Who’s ready for a spooktacular time in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood?
The annual Riverside Halloween Fest & Dog Costume Party will be making its return on Sunday, October 25th (11am-3pm) at Joel Weeks Park (10 Thompson St)!
We’ve got a packed agenda this year, from plenty of free activities for the whole family to the much anticipated Dog Costume Party. The Riverside Halloween Costume Parade & Candy Crawl, a beloved past Riverside tradition, is also making a comeback this year!
Read on for a sneak peek into the line-up of activities at the 2026 Riverside Halloween Fest:
Family-friendly Activities
You already know that here in Riverside, we take Halloween very seriously. Enjoy these FREE activities (while quantities last!):
- Pumpkin patch and pumpkin decorating
- Cupcake decorating and cotton candy
- Henna and face painting
- Crafts by Riverside BIA and Queen/Saulter Library Branch
- Halloween beats by DJ Stevie Kicks
- Painting on canvas by D&A Creative Toronto (12-3pm)
- Robot Dog activation and selfie station (1-3pm)
- Giveaways, local raffle and more!
Halloween Market
Explore and discover local vendors and their Halloween-themed offerings at the Halloween Market. From baked treats to dog accessories, there will be plenty of amazing small businesses and locally made products to peruse.
Riverside Halloween Dog Costume Contest & Pawty
Dress up your pups in their best Halloween look for the Riverside Halloween Dog Costume Contest & Pawty happening from 12-2pm. There will be judging and prizes for the best costumes so bring your A-game! Pre-registration is required to enter your team. Sign up HERE. OR just show up to watch the fun!
Riverside Costume Parade & Candy Crawl
Join us as we parade along Queen Street East sidewalks from 3-4pm. This guided parade will stop for treats at 10+ local businesses and end with storytime from the Queen/Saulter Toronto Public Library Branch. Bring a bag to collect your treats! RSVP details will be shared next week in a separate blog post so stay tuned for that.
Don’t forget to follow @riverside_bia on Instagram and check the Riverside Blog regularly for updates. In the meantime, get your FREE tickets to the Riverside Halloween Fest by clicking on the RSVP button below!
This programming is made possible thanks to funding support from the Transit Construction Mitigation Fund of the City of Toronto and Fed Dev Ontario. This programming is also funded and coordinated by the Riverside BIA.