Most of the big Halloween names have already had their turn on the blog. This week is about the neighbourhood stuff: free street parties, library trick-or-treating, a costume dance party, and a haunted train just off the island. Five family picks, all with confirmed 2026 dates.

🍬 Lachine Candy Hunt, Costume Skate and Library Trick-or-Treat

Lachine runs a full Halloween week. On Friday evening the shopkeepers on rue Notre-Dame hand out candy to costumed kids on a street closed to traffic. Sunday brings a costumed skate with characters at the arena, and on Halloween afternoon both local libraries turn into trick-or-treat stops (Saul-Bellow with a Día de Muertos theme and live music, Saint-Pierre with Celtic musicians and games).

📍 Where: Rue Notre-Dame between 6th and 18th Avenue (candy hunt); Aréna Pierre “Pete” Morin (skate); Bibliothèque Saul-Bellow and Bibliothèque de Saint-Pierre (trick-or-treat), Lachine (about 20 minutes from downtown)
🗓️ When: Candy hunt Friday, Oct 23 from 6 p.m.; skate Sunday, Oct 25, 2 to 5 p.m.; library trick-or-treat Saturday, Oct 31, 5 to 8 p.m.

🎃 Massonloween in Rosemont

Promenade Masson is taken over for the 22nd edition of this free neighbourhood Halloween party. Expect entertainment for kids plus three mystery tunnels that range from mild to properly spooky (one is a haunted hospital), so peek in first with younger children.

📍 Where: Promenade Masson, between rue D’Iberville and 12th Avenue, Montreal (Rosemont)
🗓️ When: Saturday, Oct 24 and Sunday, Oct 25. Free entrance; check the organizers for hours.

🕺 Monstrueuse Journée d’Halloween and the Bêtes de Fête Costume Ball

A free full Sunday in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: a costume contest all day, an insect activity for ages 8 to 13, a roaming costumed character, and at 3 p.m. a kids’ costume dance party with a DJ playing Afro-beat, electro-cumbia and hip-hop. Costumes are lent for the event, so nobody needs to arrive prepared. Registration is required for the day, and free tickets are needed for the ball.

📍 Where: Bibliothèque Mercier and Maison de la culture Mercier, 8105 rue Hochelaga, Montreal
🗓️ When: Sunday, Oct 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (costume ball 3 to 4 p.m., ages 4+ with family)

🚂 Railway Ghosts at Exporail

Exporail’s Halloween has two tracks. Kids under 10 get a railcar craft workshop (build a railway themed mask), a Pumpkin Trail with riddles, and a Haunted Train car with candy and mini pumpkin picking. Ages 10 and up get a ghost themed train car and new characters in the Grand Gallery. Heads up: Exporail says some rides are out of service because of an obstacle on the line, and the Haunted Train goes to Montée des Bouleaux Station, so confirm with the museum before you drive out.

📍 Where: Exporail, 110 rue Saint-Pierre, Saint-Constant (South Shore, about 35 minutes from downtown)
🗓️ When: Through Nov 1; Haunted Train on Oct 24, 25, 31 and Nov 1. The Haunted Train car is $5 (under 10) or $8 (10+); the rest is included with admission.

🕯️ Halloween at Maison Saint-Gabriel

A gentler, history flavoured option: a guided tour of one of Montreal’s oldest farmhouses, decorated for Halloween and covering the lesser known customs behind Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. It is billed as suitable for the whole family; kids 6 to 17 pay $5 and kids 5 and under are free. The museum’s regular hours are weekdays, 1 to 5 p.m., so call to confirm the exact Halloween dates at 514 935-8136.

📍 Where: 2146 place Dublin, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Montreal
🗓️ When: Select dates, Oct 21 to 31. Confirm times before you go.