Halloween used to be a fairly low-key event. Parents would buy a bag of candy corn to pass out to local trick-or-treaters and dress up their own kids in whatever bits and pieces they’d find around the house.
Today, it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry that fuels festivals, zombie runs, costume and Halloween stores, specialty foods and social media channels.
Stouffville Village is embracing the Halloween spirit with a new festival experience. On Saturday, October 29, visitors will be welcomed to Stouffville’s Haunted Village.
The Stouffville Chamber of Commerce will be closing Main Street to traffic between Lloyd St. and Park Dr., to make room for a street full of haunted tents, a kids’ costume parade and multiple creepy craft activities, music, store decorating contests, special sales, street entertainers and dozens of vendors.
The presence of a miniature haunted village may explain why some children’s toys have been in short supply at local garage sales and Value Village in recent months. Nearly three dozen dollhouses have been converted into tiny, terrifying neighbourhoods.
Kids can enjoy showing off their costumes in the parade at 11:30 a.m., as well as trying their hand at multiple craft activities, face painting and judging the storefront decorating contest.
The costume parade will be just one element of a weirdly entertaining festival that’s determined to bring a sense of wonder back to the season.
The event will also feature haunted tents offering a taste of traditional haunted houses, as well as photo setups, special effects and many other new, family-friendly ways to enjoy the spooky season.
Last year, the Chamber of Commerce organized a highly successful Halloween drive-through event. Now that people are more comfortable with larger-scale events, the Haunted Village will be a major addition to Stouffville’s Main Street event calendar. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit discoverstouffville.ca/events for more information.
