Halloween in Toronto is getting seriously spooky this year. From haunted walks and creepy cocktails to horror movies, costume parties and desserts that look straight out of a nightmare, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate.
Whether you want to get properly scared or just use Halloween as an excuse to eat something shaped like a skull, here’s what’s happening around the city this October.
Big Halloween Attractions
The Burton Experience
Enter a dark academy of potions, spells and strange shenanigans at The Burton Experience, Oct. 1–31. This 90-minute immersive Halloween adventure takes place at Café Nic.
Halloween Nights of Lights
The ultimate fall event is back in Toronto: Halloween Nights of Lights returns with 22-foot dazzling pumpkin Mini Milo, 1.5 million lights and a full-on Pumpkinville. Decorated by more than 15,000 pumpkins, this experience is total Halloween immersion.
Legends of Horror
Through the month of October, Casa Loma undergoes a terrifying transformation after dark. Legends of Horror is an immersive theatrical experience, where brave visitors will traverse the gardens, underground tunnels and more as things only get creepier.
Screemers
Featuring seven haunted walk-through mazes and 120 live actors, Screemers is the city’s original Halloween event. Now taking place under a 15,000-square-foot tent in Vaughan, ride the Midway of Madness, sip at the Vampire Lounge and prepare to be scared.
Haunted waters
Bar Sereia is bringing a little ocean fantasy to Toronto this fall. The siren-inspired pop-up lands at Enchanta Village at Black Creek on Oct. 2 and 3, with cocktails, champagne and a full night of Halloween festivities.
Harry Potter: Visions of Magic
Looking for a little magic trick this season? Step into the wizarding world at Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, opening Oct. 16, a journey through eight spellbinding spaces at the Hangar at Downsview, interactive wand at the ready.
Fort York After Dark: Lantern Tours
Explore Fort York by lantern light as history gets a seriously spooky makeover Oct. 16–25. Hear scary tales of the bloody Battle of York, see haunted sites and military burials while wandering the downtown Toronto fort’s 200-year-old buildings after dark.
Night of Dread
A uniquely Toronto event with a long history, face your fears this Oct. 25 at Night of Dread, a wild Halloween parade of giant puppets, fire spinners, stilt walkers and marching bands through Dufferin Grove.
Belly of the Beast
Taking place at Hotel Victoria on Oct. 31, Belly of the Beast is an immersive Halloween art experience that features Afro-Speculative installations, mutant plant life, DJs, drinks and strange discoveries.
Horror Movies & More
Flicks and Frights
Spend Halloween season this year the way you used to as a teen — heading to your neighbourhood cinema and catching a horror film! Revue Cinema is screening classics all month long.
Prom Night: Carrie
For a generation, Carrie is the scariest film going. Soulpepper is bringing back the horror, and guests can dress for a blood-soaked prom on Oct. 20, celebrating the movie’s 50th anniversary.
Four Ways to Time Warp Again
Rocky Horror at the Fox Theatre
On Oct. 23, the Excited Mental State shadowcast checks into the Fox Theatre for a Rocky Horror screening.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is showing at Roy Thomson Hall on Oct. 26 with the original “Columbia,” Nell Campbell.
Rocky Horror Gaga Show Drag Bingo Brunch
Rocky Horror Gaga Show Drag Bingo Brunch is set for Oct. 18 at the Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel and features performances by Sucka Queen, Yovska, Stardoll and Ella Mayo-Really.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Halloween Extravaganza
There is The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Halloween Extravaganza at Bloor Hot Docs on Oct. 30 and 31, with a performance by the shadowcast Excited Mental State.
The Ring
Watch the frighteningly iconic horror movie The Ring on the big screen as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs Hans Zimmer’s haunting score live at Roy Thomson Hall, Oct. 30 and 31.
Halloween Parties & Nightlife
Nightmare on Strip Street
Get into the Halloween spirit with Nightmare on Strip Street, a burlesque take on the classic ’80s horror flick running Oct. 9 to Nov. 1.
Dark Magic
You’re invited to a dinner where nothing is what it seems. On Oct. 12 and 19, Convivium hosts a dinner with illusionist Roman Royss, who brings close-up magic and mind reading directly to your table.
Let’s Go Ghouls
Get into the Halloween spirit with BoylesqueTO’s Let’s Go Ghouls, Oct. 18, a cheeky burlesque tribute to horror movies and more at Revival Bar.
Trick or Drink
Fourteen Halloween crawls are taking over Toronto from Oct. 23 to 31. Trick or Drink brings costumed crowds through the city with one wristband getting you into every stop on your route.
Drake Unleashed
Black Lagoon is coming to the Drake for the first time this Halloween, giving the Queen West hotel a full spooky season makeover with creepy cocktails, heavy metal vibes, strange glassware and enough dark decor to make your usual night at the Drake feel very different.
