Thrills and chills in Montréal this Halloween! 🎃
Montréal’s darkened corners and cobblestone streets are home to ghouls and goblins all year long with spooky surprises waiting around every corner (and even tours dedicated to these ghostly frights), but paranormal sightings reach their height across the city every Halloween season. There’s freaky fun for every member of the whole family, from kid-friendly adventures with loads of treats to be had to R-rated thrills and chills just for grown-ups. Don’t say we didn’t warn you … 😱
For kids of all ages
Halloween Shivers (running October 1 to October 31, 2025) at the Espace pour la vie Montréal Botanical Garden offers family friendly programming including the family favourite live show Même pas peur ! featuring Blandine, a small pattypan squash facing her fears with bravery and laughs. Meanwhile inside the Main Greenhouse, sorcerers Kalbacius and Petiole debate the ins and outs of magic, and back outside the outdoor maze is sure to delight. There’s also workshops on magic wands and potion-making, Japanese paper theatre performances presenting scary traditional folk tales and presentations on the special powers of gourds. The eye-popping Gardens of Light lantern installations are also brightly lit until November 2, 2025!
Get the kids costumed up and take the quick jaunt to Lachine for La grande chasse aux bonbons des commerçants on rue Notre-Dame between 6th and 18th avenues on October 24, 2025 from 6 pm onwards when friendly storefronts will be handing out treats to all. And a costumed run through the Jardin de sculptures de Lachine makes for a fun and spooky adventure after sundown.
Ecomuseum Zoo presents Halloween-themed special events all autumn long long, with “SPOOKQUILL” themed presentations focusing on porcupines and beavers in both family-friendly and adults-only versions (running regularly until November 30, 2025). There’s additional Halloween-themed enhancements throughout the park too—ask at the entrance gate for the day’s special surprises.
Over 20,000 Mexicans call Montréal home, and this year’s Festival Dia de muertos MTL (or Day of the Dead) celebrations are bigger than ever with their 2025 theme Corn and Chocolate: Encounters. Check the full programme, including numerous craftmaking workshops, the Tocani performance spectacle of dance and music on October 23, 2025, the art exhibition Viva la familia—Contigo en la distancia running September 5-November 2, 2025, a parade (with Mexican candies!) and the closing traditional altar exhibition Manalli on November 1, 2025.
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM for short) hosts the family-friendly program Trick or Treat! on October 26, 2025, with a full roster of music and magical creatures. Guests are invited to come in costume, and that conductor’s baton may just be a magic wand with special powers!
Amusement park La Ronde hosts their annual Kids Pumpkin Festival on open dates from October 4 to 26, 2025, including corn mazes, special performances including Ribambelle and the Pumpkins and Les Monstres Moches, seasonal-themed rides and story times. The family fun continues until 5:30 PM, when it’s time to get the kids safely back home. But more on that below …
The Promenade Masson cuts through the heart of the Rosemont–Petite-Patrie neighbourhood, and on October 24-26, 2025, this friendly shopping street transforms into Massonloween. Expect Halloween characters, fun costumes, candy for the kids and some thrilling installations including the Tunnels of Mystery—some for all audiences, and somewhat more gory alternates just for adults. And this year there’s the all new Halloween Village too!
Get your shop on while raising funds for a good cause simultaneously at CF Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping mall’s Le Carnaval d’Halloween on October 18, 2025. Candies, photo ops, a makeup station and crafting opportunities (including your chance to make your own bath bomb) are lined up throughout the centre.
ArtChaos hosts Fluid Toy Experience: Pumpkin Pouring throughout the month. Forget about carving a pumpkin—this year, try painting and creating an abstract masterwork the ArtChaos way.
Bewitching and terrifying in equal measure!
With over 2km of myriad twists and turns, the SOS Labyrinthe is about to get even scarier with its SOS Halloween festivities running October 4 to November 2, 2025. Who knows who’s waiting around that next corner? And those thirsty for other thrills right next door won’t want to miss the MTL Zipline flying at high speed over the Old Port of Montréal and Montréal Bungee, the highest urban bungee jump in North America. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a ghost zipping across the sky, now’s your chance! Just follow the screams …
'Tis the season to scare the bejeezus out of yourself and your loved ones, and the Montréal Ghosts guided walks and ghost hunts through Old Montréal are the perfect way to share the creeps together. Haunted Montréal also offers ghost walks, paranormal investigations, walks focused on the Old Montréal and Griffintown quartiers and highly recommended Haunted Pub Crawls with ample opportunity to stock up on liquid courage! We, uh, might just wait for you in the pub. 😬
"It was a dark and stormy night …!”
