One child wants to show everyone their costume. Another wants to be scared senseless. Someone just wants the sweets.

You could spend Halloween weekend collecting treats, meeting farm animals, watching a building come alive with light or dancing together without knowing a single step.

And planning your outing around the best treats? That has a little local history behind it.

For some Kitchener children, the first Halloween stop was the candy factory owner’s house.

A remembrance of local historian rych mills preserves his story of children heading there for generous portions of Turkish delight. A rather good reason to plan your route carefully.

The factory was Smiles ’n Chuckles, formerly Hamblin-Metcalfe, which began in 1915. It stood at Weber and Cameron streets, making sweets in a city better remembered for other kinds of manufacturing.

There’s a familiar connection, too: according to Nestlé, Big Turk was introduced in 1974 under the Smiles ’n Chuckles label.

The factory disappeared in the mid-1970s. The question remains: where are the children going for treats now?

Here are some places to start.

Family: Old Post Office Halloween Light Show
The old stone building gets a Halloween makeover after dark. A free stop you can fit around dinner or an evening walk.
Thu, Oct 29 to Sun, Nov 1 at 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm and 8:30pm, Old Post Office, Cambridge. info

Older kids & teens: Bingemans Screampark
For the ones who have spent all month insisting they won’t be scared. These are the final nights of the season. Not recommended for children under 12 or anyone easily frightened.
Thu, Oct 29 to Sat, Oct 31 from 7pm, Bingemans, Kitchener. Ticketed. tix

Family: Halloween Public Swims
Halloween music, a splash around and a chance to burn off some of that pre-trick-or-treat excitement.
Fri, Oct 30 and Sat, Oct 31, W.G. Johnson and John Dolson centres, Cambridge. Session times vary; regular admission and supervision rules apply. info

Family: Halloween Public Skates
Take the costume for a spin on the ice. Masks and props stay home for this one.
Fri, Oct 30 and Sat, Oct 31, Dickson and Preston arenas, Cambridge. Session times vary; regular admission applies. info

Family: Victorian Halloween at Woodside
What did Halloween look like before inflatable spiders? Explore Victorian costumes, pranks and parlour games at Mackenzie King’s boyhood home.
Sat, Oct 31 and Sun, Nov 1, 10am to 5pm, Woodside National Historic Site, Kitchener ♿️. Included with admission. info

Little kids: Pre-Halloween Party
A silly, spooky storytime followed by music, dancing, crafts and practice trick-or-treating. A useful rehearsal for anyone still working out what happens after you knock.
Ages 2–5 with a caregiver. 11am to noon, Waterloo Public Library Main Library, Waterloo. Registration required. info

Family: KidsAbility Sensory-Friendly Trick-or-Treating
Decorated doors, nut-free and non-food treats, and space to participate at your own pace. Costumes encouraged.
5pm to 6:30pm, KidsAbility, 887 Langs Drive, Cambridge. Registration required. info

Food: Halloween Candy Pairing
The kids get sodas and mocktails, grown-ups get a beer flight, and everyone gets candy pairings to discuss. A Halloween outing where you actually sit down.
6:30pm, Four Fathers Brewing, Cambridge. Ticketed family-friendly session. tix

Community: Halloween Open Mic
Spooky poems and stories, sweet treats and a costume contest. Bring something to share or settle in to listen. Younger children may prefer the gentler daytime activities.
6:30pm to 9:30pm, Covenant Cafe, Waterloo. Free; RSVP requested. info

Little kids: Indoor Trick-or-Treating
Babies and toddlers visit the residents at Luther Village, costumes and treat buckets in tow. Open play starts at 9:30am; trick-or-treating starts promptly at 10am.
10am to 11am, Luther Village on the Park, Waterloo. Free; RSVP required. info

Little kids: THEMUSEUM’s Halloween Tot Parade
Make a treat bag at 10:30am, then join the 11am parade through downtown businesses. Tiny costumes, a guided route and plenty of stops.
Best suited to ages 3 and under with a grown-up. 10am to noon, THEMUSEUM, Kitchener. Preregistration required. tix

Family: Mischief Night at Homer Watson House & Gallery
Last week we met Phoebe, the gallery’s reportedly helpful ghost. This week, families can visit for an early-evening Halloween gathering in the gallery and grounds.
5pm to 7pm, Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener. info

Teens: Halloween Youth Drop-In Night
Games, crafts, music, themed challenges and treats, with a chance to hang out with other teens. A youth programme rather than a whole-family outing.
Ages 12–18. 6pm to 8pm, W.G. Johnson Centre, Cambridge. info

Family: Waterloo Vampire Hangout
A DJ, live music and a vampire fashion show in the square. Finally, somewhere to wear the cape before Halloween night.
6pm to 9pm, Waterloo Public Square, Waterloo. Free; weather permitting. info

