20 things to do in Calgary this Halloween weekend: October 27 to 29

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There’s no better weekend than Halloween weekend.

With the perfect mix of fun and fright, there’s many great events happening around Calgary to check out – just don’t forget that costume!

Friday, October 27

Studio Bell After Hours Halloween party

What: Check out the Studio Bell After Hours this month in a costume and you may even win the contest!
When: Friday, October 27
Time: 7 to 11 pm
Where: Studio Bell – 850 4th Street SE
Admission: Online, $20, or $15.50 for students (18+)

Monster Mash Halloween Massive

What: Party it up on Halloween weekend with DJ Stickybuds bringing the tunes.
When: Friday, October 27
Time: Doors and show at 9 pm
Where: Marquee Beer Market & Stage – 4630 Macleod Trail South
Tickets: Ticketmaster, $28

Bust Loose Halloween Club Crawls

What: Whether you want to party it up on Friday night’s Boooze Cruise or Saturday’s Halloween Howler (or both!) Bust Loose is offering a party bus club crawl to take you to all the best haunts.
When: Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29
Time: 6 pm
Where: Multiple bars around the city
Tickets: Online, $20

Flashlight Nights: Corn Maze in the Dark

What: Think navigating a corn maze in the daylight is hard? Think again!
When: Fridays and Saturdays beginning on September 22
Time: Open until 9 pm
Where: Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm – 284022 Township Road 224
Tickets: $13.50 per adult, $12.50 per child

Halloween Horror in the Cave 2017

What: Watch The Descent in Rats Nest Cave to get extra spooked!
When: Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28
Time: 6:30 pm on Friday, and 5 pm on Saturday. Whole experience lasts 5.5 hours, with three hours underground.
Where: Rat’s Nest Cave – 129 Bow Meadows Crescent #202, Canmore
Tickets: Online, $129. Note that caving is a strenuous activity, all cavers must have a good fitness level and wear appropriate footwear and clothing.

Haunted Calgary’s Hollywood Horror

What: Visit this attraction set in a spooky Hollywood, where you can choose to have live actors (high scare) or no actors (low scare).
When: Friday, October 27, Saturday, October 28, and Tuesday, October 31
Time: 2 pm to 4 pm (low scare) and 6 pm to 10 pm (full scare)
Where: 222 Rocky Ridge Bay NW
Admission: By donation ($10 recommended, plus two cans of food per person)

Saturday, October 28

Zombie “Thriller” Flash Mob: Calgary 2017

What: A horde of zombies will be invading Southcentre Mall, organized by Thrill Calgary, to dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on Saturday – the event is encouraging anyone with some fake blood and the desire to dance to come out and join the moving crowd.
When: Saturday, October 28
Time: Routine training begins at 1:30 pm, dancing begins at 3 pm
Where: Southcentre Mall – 100 Anderson Road SE
Admission: Free for participants and viewers, though zombie make-up will cost $5 for adults and $3 for kids. Donations to the food bank are encouraged.

Maker Faire Calgary 2017

What: Maker Faire Calgary will be back at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows this weekend for their sixth annual fair, that will see hundreds of creators showcasing their projects.
When: Saturday, October 28 and Sunday, October 29
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Spruce Meadows – 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW, Calgary
Tickets: Online, weekend: $27 for adults, $18 for students and youth; single day: $18 for adults, $12 for students and youth

Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival

What: Experience the stories and tales of enthralling journeys, adventures and ground-breaking expeditions first-hand from authors, photographers, adventurers, and filmmakers from around the world.
When: Saturday, October 28 to Sunday, November 5
Where: Various locations around Banff. View full schedule here.
Tickets: Price varies depending on how many performances you see.

6th Annual Maker Faire Calgary

What: From engineers to artists to scientists to makers, you will find all sorts at this grand market/ faire!
When: Saturday, October 28 to Sunday, October 29
Where: Spruce Meadows, Equi-Plex – 18011 Spruce Meadows Way
Tickets: Online, $24

Autumn Pumpkin Festival

What: Celebrate fall in the most appropriate way possible! Every weekend in October you will have the opportunity explore the patch and pick out the perfect pumpkin to bring home, along with the Petting Zoo, Corn Maze, Fun Farm and more. Don’t miss The Great Pumpkin Explosion, where a pumpkin filled with candy is exploded daily!
When: Every Saturday and Sunday in October
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Where: Calgary Corn Maze and Fun Farm – 284022 Township Road 224
Tickets: $13.95 (ages 3+)

Sunday, October 29

Gordon Lightfoot

What: Gordon Lightfoot live and in concert.
When: October 29
Time: 8 pm
Where: Grey Eagle Event Centre – 3777 Grey Eagle Drive SW
Tickets: Online, $51-$63

Sunday Brunch and Market Tour

What: Join the Calgary Farmers Market and Calgary Food Tours as they bring to you a very special Sunday brunch. You will have the opportunity to listen to 10 various Alberta ranchers as they explain what it takes to bring their products to the market, sample their produce and leave feeling inspired to fill your shopping bag with fresh goodies.
When: Every Sunday
Where: 510 – 77 Street SE – off Blackfoot Trail and close to Heritage Drive SE
Tickets: Online, $45

Any day of the weekend

Find the perfect pumpkin

What: Pick out the perfect pumpkin to turn into a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween.
When: Sometime before October 31
Where: At one of Calgary’s pumpkin patches
Cost: Depends on the size of the pumpkin!

Check out the Deerfoot City Rec Room

What: Cineplex just opened a Rec Room in Calgary, complete with two restaurants, a huge arcade, and a virtual reality room.
When: Every day
Time: Open at 11 am, closed at midnight on Sunday through Thursday, 1 am on Friday and Saturday. Adults only after 10 pm.
Where: Deerfoot City – 1108, 901 64th Avenue NE
Admission: Free!

Field of Screams

What: Four haunted houses and a graveyard maze should frighten even the hardiest of attendees.
Where: Cobb’s Corn Maze – 1500 84th Street NE
When: October 28 and 29
Tickets: At Cobbscornmaze.com, $26

Train of Terror

What: Test your tolerance for terror on this frightening locomotive.
Where: Aspen Crossing – Highway #24, Mossleigh, Alberta
When: Starts October 6, and runs Fridays and Saturdays through October 29, plus Sunday, October 29, Monday October 30, and Tuesday October 31
Time: Train leaves at 5, 7, and 9 pm
Tickets: Available at trainofterror.com, $66.60

Watch a horror film

What: There’s also nothing quite like snuggling up on the couch to turn on some of the scariest flicks ever (armed with a blanket in case you need to hide). Get into the Halloween mood by watching a great horror movie.
When: Whenever you want!
Where: Anywhere (though the safer, the better).

Haunted House Hamlet

What: This adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play takes place in separate rooms throughout the A/Maze: Calgary Escape Game venue. It’s up to each individual audience member to decide what story they want to follow – and we mean literally follow.
When: Friday, October 27 to Tuesday, October 31
Time: Shows at 8 pm and 10:30 pm each night
Where: A/Maze: Calgary Escape Game – #102 206 11th Avenue SE
Tickets: Online, $35

ScreamFest

What: ScreamFest is Canada’s biggest Halloween festival, and runs this year at The Grandstand Building at Stampede Park. Rated PG13, ScreamFest features a huge array of haunted houses, Halloween-themed carnival games, and plenty of creepy and disturbing entertainment.
When: Now until Tuesday, October 31
Time: 7 pm to midnight
Where: The Grandstand Building at Stampede Park – 3rd Street SE
Tickets: Online, $30