John Vickers

Victoria businessman John Vickers is well known to many on Vancouver Island as artist and creator of Pumpkin Art, a unique Halloween display featuring a multitude of lit, intricately carved pumpkins.

In 1998, Vickers first presented his unique brand of Halloween art on the front lawn of his home in Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood. His efforts attracted large crowds and with the later addition of a UNICEF donation box, his display also became a widely anticipated local UNICEF fundraiser.

Pumpkin Art rose to become a popular Halloween event on the grounds of Government House in Victoria attracting over 20,000 visitors annually. Along the way, the display was also presented in New York City in support of 9/11 firefighters and at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto as a fundraiser for UNICEF Canada. (Pumpkin Art returns to Victoria this October as part of a multi-city tour – for tour details, visit www.pumpkinart.ca)

In 2005, John Vickers created another "not-to-miss" charity event for the city of Victoria with the launch of the first inaugural Victoria Masquerade Ball. The event was a huge success!

“Each year I am continually impressed by how much the bar is being raised in terms of what people are wearing”, says Vickers. “So many costumes and masks were absolutely amazing at last year’s event with some people indicating they spent months working on their designs.”

While not carving pumpkins or organizing charity events, John Vickers manages a Victoria based technology company.