Adults and children alike enjoy a treat of seasonal foods and exciting games on this memorable holiday. Halloween events near me bring the entire neighborhood community together amidst an informal setting. Adorning spooky, creative, and funny costumes designed exclusively for this day is the norm.

Halloween, which means “hallowed evening” marks the beginning of winter and the close of the harvest season. Each year, celebrating it on Oct 31 is a tradition, and a host of fun Halloween events 2022 await you. 

You can indulge in trick-or-treating, wear unique costumes, carve jack-o-lanterns, and make the most of festive gatherings.

From among the Ontario Halloween events in the pipeline, be a part of those that most excite you. These are the most popular (and Halloweenie) of our website calendar Halloween events. 

Stalking Dead, 2nd Wave
Otonabee, Ontario

Corn farmer zombies, known as the “Stalking Dead” were thought to have been cured last year but new discoveries have convinced officials that we are in for a 2nd wave. Local law enforcement recalled the same pharmaceutical company to develop a cure to these brain craving idiots. Research stations were again set up at ground zero, a farmer’s field surrounded in high voltage fencing to secure themselves from new beasts. Scientists were convinced they found a cure to this new outbreak but before securing the data into the mainframe computer, the containment area was breached by zombie livestock. The community has reached out to the public looking for volunteers to retrieve the data at the research stations and enter it into the central computer system. Their hope lies with you.

Little Pit Drive-In Halloween Edition
Haliburton, Ontario

2022 TBA. Little Pit is Canada’s first OFF-GRID Drive-In. Located at Abbey Gardens and featuring a variety of movies, including popular releases and classic favourites, the Little Pit Drive In is the perfect night out! See Halloween themed movies select nights throughout October. 

Pumpkins after Dark
Milton, Ontario

Explore the magical pathway of lit pumpkin sculptures and displays, with music, sounds and special effects. With classic Halloween characters, dinosaurs and dragons, movie and pop culture icons – this family friendly event has something for everyone. Make Pumpkins After Dark your new annual tradition!

Pumpkin Mania
Elmvale, Ontario

Bring your family and join Rounds Ranch for pumpkin fun this fall. Enjoy ranch land fun including crazy pumpkin games such as, pie eating contest, pumpkin toss, pumpkin sack races and more. Take a tractor rides out to the pumpkin patch to pick your own FREE any size pumpkin to take home. Pumpkin Mania happens on the weekends ONLY & Thanksgiving Monday.

Flashlight Cornmaze
Elmvale, Ontario

Can you solve the interactive maze puzzle to find the secret…in the dark? Bring your flashlight and try to navigate your way through the twists and turns. Try not to get lost! The Flashlight Corn Maze package also includes a Campfire. Come early to enjoy a wagon ride out to the patch and PYO pumpkin ANY size.

The Witches
Haliburton, Ontario

Head to Abbey Gardens for a frightful night of bewitching, magic, and fire. Bass Witch Coven and NorthFIRE Circus present: The Witches. Gather round for a mystical night you won’t forget!  This 45 min performance begins as a walk through Abbey Gardens Haunted Forest. Let mischievous townspeople take you on an adventure back in time and discover what dark and mystical surprises the forest has waiting for you!

Spooktacular Light Show
Mississauga & Markham

Hallowe’en Walk-About
Dorset

Bayview Wildwood’s Boathouse of Terror
Severn Bridge

Families are invited to join us at Bayview Wildwood Resort for some Halloween Fun. Drop in any time between 1 and 3 pm and we will be collecting donations to support our local food bank.  The Haunted Boathouse is open for ages 6+ if you dare!  Explore the Resort and our BW Market is open to purchase treats, Hot Chocolate, wine and spirits and Kawartha Dairy Scooped Ice Cream. Relax around lakeside bonfires and enjoy a complimentary s’mores.

Halloween Weekend Getaway

Looking for a ‘fang-tastic’ Halloween family getaway? Deerhurst has you covered! Enjoy a safe and fun weekend full of activities for the entire family to enjoy. From a trick or treat scavenger hunt to a craft beer hike to the top of the Lookout Trail and spooky specials available at our restaurants, there will be no shortage of stress-free fun for the whole family. Dress up in your favourite costumes and join us for a spooky time!

Happy Howl-O-Ween

Head to Haliburton Forest for alternative Howl-o-ween fun at Haliburton Forest. Start the evening with a delicious dinner at The Cookhouse featuring some ghoulish themed foods.

