Selby brings Halloween to Little Sarasota Bay with Lights at Spooky Point

Halloween is a time to decorate the front yard with spooky decorations, lights and perhaps a few jump scares. 

But what happens when you have an entire campus on the edge of Little Sarasota Bay to work with — and for the second year in a row?

You'd get this year's Lights at Spooky Point, a Halloween walkthrough display at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus in Osprey. 

Spooky Point designers Carolyn and Phil Babas of the event-planning company Affairs in the Air say it's the largest event of its type in the region.

"Last year was our inaugural year, so it was as basic as we could get, but this year we had the opportunity to be a little bit more creative," said Carolyn Babas.

Everyone involved with this year's Lights at Spooky Point described the Halloween walkthrough's theme the same way.

Spookier. With more lights.

Photo by Ian Swaby

This year, the display features a slightly spookier loop recommended for adults and older children, as well as new additions such as a giant octopus. It also brings back familiar favorites such as the "ghost orchids" floating above the historic Pioneer Cemetery, the giant Dracula orchids and more.

The creative process begins with Phil Babas sketching out each scene, then assembling all the props and decorations that are not mechanical, aided by other artists and an electrician. Carolyn and Phil Babas have produced Selby Gardens' Lights in Bloom show for over 20 years.

Photo by Ian Swaby

In some ways, the Historic Spanish Point campus already offers a ghostly backdrop for the spooky decor, through sites like the Pioneer Cemetery found on the campus, which encompasses over 5,000 years of native history. 

Photo by Ian Swaby

Photo by Ian Swaby