The Montréal Intercultural Storytelling Festival (which runs from October 17-26, 2025) is sure to also feature its fair share of chills throughout its programming. Check their full programming for details here. Bring a flashlight for the full campfire ghost story experience!
The Restaurant de l’ITHQ hosts a magical dinner on October 25, 2025, during which their dining room will transform into Hogwarts school for A Night at Wizard School. Everyone’s invited to bring their favourite striped scarf and magic wand to join in on what’s sure to be a tasty night.
The Otakuthon Anime Convention held annually in August, hosts a 20th anniversary Halloween Party edition on November 1, 2025 at Collège Ahuntsic, full of cosplay, matsuri-style games, vendors and costumes galore.
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) presents both Rachmaninov’s Isle of the Dead (featuring film projection by Lucas van Woekrum) and Liszt’s Totentanz (Dance of Death) performed by Godwin Friesen, followed by a “Spooky Jazz” Halloween Party including a complimentary cocktail on October 30, 2025. On October 31, 2025, the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera will be screened with organ accompaniment—still scary 100 years later!
Long enough after Halloween itself to catch your breath, the Pointe-à-Callière historical museum hosts Death Becomes You: Funeral practices and rituals in Québec on November 6, 2025.
Ghouls and goblins take over Exporail, the Railway Museum as part of Railway Ghosts, some Halloween fun. Back from the dead for one last ride through the haunted station and train cars, these terrifying trains run from October 18-19, 25-26 and 31, 2025. Don’t look now, but I think that’s a skeleton in the driver’s seat!
John Waters’ Pink Flamingos starring Divine gets a screening at Cinéma du Parc on October 30, 2025, as part of the Queer Cinema Club Montréal—and most definitely costumes are more than welcome. On October 31 and November 1-2, 2025, du Parc also presents daily screenings of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves.
Cuddle up close for Candlelight Music’s Halloween Classics at Théâtre Rialto, featuring music from Psycho, John Carpenter’s Halloween, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Michael Jackson’s Thriller all by twinkling candlelight. Find ticketing and scheduling details here.
Those with a cinematic bloodlust will flip their lids (with gore flying everywhere, obviously) for the 24th edition of Festival Spasm at Théâtre Plaza running October 22 to November 1, 2025. Don’t miss the opening party Les insolites québécois (The Unusual Quebeckers) on October 22, 2025 and the Grande soirée horreur SPASM on October 31, 2025! And if that wasn’t enough, Spasm also hosts the Party d’Halloween Old School Musique 80s 90s 00s celebration on November 1, 2025—but let’s see if you make it through October alive first. And if you don’t want everyone to see you scream, you can also partake in the festival’s programming online from the comfort (and safety) of your own home via their website.
Learn to read the cards at the Learn Tarot Workshop on October 12, 2025, and interpret the leaves at the Fortune Telling Tea Party on October 24, 2025 both at Bar à beurre Vieux Mtl. Both a good option to check if you’ll survive whatever other Halloween events you’ve got on your calendar.
SLASHER—Improvised Comedic Horror is sure to make you chuckle and choke in equal measure at Theatre VME/Mile End Improv on October 17, 2025. Not even the actors know who the killer is or where the story will take them…
There’s freaky fun for everyone, from kid-friendly adventures with treats to be had to R-rated thrills and chills just for grown-ups.
Rated-R thrills and chills!
La Ronde's annual Fright Fest returns from October 4-26, 2025, transforming the entire park into unique Scare Zones (including the all-new “The Clown Carnage” and old favourites “The Infestarium” and “The Burning Dolls”) sure to shock your socks off even more than the epic rides and iconic roller coasters that are even more terrifying in the dark. The classic opening show The Awakening featuring over 50 monsters and ghouls is also bigger than ever, and more than 100 creatures roam the park waiting to jump out from every dark corner. And trust us, if you hear a chainsaw drop what you’re doing and run. You’ve been warned.
