Nine Ideas for a Fun & Safe Halloween in Ottawa
Are you looking for fun and safe Halloween activities in Ottawa? Whether you want to stay home or head out on an adventure, there are a lot of family-friendly ways to enjoy the spooky season in the Nation’s Capital. We’ve found the best activities to help you and your family enjoy Halloween in Ottawa in 2022.
AT HOME – Costume Contest
If you and your family love to get dressed up, why not host a costume contest? Invite your friends and neighbours over for a silly and spooky soiree! Prepare some terrifying treats, play Halloween games, and make the main event a costume contest. Up the fun for everyone by coming up with different categories to allow for more “winners”. Consider awards for categories such as spookiest, most colourful, best pair, most elaborate, or most realistic to give everyone a chance to shine. Add fun prizes to ensure it’s a day to remember.
ON THE TOWN – Halloween Costume Party on the Farm
Head out to The Log Farm for a family-friendly day of Halloween fun! Dress up in your favourite costume and bring your little ghosts and goblins out to enjoy wagon rides, silly scarecrow lane, a corn maze, and climbing the hay bale mountains. There is Halloween music for added ambiance and each little pumpkin will get to take home a Halloween loot bag! And of course, there are lots of animals to visit, pet and feed on the farm.
AT HOME – Halloween Movie Marathon
Fall weather isn’t always ideal for outdoor activities. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend a chilly Halloween in Ottawa, get out the candy and your coziest fall blankets and cuddle up on the couch for a (not so) spooky movie marathon! For good kid-friendly Halloween movie ideas, check out this list of 15 Halloween movies for kids and where to stream them.
ON THE TOWN – Halloween on the Big Screen
Take your Halloween movie marathon to the next level and head out to see a family-friendly flick on the big screen! Many of Ottawa’s movie theaters offer kid-appropriate Halloween movies during the day before they switch up to scarier choices after dark. Have your kids dress in their favourite costumes to make the adventure even more fun! Check local listings towards the end of October for locations and showtimes.
ON THE TOWN – Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village
If there’s one Halloween event that’s not to be missed, it’s Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village. This awe-inspiring outdoor art exhibit consists of over 7,000 hand-carved pumpkins that make up a variety of beautiful scenes and sculptures. Enjoy a night of exploring the kilometre-long path of glowing displays in their picturesque 19th-century setting. Be sure to dress warmly and buy tickets in advance as this event does often sell out.
ON THE TOWN – Pumpkin Picking this Halloween in Ottawa
Halloween is just not complete without a few pumpkins! So, head to your local pumpkin patch and let everyone pick out their own pumpkins. Many of the local pumpkin patches in Ottawa offer activities like hayrides and mazes – and there are always great fall photo ops – so it’s an activity that makes both parents and kiddos happy.
AT HOME – Halloween in Ottawa Pumpkin Painting
If you want to keep the Jack-O’-Lantern tradition alive but prefer to keep sharp objects away from little fingers, get out your arts and crafts supplies. With a bit of paint and a little creativity, you can turn pumpkins into fun animals, spooky critters, or create a Halloween scene. Or try raiding the junk drawer for supplies. Old mismatched buttons, ribbons, and nuts and bolts are perfect for creating scary (or funny!) pumpkin faces.
ON THE TOWN – Pumpkin Fest at Proulx Berry Farm
In late fall, the Proulx Berry Farm is transformed into a giant Halloween playground. There’s no end to the fun with multiple outdoor play parks, cornfield mazes, wagon rides, inflatable structures and more. There’s also a petting farm where you can pet and feed the animals while learning about farm life. Bring a picnic and or visit the snack bar and spend the day in a lovely country setting just a few minutes from Orleans.
AT HOME – Halloween in Ottawa – Scavenger Hunt
A Halloween scavenger hunt is a great way to keep your kids safe at home but still let them enjoy collecting candy. Pick some secret locations to hide treats and set up clues for your family to puzzle out. If your children are old enough, this event can be even more fun after dark. Use glow-in-the-dark paint or glow sticks to ensure the clues and treats can be found and set the kids loose with flashlights to hunt in the dark. If your little ones are too young for reading clues, opt for a slightly less challenging candy hunt. Think Halloween meets Easter and hide treats around your home or yard for the kids to find.
Pick your favourite or enjoy all nine of these fun Halloween activities in Ottawa. However you spend it, we hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!