Wear your best costumes (a great way to dress up your required mask mask/face covering), for a chance to win our costume contest and a special dessert! Bring your flashlights – after dinner our staff will guide you on a haunted hike to the Wolf Centre, with some spooks and scares along the way. Inside the centre, use your flashlights to hunt for individually wrapped, peanut-free treats and sweets to take home while still following physical distancing practices! Last but not least, to end off the evening, howl alongside our staff in hopes of getting a reply from our resident wolf pack.

Happy Howl-o-ween! 2022 Dates: TBA

Ontario Heritage Trust

Get spooked at:

• Waterloo Region Graveyard Driving Tour: This driving tour highlights four heritage cemeteries through three cities and four rural townships of the Waterloo Region. Each stop tells a historical tale of mischief, mystery, mayhem or murder: the Bean Puzzle tombstone (the poisoning by chocolate of Meta D. Cherry), ghostly nights with the founder of Castle Kilbride, and a bodysnatching in Kitchener. This event is part of Digital Doors Open, with a video open.
• Fanshawe Pioneer Village: The pioneer village will be hosting its annual “The Abandoned Village”  in collaboration with ByronScaryHouse until Nov. 30. They will be transforming the buildings into haunted attractions.
• Eldon House: London’s oldest residence will be opening its doors for three events this Halloween. Visitors can take a walking tour and learn about the crimes and scary happening of early London. There are also opportunities to learn about Victorian rituals of death, traditions of afterlife, and the paranormal phenomenon during a guided tour.  
• Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre: Take a virtual ghost tour from the comfort of your own home of the last operating double-decker theatre facility in the world and learn about the Lavender Lady, the Rehearsal Interloper, Sam the trombone man and more.

The Ontario Heritage trust works with communities across the province to bring Doors Open Ontario to life, inviting Ontarians to learn about the provinces heritage sites and their stories – even the spooky ones. In 2020, Doors Open Ontario began offering digital experiences giving Ontarians, and Canadians, the opportunity to explore heritage beyond their region.

Kreepy Kortright

This outdoor event is organized by the Kortright Centre for Conservation from 2022 Dates TBA. To celebrate the spirit of the festival, get set for scary Halloween events from 8:30 pm onwards.

A haunted house tour and a frightening forest walk with live owls are some of the store’s activities for you. Families with children can together enjoy this creepy experience.

Howling Hootenanny

Black Creek Pioneer Village is planning a spooktacular fun treat in October. They are taking measures to limit visitors’ flow in one go so you can have an intimate family outing.

While in this historic village, you can treat yourself to a wacky science show, and brave the haunted maze. Challenge your family members by competing against each other in a pumpkin bowling competition. The 2022 Howling Hootenanny has yet to be announced. 

Ghost Walk Tours

The haunted walk appeals to all age groups in 75 minutes; it covers the Fairmont Château Laurier, Bytown Museum, and the eerie high school.

The Ottawa jail tour takes you through cellblocks where inmates were once imprisoned. You can also retrace the final footsteps as death row convicts walked to the gallows. Only 12 people at a time are allowed to participate in these evening tours.

Four unique story-telling walking tours on offer range from the very daring to the slightly toned-down versions for younger audiences. Such tours collaborate with creative professionals like musicians, actors, and storytellers to make these walking adventures even more gripping. Since walk tours attract artists from various spheres, it adds to their overall spooky appeal.

Make Halloween an unforgettable experience for you and your loved ones in Ontario. Events that prioritize your safety above all else in these challenging times are worth your while.

Dress the part so you can immerse yourself entirely in the spirit of the occasion. Above all, enjoy the festivities without letting your guard down so that Halloween does not come back to haunt you before the year ends.

Paranormal Investigators

Your Phantoms of Yore hosts give you a feel of the latest paranormal technology in the most haunted historic sites. After briefing you on the equipment to be used, you can wander in the dark to discover new findings.

Being part of the paranormal investigation team allows you to witness experiments being conducted and evidence analyzed. You also learn about the history and supernatural accounts that have previously taken place at the site you visit.

Horror Hallways

Toronto’s horror hallway transports you deep into what appears to be a never-ending maze of horror. The insanely frightening adventures in the store may unnerve you as you tremble in the pitch dark. At the cost of making your hair stand, the haunted maze features that you will be treated to are terrifyingly thrilling.

Navigating Corn Mazes

You can get lost as you navigate through the world-famous Ontario corn mazes. From picking pumpkins, cuddling bunnies, to milking goats, there are many activities on offer at these farms. Your family can spend the entire day picking fresh produce and exploring the vast expanse.

Many of these farms grow sweet peas, tomatoes, strawberries, and beans, too, besides pumpkins. You get to experience an abundance of Ontario’s harvest in the outdoors, with some farms offering wagon rides to their pumpkin patch. Family-run farms often challenge you with gripping treasure hunt like activities that keep you entertained.

