Looking for the best Halloween events in Calgary so you can have some fright-filled fun this month?
The best Halloween events in Calgary are arguably Ghouls’ Night Out, Pumpkins After Dark, and Halloweekends at Calaway Park. For adult spooks and fun, check out Haunted Calgary, the True Crime Walking Tours, or the popular Screamfest.
Of course, there are plenty of awesome events to be explored every year. These are just some of the best ones you can’t miss out on.
Read on to get more details on each and see which one fits your style! We divided them into the ones for adults and kids.
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The Best Halloween Events in Calgary for Adults
ScreamFest
ScreamFest is the biggest Halloween event you can attend in Calgary. It’s actually generally PG-13, but they have an exclusive adults-only night that features adult-oriented entertainment, lots of liquor, and an afterparty starting at midnight.
ScreamFest is on every Friday and Saturday during October, as well as on Halloween itself (the 31st). There is paid parking available and dropoffs get reimbursed if you leave within 30 minutes of entry.
Make sure you bring some warm clothes as certain attractions are outside! There are also tons of games where you get exclusive merch and stuffed toys as prizes.
To join a game, you need to use “Killer Cash”, which you can get with a ticket bundle or onsite. ScreamFest 2022’s Adults Only Night was held on October 27, but you should check the site for updates on 2023’s set date.
While kids aged 12 and up can also attend the other nights, you can see that the scares are really geared toward the older crowd. It’s really set up to make you scream, after all.
You can get liquor at the bar whatever night you attend, though. It’s also worth noting that ScreamFest is not wheelchair-accessible because of the lighting and smoke effects used throughout the event grounds.
Here are some of the activities you can do at ScreamFest:
- Watch scary indie flicks at the movie screening
- Enter the six themed outdoor haunted houses
- Chill out at the Beer Lounge and food trucks
- Join in horror-themed carnival games (like throwing zombie heads and axes)
True Crime Walking Tours
Fort Calgary’s True Crime Walking Tours are a grim and spine-chilling experience you can enjoy during Halloween season. Because of its gruesome nature, this tour should only be attended by those ages 16 and up.
Throughout the tour, you will walk through some bumpy paths, so make sure you wear some comfy shoes. In 2022, this tour dived into the executions and grizzly murders that happened in Calgary’s early days.
Their dates get sold out, so be sure to book your tickets in advance once the new tours get announced. There are a number of sponsored tickets available, too, but these are reserved for those from underserved communities.
If you’re too easily spooked, you may take comfort in the fact that there are also afternoon tours available. The Twilight tours are simply the main draw for those seeking out the full fear factor.
Haunted Calgary
If you want the true Calgary Halloween experience, you can’t go wrong with Haunted Calgary. It’s one of the longest-running attractions in the city and always comes with a cool theme.
Its latest run in 2022 presented Wicked, which beckoned visitors to visit a cursed place that was meant to be contained under the layers of a mall. The lore is always fun and the actors, set, and atmosphere really drive it home.
The attraction can be terrifying and sometimes gory, so it’s firmly an adult experience. There is a Low Scare afternoon option for those who want a more relaxed fright (despite the contradiction that may pose).
They also have a pretty cool shop with tons of accessories, merch, and props that you can use for Halloween shenanigans. You can also enter the premises in costume, as long as you’re not carrying anything that can be deemed a weapon.
If you want to experience all the attractions and events they have, you can get the RIP Superpass, which includes a fast pass admission for Full Scare, Low Scare, and Glowstick Night, one game entry for Hell Night, and a Haunted Calgary t-shirt.
Some of the highlights that Haunted Calgary offers include:
- Hell Night, which is a limited-guest adventure where you avoid zombies and collect brains to win a prize.
- Glowstick Night, which is a full lights-out adventure where your only source of light to get to the exit is a lone glowstick.
Best Halloween Events in Calgary for Kids
Halloweekends at Calaway Park
One of the best Halloween events you can take your child to in Calgary are the Halloweekends at Calaway Park. The place has a decked-out Hallotown, so everything is magical and sublimely Halloween without being too scary for children.
There are tons of actors that really stick to their roles, so it can be a really immersive experience for young people. It also doesn’t hurt that Calaway Park in itself is already a truly enjoyable amusement park.
When you’re done with the Halloween activities, you can get different thrills from the rides in the park.
Here are some of the activities you can look forward to during Halloweekends:
- The Boo Crew Costume Party, where children and their family members are encouraged to don family-friendly costumes and have fun dancing, singing karaoke, and getting their faces painted
- Magical Meet & Greets, with photo ops
- The Halloweekends Parade, with tons of spectacular floats and amazing characters
- Exploring Hallotown and the Enchanted Forest Experience
- Check out the rides and waterpark
- Haunted Hotel
Pumpkins After Dark
Pumpkins After Dark is the largest outdoor Halloween event in Calgary, and kids will have a blast seeing over 6,000 different hand-carved pumpkins. It’s also not too cramped, so your children should have fun running around in their costumes.
The displays themselves are already reason enough to go, but they also have tons of delicious and quirky sweets for you and your children to enjoy. Just make sure you’ve got a proper kids’ dentist on speed dial after all the treats.
Because the awe-inspiring displays are lit up, it’s a nighttime event. This should still be manageable with kids as there are no displays that are gory, bloody, or jumpscare-filled.
There are no on-site tickets, so you will need to buy tickets online before heading over. The site is quite wheelchair-accessible as there are paved paths, though certain sections are on grass and have slim access ramps.
Ghouls’ Night Out at Heritage Park
Ghouls’ Night Out is a fascinating Halloween event in Calgary that really feels geared towards families and children. There are plenty of child-friendly activities to try and tons of treats the whole family can snack on.
This is the option to pick if you want to bring your kids in costume and ensure that they are in a safe environment that is still fun and engaging.
The space is prime for exploration, with tons of other exhibits you’ll want to check out with the kids. Because of the host of delightful things to do, you’ll be wasting no time and the kids will likely be tuckered out by the end.
Here are some of the best Halloween activities your child can enjoy here:
- Mad Science Shows at the Canmore Opera House
- Haunted House at Gunn’s Dairy Barn
- Tea party with Alice in Wonderland characters
- Sanderson Sisters’ Flying Academy
- Monster Operation
- Family crafts making
- Cookie decoration
- Scary stories at the Opera House
- Pumpkin patch
- Carnival games
