeds and stringy orange pulp in your sink at 9 PM.

When and Where Is Pumpkin Carving in St. Charles?

The Simple EJ’s Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration runs Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It takes place inside Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap at Fox Haven Square, 300 N Kirk Rd, Suite 300A, St. Charles, IL 60174, on the east side of St. Charles near Geneva and Batavia.

A 4 PM start means families can come straight from school pickup, and a 7 PM finish gets everyone home in time for bath, bed, and arguing about whose pumpkin is scarier.

How Much Are Pumpkin Carving Tickets, and What’s Included?

A family ticket to the Simple EJ’s Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration costs $19.99. Families with more than two kids, or more than one budding pumpkin artist, can add extra kids meals and extra pumpkins for $9 each.

Item	Price	Notes
Family ticket	$19.99	1 pumpkin, carving tools, 2 kids meals
Meet and greet with Charlie	Included	Bring the camera, or let our photographer handle it
Games with candy prizes	Included	Something to do while the pumpkin dries
Event photographer	Included	Pumpkin, kid, and Charlie in one frame
Each additional kids meal (over 2)	$9	Add as many as your crew needs
Each additional pumpkin	$9	For families where sharing a pumpkin is not an option

Example: a family of two adults and three kids who want two pumpkins pays $19.99 plus $9 for the third kids meal plus $9 for the second pumpkin, for $37.99 total.

How Do You Get Tickets for Pumpkin Carving?

Tickets for the Simple EJ’s pumpkin carving night are sold ahead of time online through Tock. Grab your family ticket, add any extra kids meals or pumpkins, and show up at Fox Haven Square on October 20.

Is Carving at Simple EJ’s Easier Than Carving at Home?

For most families, yes. Carving pumpkins at Simple EJ’s in St. Charles means the pumpkin, the tools, dinner for two kids, and the cleanup are handled, for $19.99. Carving at home is free once you own the supplies, and nothing beats it for a lazy Saturday. Here is the honest side by side.

What You Need	Carving at Home	Carving at Simple EJ’s
Pumpkin	Buy and haul it yourself	Included (1 per ticket, $9 each extra)
Carving tools	Buy a kit or raid the knife drawer	Included
Dinner for the kids	You cook it	2 kids meals included
Cleanup	Your floor, your sink, your night	Ours
Entertainment	Whatever is on TV	Charlie, games, and candy prizes
Photos	Your phone, blurry	Event photographer on site
Schedule	Any day you want	Tuesday, Oct 20 only, 4 to 7 PM
Cost	Free if you have supplies	$19.99 per family

Can Kids Meet Charlie at Pumpkin Carving?

Yes. Charlie, the teal-furred fox mascot of Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap (full name Stephen Charles Foxxe), will be at the October 20 pumpkin carving celebration for a meet and greet. Kids can say hi, get a high five, and show him their jack-o’-lantern. Charlie has strong opinions about pumpkin faces and no actual carving skills, so expect lots of encouragement and zero help.

Want to know more about the fox before you go? Meet Charlie here.

Is There a Photographer at the Pumpkin Carving Event?

Yes. A photographer will be on site at the Simple EJ’s Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration in St. Charles to capture families, finished pumpkins, and kids with Charlie. That means at least one Halloween photo this year where everybody is in it, including the parent who usually takes the pictures.

What Games and Prizes Are at Simple EJ’s Pumpkin Night?

The Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration at Simple EJ’s includes games with candy prizes for kids, so the evening has something to do besides carving. It fills the gap while a sibling finishes their masterpiece and gives the fast carvers a reason to stay put.

What Should Families Know Before They Go?

The Family Pumpkin Carving Celebration at Simple EJ’s in St. Charles is built for families with kids. Little ones who are too young for carving tools can scoop seeds and draw the face while a grown-up handles the cutting.

Yes. Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles is family friendly by default, and the room stays family friendly until 8 PM every night. A 4 to 7 PM pumpkin carving night sits right in the middle of that.

What Do the Grown-Ups Eat at Simple EJ’s?

Parents at the pumpkin carving night can order from the full scratch-made menu at Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap, cooked by co-founder Chef Jim Heflin, better known as Chef Hef, to Bib-worthy standards. A few picks while the kids carve:

The smashburger. A special blend made exclusively for Simple EJ’s, smashed thin and crispy at the edges.

The wings. Brined and double-fried for real crunch, ready for a dunk in our house Simple Sauce.

The Tomahawk Pork Chop. 24 ounces, for the parent who carved the most pumpkins and wants credit for it.

See everything on the Simple EJ’s menu, and the full kids menu.

Is Simple EJ’s a Good Spot for a Fox Valley Family Night?

For a family that wants a Halloween activity and dinner in one stop, Simple EJ’s at Fox Haven Square is the practical pick in St. Charles on October 20: one $19.99 ticket covers the pumpkin, the tools, and two kids meals, Charlie and a photographer are there, and the room is family friendly until 8 PM. It is about a ten-minute drive from downtown Geneva or Batavia, and parking at Fox Haven Square is free.

Families who find themselves at Simple EJ’s most weeks should look at Charlie’s Crew, the Simple EJ’s family membership at $23.99 a month.

More Halloween Things to Do in the Fox Valley

Simple EJ’s pumpkin carving night is one stop on a busy October in the Fox Valley. Scarecrow Fest takes over downtown St. Charles October 9 to 11, and Pumpkin Daze at Abbey Farms in Aurora runs Wednesday through Sunday through November 1. For the full list of Fox Valley events this month, see What’s Happening in the Fox Valley.

Pumpkin Carving at Simple EJ’s: Quick Questions