Indigenous Events, Activities & Experiences

Every June brings another chance to celebrate Canada’s rich history with National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21st. First established as a national holiday in 1996, the day encourages Canadians to honor and celebrate the legacy and culture of the country’s Indigenous groups.

Whether you’re looking to celebrate your own Indigenous heritage or simply want to honor a piece of the country’s history, there are plenty of ways to get involved this year. Read on for more information about Indigenous Peoples Day, and find out how you can celebrate throughout the entire month of June!

A History of Indigenous Peoples Day

In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (now known as the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a day that would recognize the rich culture of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, as well as the contributions they’ve made to the nation’s prosperity. 

Over a decade later, Governor General Roméo LeBlanc officially declared June 21st of each year to be National Aboriginal Day. Thanks to a statement issued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2017, the holiday is now widely known as National Indigenous Peoples Day and honors the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada.

The Importance of Celebrating Indigenous Culture

The contributions made by Indigenous peoples to Canada’s history and prosperity are overlooked. And thanks to a long history of colonization and discrimination, Indigenous culture has largely become invisible, despite the fact that Indigenous peoples make up nearly 5% of Canada’s total population. 

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day provides a space for these groups to be recognized and celebrated for their achievements and rich culture. It also allows non-Indigenous people to gain a better understanding of and a new appreciation for the Indigenous communities that surround them.

Celebrating Indigenous Culture Respectfully

If you’re a non-Indigenous person who would like to participate in the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, it’s important to maintain a level of respect.

Respectfully observing the holiday largely means keeping the focus on Indigenous culture and history. This can be done in countless ways and can include anything from eating traditional foods to attending a celebration hosted by an Indigenous organization. 

Another crucial aspect of celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day respectfully is educating yourself about Indigenous history, which is often improperly taught. Staying educated can minimize misinformation surrounding Indigenous culture, and keep misconceptions from being passed down to future generations.

Ways You Can Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Month This Year

In 2022, there are plenty of things you can do to honor Canada’s Indigenous history all month long. Read on to find out what you can do for Indigenous Peoples Day this year!

Online Government Programs & Celebrations

Be sure to check out National Indigenous Peoples Day virtual activities happening in your region through Celebrate Canada.

David R. Maracle

Where: Picton, Ontario

David R. Maracle, Mohawk Bear Clan of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory will be performing an outdoor concert June 25 at the Macaulay Heritage Park  house in Picton Ontario with a Traditional Mohawk dancer accompanying him. David then will exhibit his artwork along with other Indigenous Artists at the same space on July 22 to August 11 at the Macaulay Heritage Park house.  

Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival 

Where: Ottawa, Ontario

Come celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day with our Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival, Competition Pow-Wow and much more.

JUNE 21 – 26, 2022

INDIGENOUS DAY CELEBRATION: June 21

EDUCATION DAYS: June 22 – 24
FREE performances and interactive workshops that share and celebrate the diverse Indigenous cultures of Canada. All of this programming is designed to encourage interaction and engagement with our Indigenous artists and knowledge keepers who will help bring the curriculum to life in a fun, authentic and appropriate way.

POW WOW: June 25 – 26
This year the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival is excited to feature both our Virtual Pow Wow and live Competition Pow Wow, presented by CN Railway & Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Mādahòkì Marketplace

Where: Ottawa, Ontario

National Indigenous Peoples Day @ Sainte Marie Among the Hurons

DATE: Tuesday, June 21, 2022
HOURS: 10 am to 3 pm*
Special Event Rate: $ 12.00 per person, plus HST

* The historic site and indoor museum are open until 5 pm (last admission at 4 pm).

This event will encompass a wide variety of unique Indigenous cultural and historical demonstrations such as music, art and traditional teachings.

Programming includes:

● Drumming and dancing demonstrations
● Tasting three sister soup and corn bread
● Corn husk dolls and okies workshop
● Canoe display and wigwam work
● Garden and animal presentations with our new Agriculture Worker
● Lacrosse, speed net and storytelling presentations with special guest, Chris Walser
● Indigenous art presentations
● Indigenous artisans market

Anishinaabe Cultural Experiences @ Cape Croker Park

Where: Wiarton, Ontario

This team of experienced Anishinaabe naturalists and guides have developed a series of land & water-based activities to share with Park visitors.

Special Programs for 2022

Anishinaabe Painting – An Exploration of Colours and Wildlife

Saturday June 18, 10am-12:30pm

June is month filled with things to celebrate in Ontario. Always check out the ToDoOntario Events Calendar for more things to do in Ontario.