Haunted Happenings at the Oakville Museum: free Halloween tours, candlelight evenings and a Pumpkin Parade

What is happening

The Town of Oakville's museum is marking the season with Haunted Happenings, a series of Halloween events at Erchless Estate, the museum's home at 8 Navy Street. The Town announced the program on October 7. Museum guides cover where Halloween customs came from, including Victorian mourning traditions, fortune-telling, witches, jack-o'-lanterns and old superstitions.

The events

The regular afternoon guided tours take a Halloween theme for the whole of October and are free. The candlelight tour is an after-hours visit to the house with Victorian traditions, folklore and a themed scavenger hunt; visitors who solve the final riddle take home a Halloween treat, and the Town promises no jump scares.

Tricks, Treats and Traditions on October 24 turns the whole museum into a family Halloween event. Children follow a passport through activities, crafts, outdoor games, classic film shorts and a gingerbread cottage with a friendly witch. The museum's program page lists four sessions, each capped at 50 people. Costumes are encouraged.

The season closes with the annual Pumpkin Parade on the evening of November 1, when carved pumpkins light up the museum grounds. Visitors are invited to bring their own carved pumpkin, and costumes are encouraged.

How to book

The candlelight tours and the October 24 family day must be booked in advance through the ticket links on the Town's news release and the Oakville Museum's Programs and Events page. The afternoon tours and the Pumpkin Parade are free and the Town lists no registration for them. The museum can be reached at 905-338-4400.