It’s no surprise that I am a HUGE Halloween fan and over the years I’ve discovered many fun ways to celebrate Halloween in Toronto with kids. When they were younger it was the cute-sy stuff but now that they’re tweens, we’re going ALL in and Akira can handle way more gore and fright than many of my adult friends. So as you read my list of things to do for Halloween in Toronto, keep in mind that my 10 and 12 year olds are horror fans who might be afraid of the dark, but love a good spook!
Halloween in Toronto with Kids 2024
There’s no shortage of options from Halloween haunts to cool Halloween bars in Toronto so it can be hard narrowing down your options when it comes to celebrating Halloween in Toronto this year. Luckily for us, some attractions open in early October giving us all month long to revel in the macabre delight.
Toronto Halloween Haunts
Legends of Horror at Casa Loma is one of our favourite Halloween traditions in Toronto. The Castle is the perfect place to get spooked, that’s for sure! You get to walk through a 2 KM trail that leads you to the Castle’s tunnels and darkest spaces but it’s not a boring walk because there are live actors and plenty of animatronics and theatrics everywhere! Trust me, this is absolutely worth the ticket price. They have early start hours for families with young kids-it’s still day light and there are no live actors to spook you. Akira was 8 years old when we first took her to this Halloween attraction in Toronto and she loved it. She preferred the nighttime spooks so we’ve been going for the evening sessions ever since – it’s a whole lot scarier and spookier but you can ask for a necklace if you don’t want the live actors to scare you. I should mention that we took an 8 year old with us this year and she couldn’t even walk in through the front gate – it was too scary for her. You know your kids so you be the judge on age-appropriateness because this is an all-ages Hallooween attraction.
Canada’s Wonderland hosts Halloween Haunt on select days in October and right into Halloween weekend in Toronto. Technically this rollercoaster park is in Vaughan which is about a 45 minute drive from downtown Toronto-keep that in mind. This was our first year experiencing Canada’s Wonderland during Halloween and the kids LOVED it. Not only do you get to go on rollercoasters at night but there are mazes with live actors that you can explore and the costumes and make up are INCREDIBLE! They do have a cute day time option for young kids but the nighttime one is what we enjoyed the most. The evening sessions are recommended for those 13 and older but parents can bring younger kids (as we did with our 10 and 12 year olds). Read up on the bag policy because they are very strict and monitor things very closely, wear layers, download the park app to help you navigate and plan to be there until the park closes! Also, if budget permits, add-on the fright and fast lane pass because it really speeds things up (wait times were up to 90 minutes for some of the mazes when we were there). Just remember that to pick up your fright passes, you don’t haveto stand in the long service centre line-just loop to the back where the sales and redemption area is. In addition to the scare zones, rides and live actors, there’s also performances so a return visit is definitely needed if you want to do it all!
Screemers is once again not in Toronto technically but it used to be downtown many years ago and has now moved to Vaughan. This was the SCARIEST Toronto Haunt I’ve ever been to and I know it continues to be an intense one. I am really hoping I can squeeze in a visit here before the season ends because they have 7 haunts and over 120 live actors under one massive tented area and all the midway games are included with your ticket price. They also have a lounge area serving cocktails. This is recommended for those 10 and above and I honestly would not take anyone younger!
Haunted Office was a new one for me this year and I’m yet to go in but it does sound interesting. I wasn’t sure if it was based on THE OFFICE but it seems not. This all ages Halloween haunt in Toronto offers a spine chilling walk through a building which once held over 80 offices and 250 employees.
Toronto Halloween Tip : Most of the Halloween events in Toronto end up on deal sites like Groupon, WagJag, etc – so compare ticket prices before you purchase! Also none of the haunts allow you to attend in costume (for obvious reasons).
Toronto Seance
Listen, there’s a bunch of these events happening and you be the judge if you want to expose your kids to the concept of life after death…. though many will say you need to be 19+ to attend (at least the insanely scary one we did with Jaymes White did). If you have kids who are adults, this is definitely a fascinating experience – I did it with my mom, after all! You could take your child to a Toronto Psychic who might have a Ouija board if kids are really into this.
Haunted Walking Tours in Toronto
I am a huge fan of the Toronto walking tours and when you combine history and ghost tours together, it’s MAGIC! Haunted Walks does great group tours and the one we did at the University of Toronto Campus linked actual people to the ghostly figures and sounds encountered in the various buildings on campus. They also host special events at various attractions like the CN Tower and ROM-so keep an eye out for those too!
I will also menti0n that some Toronto museums host after hours walks during October and they’re worth adding to your list of things to do in October in Toronto.
Toronto Halloween Bars and Restaurants
There are some very cool bars in Toronto that you should visit in October-yes even with young kids! Storm Crow Manor is a restaurant and bar I refer people to all year long (especially when visiting Toronto with tweens) but it’s extra special in October where you can chill in their Hell room or order spooky drinks!
Chris and I attended the adult session at Burton Bar last year but this year it’s all ages and hosted at the Novotel Hotel. This Beetle Juice experience is everything you expect it to be. Last year Beetle Juice was a little lewd and crude (keeping with his character of course) but since it’s all ages this year I assume things are more politically correct and a little less raunchy.
Hell Bar and Black Lagoon are 19+ locations but VERY cool if you have adult kids!
Trick-or-Treating in Toronto Neighborhoods
Of course, no Halloween is complete without trick-or-treating, and Toronto has several neighborhoods that are known for going all out with decorations and candy for young trick-or-treaters. The Beaches, Leaside, Riverdale, and High Park are just a few of the neighborhoods where families can expect an excellent trick-or-treating experience. Many of these areas host their own Halloween block parties, adding to the festive atmosphere. We tend to go to Lavinia Avenue in High Park because friends of ours live in that neighbourhood and that block puts on a Halloween extravaganza!
If you were looking for cute-sy things I apologize because this list was for the bizarre and unusual. For cute-sy I usually look at the Downtown Yonge BIA events which are free and great for photo backdrops!
