Halloween hotspots in and around Ottawa

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Updated October 25, 2022. Looking to give yourself a good fright? Here are dozens of ways to celebrate Halloween in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and beyond in 2022. In many cases, times, days of the week and ticket prices vary, and many attractions require you to buy tickets online in advance, so DO check the linked websites before heading out.

Happy haunting!

• The Haunted Walk of Ottawa provides all sorts of ghoulish fun in October (and the rest of the year), including separate tours of the former jail on Nicholas Street, Beechwood Cemetery and the Mackenzie King Estate.

• Saunders Farm in Munster is hosting FrightFest (various days, September 26 to October 31, 6:30pm to 10:30pm). This super-poplar Halloween attraction features the Barn of Terror, the Cemetery Crypt and other sites designed to scare teens and adults silly. FrightFest is too intense for kids, but Saunders also offers a tamer daytime event called Pumpkin Season (Saturdays and Sundays, September 25 to October 31, 10am to 5pm). Families can bounce on trampolines, take a gently scary haunted hayride, ride a zipline, wander a spooky hiking trail and more.
• Stittsville Haunted Heritage Tours are offered twice nightly on Friday and Saturday nights from September 24 to November 5.
• The always-spectacular Pumpkinferno is back at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg on select nights between September 30 and October 30. Stroll around the outdoor living history museum to see 7,000 carved artificial pumpkins combined into fantastical shapes with an eerie musical backdrop. Here’s my take on what it’s like. Advance tickets required.

• In Kingston, you can take an evening Ghost and Mystery Trolley Tour daily until October 31.
• Also in K’town, the Haunted Walk of Kingston offers a wide range of ghostly tours, including its original tour and a new-this-year ghost walk at Queen’s University, on dates throughout October and November.
• Here’s an insider tip on Halloween in Ottawa: The Billings Estate National Historic Site is hosting tours of its tiny, historic cemetery at dusk on Friday and Saturday nights until November 12. And kids 10 and under (and their families) are the target audience for Monster Mystery at the Museum, where they’ll be challenged to solve riddles and puzzles as they explore the heritage house (October 29 and 30, 10am to 3pm). Advance registration required for all activities.

• Near Crysler, the frightening fun at Acres of Terror at Cannamore Orchard includes a spooky wagon ride, a fog maze, a House of Terror and a spooky village. It’s open various days and evenings through October 30; check the website for details. Advance ticket purchase required.
• Pumpkin Fest is a huge Halloween playground at Proulx Farm in Cumberland, open weekends (and weekdays with advance reservation) until October 31.
• Proulx Farm is also home to sKreamers, a terrifying-looking haunted house experience organized by the Orleans Kiwanis. It runs on Friday and Saturday nights from September 30 to October 29, as well as on Sunday, October 30, and Monday, October 31. Buy tickets online.
• Throughout October, the Montreal Botanical Garden is hosting Halloween Shivers, a multi-faceted event that includes all sorts of spooky fun. Attend a potions workshop, thrill to traditional scary folktales in the Japanese Pavilion, visit a Sorcerer’s Haven and more.

• The Deadwood Haunted Drive at Wesley Clover Parks in Nepean (October 14 to 31) is a scary drive-through attraction for those aged 13 and over. Actors, lighting, sound, music and special effects combine to create chills and thrills.
• Prince Edward County is holding its Pumpkinfest on Saturday, October 15, in Wellington.
• From October 16 to 31, the Scarecrow Stroll will see downtown Carleton Place decorated with handmade scarecrows. It’s a chance to get some fun selfies while checking out downtown shops.
• The Brockville Railway Tunnel becomes a spooky, half-kilometre Tunnel of Terror, complete with lights and music, on select nights from October 20 to 30.
• The Sawmill 2 Underground (select nights, October 20 to 31) is a terrifying way to mark Halloween in Ottawa. This scary attraction at Lansdowne Park based on the idea of rescuing a bunch of millworkers who’ve been trapped underground on the site for a lonnnng time. Once you’ve had a good scream or two, you can relax with cider, kettle corn or BeaverTails while watching jugglers and fire eaters.

• With the Haunted Walk, you can participate in a 3.5-hour paranormal investigation at the Historic SDG Jail in Cornwall. This experience will be available on October 21, 22, 28 and 29.
• The Smiths Falls Heritage House Museum is transforming itself into a haunted house on October 21, 22, 28 and 29, from 7pm to 9pm. You can pre-book tickets online (online sales close 12 hours before each event) or take your chances and get tickets at the door. The museum is also running ghost tours on Wednesday nights from October 5 to 26.
• For those who like their Halloween celebrations on the mystical side, there’s a Halloween Bazaar and Night Market at Cornerstone Organics in Long Sault on Saturday, October 22, starting at 5pm. As well as tarot card readings, psychics and vintage horror movies for the adults, there’s a special hour for kids from 5pm to 6pm, with crafting and other activities.