Vampire Ball
Enter Castle Stormcrow for a night of vampire masquerade mayhem, with live DJs, haunted karaoke, tarot reading and gothic entertainment around every corner. Grab a drink and wander the Manor until dawn — or as close as you dare.
Party Like It’s 1989
There’s nothing like a classic costume party, and at Ground Control, on Oct. 31 they’re going back to the ’80s and ’90s with a retro video dance party. Expect cash costume prizes and free candy.
Murder at Comedy Bar
At this unique Halloween-inspired show on Oct. 30 and 31, a performer is secretly the murderer, and every joke could be a clue. Follow the evidence and cast your vote.
Shows & Spooky Spectacles
Toronto Wrestling Halloween Show
Get ready for some spooky slams and suplexes as Toronto Wrestling Club turns Henderson Brewing into a wrestling extravaganza on Oct. 16. Rising stars and local legends collide in the ring for a 19+ night of professional wrestling and scares.
Original Haunted Walk of Toronto
On the Original Haunted Walk of Toronto, participants will delve into the dark history of the city. Chilling ghost stories, unsolved mysteries and paranormal sites will all be revealed. Prepare for your next walk home after dark to be a whole lot more eerie.
Ghostly History
Toronto Cemetery Tours turns a scenic stroll into both a history lesson and a bit of a ghost tour. For a particularly ghoulish walk, join Gone Too Soon – Tales of Murder and Unfortunate Death, at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, or Murder and Mystery at Necropolis Cemetery.
Halloween Food & Drink
Gothic Dining
Have dinner at the famously haunted Keg Mansion, where tales of tragedy have followed the historic house for decades. A devoted maid reportedly took her own life, a young boy fell down the stairs and Lillian Massey is said to still linger among the rooms.
Mourning Tea
About 90 minutes southwest of Toronto, Ruthven Park in Cayuga hosts Haunted High Tea on select October dates. Follow a lantern-lit path to the Thompson family cemetery for chilling tales before returning to the Coach House for tea, savoury bites and sweets.
Monster Mash
Get spooky at Nightmare Bar, a 90-minute Halloween experience with creepy décor, themed cocktails, music, hosted games, prizes and plenty of photo ops. Grab your friends, dress up and settle in for a low-pressure night of Halloween fun at Oche King West.
Mystery Dinner
On Oct. 31, channel your inner detective at this four-course mystery dinner inspired by Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Guests will solve food-based puzzles while digging into dishes like Greek salad, mushroom cigars, braised beef and cheesecake.
Hell’s Kitchen
Spend Halloween afternoon watching art turn into dinner at Heaven n Hell, a live culinary experience at OBJX Studio, where artist Sar creates a Heaven-versus-Hell painting before Chef D transforms it into an edible masterpiece.
Potion Party
Barebones Bartending gets spooky on Oct. 30 with its cocktail workshop. Make three full-sized cocktails while sipping spooky drinks through dry ice fog and keeping an eye out for the ghost haunting the bar.
Creepy Carbs
Head to Ciao Ragazzi Ristorante Pizzeria Mercato in Vaughan on Oct. 31 for a Halloween pasta workshop where you’ll make haunted orecchiette, bat-wing farfalle and mummy fettuccine from scratch. Work with colourful doughs and take home recipes to recreate your spooky shapes.
Treats & Halloween Crafts
Sinful Sweets
Halloween is the perfect excuse to go overboard on candy. Willy Wacky Snacks has opened in Harbord Village with rare sweets from around the world, and the Sugar Post brings a nostalgic candy shop to the Distillery District.
Killer Dessert
The Rolling Pin’s 6-inch bloody skull cake is Halloween horror in dessert form. White frosting is covered in dripping red icing and topped with little skulls. The $85 cake is made for a gruesome Halloween table.
Death by Cocoa
After a night of trick-or-treating, warm up your bones with the Chocolateria’s $16 Hot Chocolate Skull. Drop the creepy chocolate bomb into steaming milk and watch it melt into a rich, spiced concoction that’s basically magic in a mug.
Choc or Treat
Forget the candy aisle — make your own Halloween haul at Chockala’s Trick or Treat workshop on Oct. 30. At Forget Me Not Café, you’ll temper Belgian chocolate, paint spooky moulds and load up your bars with candy and creepy toppings.
Fright Bites
The Grand Order of Divine Sweets is going all-in on Halloween with gloriously ghoulish treats, from bleeding-heart cakes and brain cupcakes to Beetlejuice™ cookies and Pennywise™ chocolate. It’s basically a candy shop designed for your darkest sweet tooth.
Pumpkin Party
Grab a scoop of gelato and decorate a mini pumpkin at On Third Thought’s Scoops & Spooks Sundays. Drop in every Sunday in October for an afternoon of painting, bedazzling, googly eyes and spooky crafts — no carving or artistic skills required.