A couple thousand Brantford-Brant residents attended the 18th annual Scare in the Square event in Harmony Square on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, 2026.
A long-standing fall tradition, Lori-Dawn Cavin, Manager of Community Recreation and Events with the City of Brantford’s Parks and Recreation Department, said she and her team were happy to welcome everyone back to the big event.
“Scare in the Square is the most wonderful Halloween festival, and it’s one of the original Harmony Square events that has taken place every year,” she said.” We had a wonderful crowd here last night, which was just lovely, and it’s nice that the weather is cooperating for us and that the community is here again today.”
The two-day event kicked off on Friday evening with a variety of family friendly activities such as a character meet and greet with the Sleeping Princess and Evil Fairy, a roller skate party, the HOWL-o-ween dog parade and costume contest. and paranormal tours of the Bank of Montreal with The Ontario Paranormal Society.
On Saturday, attendees came dressed to impress for the costume contest. From superheroes and villains to princesses and pirates, cartoon characters, baby Barbies and even a pack of Tic Tacs, visitors of all ages were sporting both their best handmade and store-bought costumes in an effort to win the judges’ favour.
Cavin said that while she wasn’t a judge, she was impressed with just how many people embraced the spirit of Halloween for the event.
“I’ve seen some very creative costumes this year and I’ve also seen some costumes that are very high-quality too,” she said. “I’m always drawn to the ones where the whole family is participating in a theme; I love that kind of stuff, but there’s one little guy dressed as Lightning McQueen that is just too cute. There was also a dog here last night that was dressed as a Highland Cow, and that was just great.”
Throughout the afternoon, youngsters spent their time laughing their way through one of many inflatable obstacle courses, having their faces painted or getting their picture taken in the free photo booth.
Members of the United Mustangs of Ontario and Brantford Area Jeep Club also took over Dalhousie Street to show off their rides for the stationary jeep and mustang parade. Many handed out candy to the youngsters as they passed by.
Back in Harmony Square, Marco the Clown spent some time making balloon creations while Comedy in Motion kept the children entertained and engaged with their juggling show on the main stage. Visitors could also vote for their favourite scarecrow and pumpkin.
Also on site was Casper’s Craft Corner and two escape rooms from Five Nineteen Productions, the Witch’s Hut and the Clown’s Dressing Room.
While the area was stacked with fun activities and shopping opportunities, the day’s main attractions were the big costume contest and a large trick-or-treating event where children of all ages raced their way through the streets to collect their candy from 45 different businesses, service organizations and vendors.
“I’m just in awe, sitting back watching the families come together and spend time in the downtown core,” said Cavin. “What I love in particular about the trick-or-treating is that it’s a natural way to expose the community to some of the businesses that they may not have otherwise visited. That’s why this partnership between the businesses and the City is such a wonderful opportunity. There are some great, quality places down here and this gets the community downtown exploring what the area has to offer.”
In the evening, attendees also had the opportunity to learn the “Thriller” dance with Quinn Morriss and QM Dance Company dancers, watch a performance by Studio 5.6.7.8 or get up and show off their dance moves during the silent disco.
For teens and adults looking for more of a fright, shuttle buses were also available to take people over to Mohawk Park on both days of the event for a haunted house and spook-tacular entertainment from Doug “The Great” Hunt.
Cavin later said couldn’t thank the volunteers and the sponsors enough for all their hard work, noting the event just wouldn’t be possible without them.
“We have a lot of free activities and free entertainment going here. Of course, we do have some pay-to-play things, but we’re very committed to keeping all of our attractions affordable so that families can come and have fun with their kids without it being too strenuous financially,” she said. “I have to share my gratitude for, not only the volunteers, but also for the community sponsors who make this possible. I don’t think people realize the level of effort and financial cost that goes into an event like this; we couldn’t put on an experience like this without our sponsors or volunteers, so a big shout out goes to them.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
