Remember when Halloween was just one night? Fortunately for those who love all the spooky creativity and fun, Halloween lasts for much of October now. In Sudbury, Ontario, choose from a variety of great Halloween events that are sure to keep the fun going all month long. About a 5-hour drive from Toronto or Ottawa and 3.5 hours from Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury offers great Halloween-themed weekend events that you can easily complement with a few extra days to explore the area’s natural beauty, fall colours and harvest-time treats.
This popular event at Dynamic Earth is back for weekend evenings October 6-29 with plenty of good times for kids and kids at heart. Favourite returning activities include Pumpkinferno (a huge outdoor display of carved, glowing pumpkins), a scavenger hunt, “Creep It Real” science activities, a haunted maze, a bug bistro (yes, edible bugs are on the menu), and the Big Nickel Show (a light and video production of Sudbury’s history). New events are in store too: a Strange Story Time with Ontario author Jeremy John, a workshop on how to make your very own Halloween night light, an ore toss (tossing a pumpkin in an ore chute) and learning about some of the science behind tools that paranormal investigators use.
From the folks that brought you the former Terror Train comes a new scream park experience in the Greater Sudbury community of Blezard Valley. Running on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from October 6-30, Fields of Fear promises a spine-tingling carnival and sideshow-themed experience inside a creepy hostel and two carnival tents. For more cautious types, there are also on-site activities in a fun zone with inflatable games, a dino maze and vintage midway games, plus special events like a Halloween vendors market and an outdoor movie night throughout the month.
Back for its second year, SICK takes place September 29-October 1. This weekend event at the Place Des Arts is a horrorfest that hosts celebrity guests, both horror film legends and rising stars, as well as interactive gaming events, stunt, filmmaking and production workshops and panels, vendors, photo ops, and much more. Plus, there are Friday and Saturday night movie screenings featuring live Q&As with their directors and actors.
This all-ages daytime event at the Northbury Hotel and Conference Centre on October 29 is a fun way for families to celebrate Halloween just a bit early. Come in costume and dance at a DJ’d party, sample sweet treats and do a meet and greet with your favourite princesses and superheroes who are dressed in special spooky costumes and makeup. Other activities include pumpkin painting, a slime station, a princess storytime and “gruesome makeover” face painting. You can also make a weekend of it by staying at the Northbury, as your comfortable home base to explore the city of Sudbury.
Make it a fun night out for the adults! Murder By Appointment brings two nights of murder mystery dinner theatre to the Cambrian College Student Life Centre on October 27 and 28. Attempt to solve a mystery at a supernatural wedding with plenty of characters inspired by the classic movie, while enjoying a buffet dinner and show.
Presented at The Grand Theatre Oct.26th-28th, this burlesque show and costume party blur the lines between the beautiful and the bizarre. Sudbury Burlesque's "Monster's Ball 7: Cursed in Carnival Land" is a mesmerizing display featuring over 20 jaw-dropping local and travelling acts that will spook you in the best kind of way. On-site extras, costume prizes, go-go dancers, vendors (and even an after party) make for a full evening of racy, elegant Halloween fun.
Delicious wines, a tasting menu featuring “seven deadly sins” (like spicy shrimp potstickers for wrath and pappardelle Bolognese for sloth) and a great cause: that’s Hallo-wine 2023. The event takes place on October 28 at Wander Food & Wine, with fundraising in support of the Sudbury Manitoulin Children’s Foundation.
Shop for all things creepy at the Amberhill Gallery Sudbury Halloween Night Market on the evening of October 27 and choose from a variety of items with a fall or Halloween theme. Or simply go shopping, no creepy required: discover the delights of small-city thrifting and vintage or find something new and notable in the curated collections of independent shops and boutiques, including locally made wares.
Be sure to make time to see some more “haunting” Sudbury sights too. Sudbury is also a fantastic destination for seeing spectacular fall colours. Explore a few of the area’s 300-plus lakes, with beautiful views and fantastic hikes, waterways for fishing and boating, and bike trails. For example, one gorgeous fall destination is A.Y. Jackson Lookout and Onaping’s High Falls, 45 minutes northwest of downtown Sudbury. Hike a 1-km riverside trail to a bridge that spans the 55-m high falls to see the landscape that captured the imagination of Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson. Check out these insider tips for stellar fall colour viewing locations too.
In Sudbury itself, why not visit the three local craft breweries and distilleries to sample some fall offerings? Take a mini road trip to discover new and delicious eats, like Nickel City Cheese, Raven Rising Global Indigenous Chocolates, and The Valley Market. Local favourite eateries range from Thai and Indian to Mediterranean, Greek and Italian. Yum!
This fall, head to Sudbury! Create your ultimate combination of fun Halloween events, delicious food and drink, and outdoor adventure for a truly memorable fall getaway.