Each year, the twisted minds behind Malefycia transform your bloodiest horror movie fantasies into an immersive in-person experience with a new performance each year that requires a waiver before entry, and this year’s Canal 9 is sure to turn up the gore more than ever. Like we do every year, we'd suggest attendees don’t wear anything they won’t want to get stained, because the blood and guts are sure to fly. Their tagline is “Grossness Guaranteed,” so consider yourselves forewarned!
Dammit, Janet, if you haven’t experienced Rocky Horror with a rabid audience, you haven’t lived! It’s time to don those fishnets and get ready to dodge those flying hot dogs when the iconic Théâtre Rialto and Théâtre Décarie host the Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball on October 29 to November 1, 2025. As always, crowd participation is encouraged.
There’s a reason why the LGBTQ+ community calls Halloween “gay Christmas” and Montréal’s vibrant drag community, including its leading lights Yikes Macaroni, Mado Lamotte, Michel Dorion and Uma Gahd and many others, present Halloween-themed performances all month long. If anyone does Halloween right, it’s the queens—keep an eye on the QueerMTL Things to Do page for a full listing of drag and LGBTQ+-themed events throughout October and beyond!
Montréal’s vibrant ballroom community comes together for a night of voguing and runway at the WTHelloween Kiki Ball presented by Godfather Silver Old Navy and Auntie Mags Old Navy at Saint-Edouard Church Basement on October 31, 2025. Bring it to the runway spooky style!
![Society for Arts and Technology [SAT]](https://api.mtl.org/files/default/styles/square_330_330/public/2024-10/Capture%2520d-cran%25202019-07-02%2520-%252011.54.32.png.webp?itok=y_Ut-rcS)
Check out one of Montréal’s coolest arts and party venues when the Society for Arts and Technology [SAT] hosts HALLOWEEN on October 31 and November 1, 2025 with DJs including Danny Daze, Ayesha, Kittin, Legowelt and costumes galore. And when they say all night, they really mean it with bar license extended until 6 AM. That sunlight is gonna hit vampire-style! 🧛♀️
Speaking of vampires, Le Fou Fou hosts Bal des Vampires on October 31, 2025, featuring burlesque performance, music, tarot and voodoo. Plus there’s a prize for the best costume, so it’s finally time to live your Interview with the Vampire fantasies in public!
La Voûte cabaret, housed in a converted bank building, presents their post-apocalyptic Area 201 Halloween costume ball on October 31 and November 1 & 2, 2025. It’s the perfect spot to show off your gory end-of-the-world best.
Synth and goth lovers have a busy calendar this Halloween season with SYNTHOWEEN (a synth music and 1980s dance party) at Bar Le Ritz PDB on November 1, 2025, and The Dark Eighties / Cave of Bats Halloween Party at Cabaret Berlin on October 31, 2025.
Cirque de Boudoir presents both Cabaret du Diable Halloween on October 31, 2025 at Cabaret Lion d’Or and Cirque du Diable at Théâtre Paradoxe on November 1, 2025. In their own words, these are no less than Montréal’s Kinkiest Halloween events, featuring techno and electronic DJs, circus and fetish performances, and an easy dresscode—fetish or extreme costumes! 🙀
DÔME Montréal presents “The 90’s Prom Night” Halloween Party at Plaza Centre-Ville (EVO Montréal) on October 31, 2025. Things are about to get a bit Carrie up in here. 🩸
Come celebrate Halloween at the Casino de Montréal on October 31 and November 1, 2025 with a big costume runway show, DJs, roaming characters, and makeup stations and more. Festive entertainment, popcorn, cotton candy and surprise performances will make it a Halloween like no other!
Montréal’s Persian community will gather at Halloween پارتی at Karina’s Club with music from DJ Plus and a crowd in full costume on October 31, 2025.
Burlesque fans are well served this Halloween season with seasonal programming all month long including the Vampire Ball on October 10, 2025, The Addams Family Tribute Show on October 11, 2025, Creatures of the Night on October 24, 2025 and the Trick or Tease: Wiggle Room Halloween Special on October 31, 2025. Find all ticketing info on their website.
Mark Hamilton
Mark Hamilton is the community director for QueerMTL, an internationally-touring musician with his projects Woodpigeon and Frontperson and a graduate studies student of history researching LGBTQ+ activism in the city. He’s lived in Montréal since 2015, during which time he’s most often spotted atop a BIXI bike usally running a few minutes late.