Workshop: Pumpkin Carving at Four Fathers
Pumpkins and tools are provided, and the carving happens somewhere other than your kitchen table. Someone else handles the cleanup, too.
6:30pm to 8:30pm, Four Fathers Brewing, Cambridge. Ticketed. tix

Older kids & teens: The Dark Side of Galt
An evening walk through Galt’s murders, mysteries and ghost stories. Choose this for children comfortable with darker history.
Departures at 6:30pm and 7pm, McDougall Cottage, Cambridge. Ticketed. tix

Live Music: Horror Vacui
Wellington Wind Symphony turns a wind ensemble into something resembling a giant organ for Bach’s Toccata and Fugue. Spooky music, without anyone jumping out from behind a door.
7:30pm, Wilfrid Laurier University Theatre Auditorium, Waterloo. Kids and students free; adults ticketed. tix

Family: Halloween Kids Day at the Market
Take the costumes on your market trip. Look for the jack-o’-lantern signs marking participating vendors, with treats and activities along the way.
7am to 3:30pm, St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, St. Jacobs. Free event. info

Family: Harvest Halloween
Stilt walkers, free face painting and an inflatable corn maze around City Hall, with cider and candy apples available to buy. The farmers’ market is running nearby, too.
10am to 2pm at City Hall; market 7am to 1pm, Cambridge. info

Family: Steckle Spooktacular
Trick-or-treat with the farm animals, take a spooky wagon ride and explore the haunted barn, with a seasonal craft to finish.
10am to noon or 1pm to 3pm, Steckle Heritage Farm, Kitchener. $14 per person; ages 2 and under free. Book a session. tix

Family: Halloween Parade and Movie
A costume parade through the library, followed by a movie. An indoor option before the evening’s door-to-door adventures.
10:30am, Kitchener Public Library Central Library, Kitchener. Check registration. info

Family: Downtown Cambridge Halloween Hunt
Costumed children collect treats from downtown businesses, with a stop at the Fire Hall Museum along the way.
11am to 2pm, Downtown Galt, Cambridge. Free. info

Family: Preston Halloween Hunt
More than 20 businesses are joining the trick-or-treat route. Follow the map and see which familiar shops have a Halloween surprise waiting.
11am to 2pm, Downtown Preston, Cambridge. Free. info

Family: Hespeler Village Halloween Hunt
Collect your map at Village Square, visit participating shops for goodies and stamps, then return it to the gazebo for the prize draw.
Noon to 2pm; completed maps returned by 3pm, Hespeler Village Square, Cambridge. Free. info

Family: Spooktacular Tricks & Treats
A dance party, magician, face painting, crafts and pumpkin carving, all in one afternoon. A grown-up must stay with participating children.
Geared to children under 13. 2pm to 4pm, W.G. Johnson Centre, Cambridge. Preregistration required. info

Live Music: Orchestral Trick or Treat
Costumes encouraged for this family concert with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra and Cambridge Youth Orchestra. A little spooky music before heading out for sweets.
3pm to 4:30pm, Central Presbyterian Church, Cambridge. Ticketed. tix

Family: Track or Treat
A stop for train fans: collect a treat and explore the railway’s decorated, century-old caboose. This is a visit to the restoration facility, rather than a train ride.
Organizer lists October 31, 5pm to 7pm, Waterloo Central Railway, 50 Isabella Street, St. Jacobs. The page does not state the year; confirm this year’s event before visiting. info

Teen volunteering: CANS Food Collection
Woodside’s Senior Youth head around Elmira in small groups collecting non-perishable donations for the Woolwich Food Bank, with a prize for best costume.
5:30pm to 10pm, Woodside Church, Elmira. Check participation details with the church. info

Social: Samhain Céilí and Celebrations
No Irish dancing experience needed. A caller teaches the steps while the Grand River Céilí Band plays, with children’s dancing and crafts from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
Event from 6pm, Victoria Park Pavilion, Kitchener. Adults $22; ages 5–17 $14; under 5 free; family ticket $60, plus applicable fees. tix

Sports: Roll-er-Ween
Swap walking the neighbourhood for a Halloween evening on roller skates. Check the session’s age rules, admission and rentals before booking.
7pm to 11pm, Retro Rollers, Kitchener. info

Culture: Remembering Loved Ones Together
A separate tradition from Halloween, Día de los Muertos brings mariachi, ofrendas, traditional food and family activities to downtown Kitchener, honouring people who have died.
From 11am, Carl Zehr Square, Kitchener. info

Family: Downtown Cambridge Pumpkin Walk
Give your jack-o’-lantern one more evening out. Volunteers light carved pumpkins around Ferguson Cottage, the riverside walkway and sculpture gardens, with complimentary hot chocolate from Barnacle Bill’s.
6pm to 9pm, Ferguson Cottage, Cambridge. Drop pumpkins off from 10am to 5pm beside Barnacle Bill’s. info

Still in costume? Victorian Halloween continues at Woodside from 10am to 5pm, and the Old Post Office light show runs again that evening.

with love,

🦆 your friendly neighbourhood goose