In addition to the race for the best K-Pop Demon Hunters costume, Halloween candy and a wart-free pumpkin, it’s the parents’ job to make Halloween a magical time for their children.
With a little mystique, a little sugar and a little fear (it feels good), we’re going to make this year’s Halloween a deliciously nostalgic memory…
Halloween with kids in Montreal
1. pumpkins
Choosing the most beautiful pumpkin patch is extremely important for a child. With that in mind, we’ve put together a very serious list of the best pumpkin patches not far from Montreal – which we’re posting here!
For true pumpkin lovers, and for those who want to make pumpkin-picking an afternoon in a parallel world a la “Night Before Christmas”, we recommend a trip to Citrouilleville, a 40-minute drive from Montreal…
And for those staying in Montreal, there’s the Folies d’Automne at Marché Jean-Talon on October 18 from 10am to 5pm. There’ll be a pumpkin-decorating workshop for kids (and the first 200 go home with a free pumpkin), face painting and a Halloween rally…
2.walks, Halloween worlds and evening lights
For a stroll through an enchanted world of pumpkins, witches and ghosts, we recommend a visit to the Halloween Festilumi… The little ones can marvel at 13 different worlds (and there’s something for every child’s hyperfixation);
- Legendary horses
- Magic lanterns
- The tree of lights
- Pumpkin Tunnel
- Snow world
- The dune palace
- Scarlet spiders
- Jurassic passage
🕷️Festilumi
📅 Date: various times
⏳ Running time: 60-90 min
📍 Location: Marché Central – 315, rue du Marché-Central, Montréal (QC) H4N 3K1
👤 Age requirements: open to all
💰 Price: from $14.95 + tax
Get your tickets for Festilumi!
For neophyte witches and wizards, and for kids who make soups with all the herbs in the garden in summer, we recommend stopping by the Montreal Botanical Garden for Halloween Shivers.
In the big greenhouse, there will be the “bewitchers” Kalbacius and Pétiole, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on weekends. Children can learn about spooky plants with two magical friends, and take a tour of the outdoor maze…
The Botanical Garden also presents a play on the theme of Halloween, fear and courage – Même Pas Peur!– for ages 4 to 8. Times are as follows;
- October 1-2-3 and October 6-10: 11:45 a.m.
- October 4-5 and October 11 to 31: 11:45 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
In Montreal’s Old Port, the Foire d’Automne dresses up in a spooky aura of hyperglycemia for Halloween; Ferris wheel, giant pumpkin, activities for kids and a Hocus Pocus-themed maze. ..
From October 4 to November 2, 2025!
3.the Monster Mash, classic Halloween movies and seasonal crafts
Halloween pop culture is also on film and TV, and we’ve got ten films to watch with the kids during the October afternoons to get them in the mood…
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), before the visit to the pumpkin patch
- Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), for apprentice witches and wizards
- The Nightmare before Christmas (1993), for the most ooky spooky kids
- Ghostbusters (1984), with a plate of Twinkies to go with it
- Coraline (2009), for kids who invent worlds
- The Addams Family (1991), for kids who are already a bit goth
- Hubie Halloween (2020), for kids who grew up in a small town and aren’t afraid of anything (P-G 13)
- ParaNorman (2012), for kids who talk to ghosts
- Hocus Pocus (1993), for witches and wizards
- Beetlejuice (1988), for children who dream more than others
In fact, on the evening of October 30, we’ll be taking the kids to see Hocus Pocus at the Pointe-Claire Library at 6:30pm…
Admission is free, but we recommend arriving early!
And, of course, we recommend playing a good Halloween playlist like this one over and over again for the whole month-the Monster Mash 200 times, it’s existential angst that gets us in the mood, right?
Happy Halloween!