A popular fall display returns this weekend to the Minnesota Zoo.

For the sixth year, dozens of artists from across the metro are carving their way to this year’s Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular.

“This is crunch time for Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. We open this Saturday, the 28th, and this is the time where really our artists are working around the clock,” said Zach Nugent with the Minnesota Zoo.

For several hours a day, crews put their skills to work, preparing more than 5,000 jack-o-lanterns to line the trails of the zoo.

“This one is kind of a medium size, and I usually kind of just start laying into different parts,” said Aryn, a pumpkin carving artist.

Aryn finds her inspiration from a variety of places, and with tools and sandpaper by her side, she gets to show her true creativity with the carving process.

“I love this part because you can see all the hard work that everyone’s put in, and everyone here is super talented,” Aryn added.

Despite taking several hours for some pumpkins to carve, the influence of the weather and nature means the art has an expiration date — and it comes fast.

“With the weather, with the squirrels, with the chipmunks, they maybe have a three to five-day shelf life,” Nugent said.

Artists are working all throughout the more than month-long event to create new designs. Thankfully, the short display time doesn’t bring down any spirits.

“It’s so magical,” Aryn said. “It’s not just these pumpkins. It’s all the volunteers who are carving. It’s all the guys putting everything up in the trees, and there’s so many awesome pieces of art.”

With the recent warm temperatures, this year’s pumpkins are larger than normal. If you’re planning to carve any time soon, it’s important to remember that warmer weather means faster rot.

If we get a good cool down, that carved art will last just a little bit longer.