Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and Edmonton has packed the days leading up to it with enough spooky stuff to fill several evenings — whether you want full-blown scares or something gentler with the kids.

The biggest spectacle is Pumpkins After Dark at Borden Park, running nightly from 6:30 to 11 p.m. until October 31. The organisers have rebuilt the whole walkthrough for this season, and the coming weekend marks its first Edmonton run of 2026. Pricing shifts by date, so booking early in the week tends to be cheaper.

For anyone who wants proper fear, there are two heavy hitters. DARK at Fort Edmonton Park runs until Halloween night, with gates at 6:30 p.m. and four separate haunt experiences — three returning favourites and one brand-new nightmare — plus roaming performers, food stands and a live DJ. Tickets start at $50. Across town, Deadmonton on 47th Street is arguably the city's scariest haunted house, and it has the longest runway of the lot, staying open until November 7 with three new haunts. Ticket prices vary by date and time slot.

If ghost stories interest you more than jump scares, Fort Edmonton Park also runs Fall Paranormal Tours, where participants carry Spirit Boxes and EMF readers through the historic buildings while guides share the park's darker history. Two routes are on offer: the 1885 Street Venture and the Fort Featured Investigation through Rowand House. Tours continue until December 2 at $67 plus tax.

Elsewhere in the week: Field of Screams at the K3 Corn Maze near Tofield, east of the city, marks its sixth year on Friday, October 30, with scare actors hiding in the maze, bonfires and hot food ($12 a head). The Haunted Hike in Vegreville, about an hour east, packs 20 themed rooms with live actors and offers a toned-down Kids Hour from 3 to 5 p.m. before the adult Scary Hour in the evening.

Not into being frightened? The Horizon Drive-In sets up at Edmonton Valley Zoo from Thursday through Saturday, screening nine horror and family-friendly Halloween films across three nightly showtimes, with entry from $10. Grindstone Theatre on Whyte Avenue has two cheap laughs: a free stand-up open mic on Wednesday at 10 p.m. (five-minute sets, beginners welcome) and Thursday Night Improv at 7 p.m. from about $15. Sports fans can catch the Oilers against the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Place on Monday at 7:30 p.m., with seats from $77.

It's a good snapshot of Edmonton in late October: cold enough for a coat, lively enough that you'll be out anyway. The haunted attractions suit groups of friends chasing adrenaline, while the pumpkin walk, drive-in and kids' hour in Vegreville work well for families. Comedy nights and the hockey game round things out for anyone who'd rather skip Halloween entirely.

Story via Curiocity.