What to Do in Toronto in October 2026: Festivals, Fall Colour and Halloween, Compared

October is one of the best months to be in Toronto: the leaves turn, the festival calendar fills up and Halloween programming takes over everything from museums to castles. This guide compares what is actually on in the second half of the month, so you can match the right plan to your group.

For Culture Lovers: Book Festival and After-Hours Museums

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) runs October 28 to November 1 at Victoria University at the University of Toronto, with more than 100 events and special evenings at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 30 and November 1. If you prefer a single big night out, TIFA Presents David Byrne takes over Koerner Hall tonight, Saturday October 10, at 7:30 p.m. (ticketed).

For something more playful, the Royal Ontario Museum hosts its 19+ ROM After Dark events on October 30 (All Hallow's Eve) and October 31 (Trick or Treat), and the Art Gallery of Ontario runs a Halloween Drag Bingo on October 30. These are best for adults who want a night out that feels a little different from a bar crawl.

For Sports and Spectacle

Race weekend is the big one: the Toronto Waterfront Marathon weekend runs October 16 to 18, with the race expo on Friday and Saturday, a 5K on Saturday October 17, and the marathon and half marathon on Sunday October 18. Expect major road closures downtown and along the waterfront on race Sunday, so plan your route (and TTC) ahead. Spectators can also catch the Raptors home opener on October 21 and an Argonauts home game at BMO Field on October 23.

For Fall Colour

Peak colour typically arrives in the second half of October. Good picks include High Park, Evergreen Brick Works (which has a Saturday farmers' market) and the Scarborough Bluffs. Parks Canada also runs guided fall hikes and a Pumpkin Prowl in Rouge National Urban Park, and the city's Ravine Days programming of guided walks continues through October 18. If you want apples, pumpkins and corn mazes, farms such as Chudleigh's in Halton Hills and Springridge in Milton typically ask you to book timed tickets in advance.

For Halloween Thrills

Casa Loma's Legends of Horror runs through October, with early Family Hours (5 to 6:30 p.m.) that have no live actors. Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan runs Halloween Haunt on select nights, and the Haunted Walk offers lantern-lit ghost tours downtown and in the Distillery District that tend to sell out in October. For a gentler option, Pumpkins After Dark at Country Heritage Park in Milton shows more than 10,000 carved pumpkins through October 31.

How to Choose

Travelling with kids? Go for Casa Loma's family hours, a pumpkin farm or Brick Works. Want a date night? Pick an After Dark night at the ROM or a TIFA evening. Love a crowd? Race weekend and Argos or Raptors games deliver. Prefer quiet? Head to a ravine or High Park on a weekday morning. Note that this weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving (October 10 to 12), so many city services are closed on Monday and popular spots book up early. Always confirm times and tickets on each organizer's site before you go.