• From October 25 to 31, you can enjoy Lights Out Halloween escape rooms (including drinks and “ghoulish surprises”) at Escape Manor’s locations in Centretown, Hintonburg and Barrhaven. On some of those evenings, Escape Manor will run Lights Out events at the Diefenbunker in Carp, as well.
• Speaking of the Diefenbunker, its Toddlers’ Halloween Hunt is back! From 10am to 1pm on October 26, 27 and 28, little ones can hunt for treats, make crafts and enjoy special activities in the decommissioned Cold War bunker. Admission is by timed ticket, and advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended.
• There’s lots going on in Perth on the weekend before Halloween, including a Perth Ghost Walk led by historian Susan Code McDougall (nightly, October 27 to 29, starting at 7pm; currently sold out, but they’re making a wait list); and a Zombie Walk, where you’re invited to wear your best undead costume and compete for prizes (Saturday, October 29, starting at 5pm).

• The Lanark Highlands Youth Centre’s Haunted House runs over two evenings (October 28 and 29) with two sessions each evening: an early-evening one (4:30pm to 6pm) for young children and a scarier one later (6:30pm to 8pm).
• On October 28 and 29, Parc Omega in Montebello will be presenting a special Halloween version of its Omega by Night illuminated walking trail, with costumed characters, storytellers, candy, musical entertainment, a costume contest, a food truck and more.
• Day of the Dead celebrations will be happening throughout the weekend (October 28 to 30) in Ottawa’s ByWard Market. The fun will include a piñata competition, a fashion show, dance competitions, live Latin music and other Mexican fun.
• The Vanier Optimist Club and the Vanier Museopark are turning the museum’s Richelieu Forest into a kid-friendly haunted forest on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29, from 1pm to 4pm. Little ones can enjoy activities and get candy along the forest trails. The event is free, but online reservations are highly recommended.

• On Saturday, October 29, one of the first duties for the capital’s new head honcho will be mark Halloween in Ottawa by leading the super-popular trick-or-treat with the mayor event at Ottawa City Hall (5pm to 8pm). Attractions include treats, roaming costumed entertainers and the chance to decorate a mini pumpkin. Admission is a non-perishable donation (such as diapers, formula or baby food) to the Ottawa Food Bank’s Baby Basics Program.
• Little ones can trick or treat their way around downtown Kemptville businesses during Kreepy Kemptville on Saturday, October 29, from 10am to 1pm. Visitors can enjoy a pumpkin-carving contest, a scavenger hunt and (this one starts at 9:30am) a costume parade, too. Also, on evenings from October 29 to 31, lots of carved pumpkins will be illuminated and displayed along a free Pumpkin Trail that you can explore on foot, by bike or by car.
• In Prince Edward County, there’s an all-day, family-friendly Haunting in the Hamlet event in Consecon on Saturday, October 29.

• The Log Farm on Cedarview Road in Nepean is offering wagon rides, a corn maze, loot bags, a hay mountain and lots of animals to pet during the Halloween Costume Party on the Farm on October 29 and 30. Advance ticket purchase recommended.
• A costume parade, a spooky barn, creepy crafts, pumpkins, a barn dance and more are in store for families at A Barnyard Halloween at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum (October 29 and 30).

• The Cumberland Heritage Village Museum is hosting a Halloween Hijinks day for families on October 29 and 30. Costumes are encouraged, treats will be available, and a magician and a stilt walker will be entertaining visitors. Advance reservations required.
• On Saturday, October 29 (10am to 4pm), Vintage Pop-up 613 is hosting the Ottawa Mystic Market at the Churchill Seniors Centre in Westboro, with psychics, crystals and tarot card readers, along with spooky books, decor, clothing and even taxidermy! Costumes encouraged.
• The Optimist Club of Lancaster is hosting the South Glengarry Haunted Drive at Charlottenburgh Park in Lancaster on Saturday, October 29. The first hour (5pm to 6pm) is for young children; the experience is scarier from 6:30pm to 10pm. Tickets are $10 per vehicle, payable at the gate. Cash only.

• The Halloween Festival in Alexandria Bay, New York, on Saturday, October 29 (11am to 1pm), will feature crafts, trick or treating, a costume contest and more.
• Mont Tremblant is offering free Halloween fun for families, including music and treats, on Sunday, October 30.
• Palapa Tours wraps up its season of fun tiki-boat trips along the Ottawa River on Sunday, October 30. For the last two weeks of October, the company invites passengers to wear Halloween costumes and to prepare for some spooky thrills along the way. The tours leave from Ozile’s Marina at the north end of Trim Road (Petrie Island) in Orleans.
• In Navan, Country Moments Spa and Country Perks Cafe are hosting a Haunted House on October 30 and October 31 from 6pm to 9pm. The outdoor event is open to all ages and guests will get free hot chocolate, candy and coffee (the latter just for adults; I’m assuming the kids won’t need any more winding up that evening).
• And you don’t have to say farewell to Halloween on October 31! Perth is hosting a Pumpkin Parade on Tuesday, November 1—a chance to see lots of jack o’ lanterns enjoy their last hurrah. Residents can bring their carved pumpkins to the bandshell behind the Town Hall and enter them in a contest for best prizes. The pumpkins will be illuminated and displayed one last time before being composted.

Top photo: David Edkins on Unsplash.

Looking for more ideas for things to see and do in the Ottawa region? Subscribe to my free newsletter or pick up a copy of my guidebook, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land.