Knight battles, wrestling shows and candy: Calgary neighbourhood goes all out for Halloween
Scarefest is back in Auburn Bay and the annual free Halloween block party in the southeast community is expected to draw a crowd of more than 5,000 people.
A portion of Auburn Sound Manor S.E. will be blocked off to vehicles between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. as thousands of little monsters flood the street to hunt for candy.
Halloween at Scarefest is much more than a quest for sugary loot.
"We’ll have Doc Brown with his Delorean time machine, ECTO-1 with several Ghostbusters, Kitt from Knight Rider, Herbie (the love bug), the Jurassic park explorer, Batman and the Batmobile," said Ken Graham, event coordinator for Scarefest.
"Last year, we had approximately 5,000 people and somewhere in the area of 2,000 kids come through, and I'm pretty sure we’ll get more this year if the weather holds. I’m always amazed to see so many kids and adults get dressed up every year and come to the street and have fun with their families."
People can also expect to see a few knights dressed up and doing fight simulations, a wrestling group with an 18-foot wrestling ring putting on a show, Railyard Brewery serving up some adult beverages for the parents and a few YYC food trucks lining the street.
"While this is all happing, we're collecting donations for the Veterans Food Bank Association," explained Graham. "I myself am a 17-year military veteran and I found this to be a perfect opportunity to collect and bring awareness to their amazing organization."
The City of Calgary is offering Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treaters at Scarefest and throughout the city including:
- Wearing bright costumes with reflector tape that make children more visible to drivers;
- Costumes should not be highly flammable or interfere with easy walking;
- Trying to trick-or-treat while it’s still light out;
- Having adults accompany younger children;
- Ensuring older kids who are mature enough to be unsupervised should travel in a group; and,
- Inspecting candy to ensure it wasn't tampered with.
Other safety tips for kids, parents and drivers can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.