night of dread toronto

Toronto's spookiest parade will snake through local streets next week

The city is in full swing with Halloween preparations. With haunted screamparks, pumpkin patches , parties and themed food truck festivals, Toronto knows how to have fun during spooky season.

Toronto's 23rd annual Night of Dread Parade is back with another year filled with fearful pageantry, revels and mockery.

Organized by the Clay and Paper Theatre, the Night of Dread is a performer-only parade with scary costumes, music and other spooky acts.

night of dread toronto 2022

Night of Dread always has colourful and spooky masks and costumes.

This is a family-friendly, community event inviting everyone to call on, mock and banish their private and collective fears through parade and pageantry, music and ritual.

People can attend from their front lawns, porches and sidewalks. Write your fears, big or small, on a piece of paper and hand it to the Fear Catchers.

night of dread toronto 2022

The parade will snake through local streets starting near Christie Pits.

The dress code is "black, white and dreadful."

Admission is free, however, donations are encouraged towards their Dreadful Fundraiser.

"It will likely come as no surprise that our revenue streams have been severely impacted during the last few years. We also fell through all of the Federal and Provincial Emergency Arts Funding cracks during the pandemic," reads a post on Clay Paper's Instagram, which encourages attendees to donate and help them continue to make art "with you and for you."

The Night of Dread Parade will be on Oct. 29 between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Shaw St. (just north of Bloor near Christie Pits) to Westmoreland Avenue beside Dovercourt Park. 

The parade route is as follows:

  • South of Crawford to the alley above Bloor
  • West on the alley to Shaw
  • North on Shaw to Hallam
  • West on Hallam to Westmoreland
  • South on Westmoreland to Fernbank
  • West on Fernbank to Bartlett
  • South on Bartlett to Southview and ends beside Dovercourt Park

More details about Night of Dread can be found on their Facebook page.

Photos by

Christian Bobak


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