Bell Homestead National Historic Site held its annual Halloween Fun Fair on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
The free event brought together families of all ages, many of whom came wearing their costumes, for an afternoon of Halloween-themed activities and spook-tacular crafts.
Upon arrival, youngsters stopped into the visitor centre to pick up their stamp card before heading out and taking turns dashing between each of the 16 stations available throughout the historical site.
From pumpkin tic-tac-toe to musical hoops, the mad chemist’s toss, graveyard mini golf and the skeleton hand relay race, there were plenty of activities to entertain the children.
“They’re all games and activities that are very child-friendly because we really just want the kids to have fun, especially the little ones…we don’t want to scare them and never have them come back,” said Brian Wood, Curator for the Bell Homestead, with a chuckle.
After finishing each game, children grabbed a stamp from the volunteer at each station, and once their card was full, they returned to the visitor centre to collect a pre-made bag of candy to take home with them.
While at the event, attendees could also purchase a cookie and hot chocolate for two-dollars from inside the Exchange Café, make their own mask at the craft station, or listen to a story time inside the Bell Home.
Kristen Bridges, who brought her three-year-old daughter Phoenix, said it was their first time attending the annual fun fair.
“I’m liking it. I think it’s such a great event for kids and she’s just having so much fun,” said Bridges. “It’s also really nice that she can actually do all the activities as well. Some of the other events that we’ve gone to were a bit more targeted towards an older group, and this is very kid-centric, which I appreciate.”
When asked what her favourite activity was, Phoenix jumped up and down, happily exclaiming, “Ghosts!”
Overall, Wood said the event was a fun way to get people not only to visit the historic site for the first time, but to come back as well.
“There’s so many new families in Brantford now and so the fun fair is really a chance for people who might not normally come here, to come and see what it’s all about,” he said. “And for people that have been here, a lot of the time they think, ‘Been there, done that,’ so this is a good way to show them what kind of other things we do here as well. It’s really just a great event that we look forward to every year and I love seeing the kids, and even the parents, all dressed up in their costumes and just having a good time.”
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.
