Family Halloween guide for Halifax and Dartmouth

Halloween is just about to land in Halifax, and the next few weeks are packed with ways to lean into it without scaring the kids half to death. If you are after something you can do with the whole family, here is a look at what is on across Halifax and Dartmouth this October.

The most atmospheric option is the Halifax Citadel Ghost Tour, a 70-minute candlelit walk through the tunnels, passageways and prison cells of the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site at 5425 Sackville Street. Public tours run on select Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through to 30 October, always starting at 8:00 pm, and cost C$23.29 a person, which includes HST and Eventbrite fees. Tickets go on sale every Sunday at noon for the week ahead and must be bought for the same week you plan to attend, with online sales closing at 4:00 pm on the day of the tour. You can also buy them at the entrance kiosk between 7:00 and 8:00 pm on the night. If you would rather stay on dry land, the Halifax Paranormal Symposium takes over the Halifax Tower Hotel & Conference Centre on 15 Lakelands Boulevard on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. This is the fourth edition of the event, with more than 15 expert speakers, presentations, workshops and vendors, and it is open to all ages. A series of optional add-ons, sold separately through Eventbrite, run alongside it, from a past-life regression workshop on Friday 16 October to a Citadel Hill tour and ghost hunt on the Saturday night.

Over in Dartmouth, the Bluenose Ghosts Festival at Alderney Landing on 2 Ochterloney Street is the one to build your plans around. It runs 6:30 to 9:30 pm on 4 October, then 8 to 11, 15 to 18 and 21 to 31 October, and it is built as a tribute to the folkloric work of Dr Helen Creighton, whom Parks Canada designated a nationally significant person in 2018. Inside you will find Terror Manor: House of Darkness, an escape room challenge, the Creighton Crypt Ride, spiritual readings and a haunted selfie park, and a dress code is recommended. Tickets are sold on site until 9:30 pm, so there is no need to book ahead. The landing also hosts a Haunted Night Market on 25 October, with vendors, a haunted house and plenty of costume opportunities.

For younger children, the Museum of Natural History in Halifax puts on a family Halloween party on 25 October, with puppets, crafts, stories and bug cooking, and a second session on 27 October that adds a scavenger hunt and gallery exploration. Down at the waterfront, Safe Halloween at Queen's Marque gives families a pumpkin patch with donations going to Feed Nova Scotia. Atlantic Splash Adventure runs its Spooktacular Splash on weekends throughout the month, with costume contests, pumpkin painting and treasure hunts. And if you are just looking for a low-key way to round off the month, there are community trunk-or-treats popping up at various locations across the HRM, plus apple picking and corn mazes at Nova Scotia orchards. Between the Citadel's tunnels, the symposium, the Bluenose Ghosts Festival and the museum, there is enough to keep the family busy from now right through to the 31st.