Spooky family fun is returning to downtown Peterborough with the second annual ‘Halloween in the BOOro’ event organized by the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA).
Taking place from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 28th, the event features free family-friendly activities including trick or treating and late-night shopping at more than 40 downtown businesses, with scary and not-so-scary characters wandering downtown streets, a kid-friendly haunted house, and a self-guided interactive Halloween scavenger hunt.
Families can test out their Halloween costumes and hone their trick-or-treating skills by visiting all the downtown businesses that will be open for late-night shopping and handing out candy. The Peterborough DBIA has created an online map to help families navigate their downtown trick or treating.
Participating businesses include The Vine, Avant Garden, Boardwalk Game Lounge, John Roberts, Chumleighs, Milk + Tea, Lift Lock Escape, K C Costumes, Benji’s Pizza, Kollect This, Boba Tea, Wild Rock, Lavender Moon, Rawscoe’s Sport Collectibles, The Toy Shop, Ritual Apothecary, Cozy Home Designs by Lacey, The Chill Desire, Couture Candy, Iceman Video Games, Hi Ho Silver, Bluestreak Records, Kit’s Emporium, Grey Guardian Games, 4 Paws Plus, Tiny Greens, The Food Shop, Bird House Tattoo, Statement House, By the Books, Tragically Dipped, Watson + Lou, Needles in the Hay, Plant Goals, Neighbourhood Vintage, Naked Chocolate, Dreams of Beans, Dirty Burger, and Naka Japanese.
“The turnout last year was crazy and we even had to make multiple emergency trips to restock our candy,” says Holly Butler, manager of Iceman Video Games, in a media release. “The vibes were really amazing too. You could tell everyone was having such a fun night out, both parents and kids. It reminded me of when you see a trick or treating scene in a movie and there are kids just everywhere in costume.”
In the days leading up to Halloween in the BOOro, downtown shop windows will be transformed with eerie displays on the theme of a dark forest beginning, of course, on Friday, October 13th. For this year’s Halloween window contest, 25 businesses will compete for the best display, with residents encouraged to vote online for their favourites until Halloween. The DBIA will reward shop owners with cash prizes of $300, $200, and $100 for the top three windows.
Halloween Window Map
View a standalone map
On October 28, trick-or-treaters travelling from store to store downtown in search of candy will encounter a cast of creepy characters in keeping with the dark forest theme, with witches, fairies, and other woodland characters at the interections along George Street, as well as a cast of water-based characters from mermaids to pirates at the intersections along Water Street.
There will also be a self-guided Halloween scavenger hunt on October 28 featuring 13 ghostly stops with a small prize at the end (while supplies last) for those who complete the hunt. Meet the Fairy Queen at the Boro mural at Sherbrooke and George streets to unlock the first clue. While participants can join the scavenger hunt with or without a mobile device, the quest will be enhanced with a more interactive digital experience by downloading the free Goose Chase mobile app and searching for “BOOro Halloween Hunt” or game code GJR376.
New for this year is a free kid-friendly haunted house hosted by Green Elite Hair & Apparel, a new salon located at 245 George Street North.
Similar to the Mac + Cheese Festival (on now for the month of October) and other seasonal events including the Golden Goose Chase in spring, the Peterborough Caesar Fest in summer, and the Ptbo Hot Chocolate Fest in winter, Halloween in the BOOro is another example of the Peterborough DBIA using experiential entertainment to attract visitors to the downtown core.
“My team has put so much effort into this — the level of interactive programming and Halloween curation is going to be top tier,” says the DBIA’s vibrancy manager Hillary Flood. “This project really has been a labour of Halloween love. From our staff and volunteers to the shop owners, everyone is pulling out all the stops. I’m blown away by how enthusiastic our small businesses are for Halloween.”
For more information about Halloween in the BOOro, and to vote for your favourite Halloween window, visit theboro.ca/halloween-in-the-boooro/.
Trick or Treating Map
