Edmonton is going all-in on Halloween this weekend, with a mix of scare attractions, markets and family-friendly outings running from Friday through Sunday (Oct. 23-25). Whether you want to be terrified, shop for vintage threads, or take the dog out in costume, the city has something on.
For serious scares, two heavyweights are running. DARK at Fort Edmonton Park (7000 143rd St. NW) takes over the historic park with four haunted experiences — three returning favourites and one brand-new nightmare — plus roving entertainers, food, drinks and a live DJ. Gates open 6:30 p.m., haunts run 7 to 11 p.m., and entry starts at $50. Over on 47th Street, Deadmonton is widely considered the city's scariest haunted house, with three new haunts this year. It runs until Nov. 7, with prices varying by date and time.
If you like your frights a bit further afield, The Haunted Hike in Vegreville (about an hour east of the city) packs 20 themed rooms and live actors into a haunted house, with a milder Kids Hour from 3 to 5 p.m. and Scary Hour from 6 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closer to home, Warwa Woods at Camp Warwa in Darwell is a one-weekend-only haunted forest that has doubled its footprint this year to two immersive trails. It's $22 per person, $77 for a family of four, or $175 for a group of up to 10.
Prefer your pumpkins lit rather than lunging at you? Pumpkins After Dark at Borden Park has rebuilt its glow-in-the-dark pumpkin display for its most immersive season yet, running nightly 6:30 to 11 p.m. until Oct. 31, with ticket prices varying by date.
The weekend isn't all Halloween, either. The Edmonton Corn Maze in Spruce Grove wraps up its season Sunday with farm animals, mini golf, spud gun launches and a pumpkin patch — $15 and up, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Shoppers have two strong options: Cursed Kitty Clothing's free Halloween Market on 104th Street (10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday) for vintage, 2000s and alternative fashion plus handmade goods, and the $5 Naturecore Expo at North East River Valley Park on Saturday, where more than 80 plant vendors, flash tattoos and food trucks make it the city's biggest botanical shopping day.
Rounding things out: the Callingwood Farmers Market, Edmonton's largest and longest-running outdoor market with over 200 vendors, runs Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Edmonton Humane Society hosts its free Howl-O-Ween on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with food trucks and costume contests for pets and their humans.
If you're in Edmonton this weekend — or planning an autumn city break around Halloween — this list basically writes your itinerary: a haunted attraction at night, a market or maze by day. Book scare attractions ahead, as the big haunts tend to sell out their prime evening slots.
