Top 5 Things To Get You Into the Christmas Spirit in TBAY (A guide to feeling festive ASAP)
Amanda Bay
December 16, 2025
Done right, Fall in Thunder Bay is the perfect opportunity to make some memories with the fam. Nobody’s too hot or too cold, the bugs aren’t really biting and the weather usually features epically beautiful blue skies, with some cool moody greys and interesting clouds thrown in too. Mix in some cute knitwear, delicious treats and once-a-year events and it all adds up to a season to remember. Here are some of our top ideas for family fun in Thunder Bay in the Fall.
See a giant pumpkin explode
Take a beautiful country drive just a short drive outside of city limits to Pumpkin Mania, an annual late-September event hosted by the Thunder Bay District Pumpkin Growers at Belluz Farms. See the gigantic pumpkins that have been locally grown, and then watch as one is hoisted high in the air by a crane and then released to smash into a bazillion pieces. A second giant pumpkin, filled with candy, also gets dropped and kids can do a scramble to pick up some treats. Visiting vendors and food stands are on site as well.
Get down on the farm
Start an annual tradition of visiting Belluz Farms’ Fall Wonderland events. Held every weekend from late September through October at this charming third-gen family farm that practices agroecological food production, it’s a fun, relaxed way to visit some animals like goats and bunnies, choose a homegrown pumpkin or three to bring home or explore the two-acre corn maze. Pony rides, wagon tours, a small kids play area, a hidden pumpkin hunt and pumpkin bowling are also part of the fun, all against a stunning backdrop of the Nor’Wester Mountains and rolling fields of the Slate River Valley.
Go apple picking
Pick your own crisp and tasty pesticide-free apples at Mountain Stream Orchard. This woman-owned small orchard has several different apple varieties available (bring your own basket or bag) and also has apple products like cider, jelly and butter to purchase. Talk about a fun way to show kids where their food comes from (and maybe that apple in the lunch bag won’t make the round-trip home so often!)
Celebrate the harvest
The Good Harvest Farmers Market is an free, family-friendly annual outdoor event in the cool Waterfront District neighbourhood, hosted by the equally cool Goods & Co. Market. A stretch of Red River Road gets closed off (with picture-perfect views down the hill to the waterfront) so you can wander around to enjoy the live music, apple cider, corn boil, kids activities, and stands from local farmers and vendors. Hymers Fair is a classic fall fair that’s been delighting families for more than a century. Held over Labour Day weekend in a rural area southwest of the city, it’s a chance to see prizewinning chickens, rabbits, cows and other farm animals, tour the exhibits, watch the equestrian show, listen to live music, ride the tiny train, and take part in a range of kid-friendly activities.
Take a hike
Burn up some of that kid energy on the wide range of hiking trails in and around the city. The 2.5-km Little Falls loop at Kakabeka Falls takes you to a beautiful small waterfall surrounded by colourful leaves (plus there’s the obvious appeal of the main falls, which has boardwalk trails and scenic lookouts), while the Cedar Falls Conservation Area is a 2-km in-and-out trail beside the river and its tumbling water. The Flett Tunnel, which is a former railroad track that tunnels through solid rock, is another easy and memorable destination near Kakabeka Falls (just remember to fill out a day use permit first). In town, the Cascades is a local favourite and you can take your pick of several moderate trails, including 775-metre loop that’s paved.
For many families, Halloween is the main character all fall long. Tbay has plenty of spooky season events, some tailored for kids who like their Halloween cute and fun, and others for those who want all the scares.
Tour some decorated neighbourhoods
The Thunder Bay’s Spookiest Houses Facebook page is your go-to resource for addresses of houses and yards that are all decked out for Halloween with plenty of lights, inflatables and other spooky décor…the perfect opportunity to sip on some hot chocolate or apple cider while you drive or walk around to find your faves. Or, download the free Thunder Bay Tours app to find this year’s lineup of houses.
Go thrill seeking
If you and your tweens and teens like a night out with a boost of adrenalin, there are several outdoor rural properties with Halloween walk-throughs designed to make them jump. The Scare on Cronk features a series of scary vignettes and costumed actors while The Trail of Purgatory has plenty of lights, special effects and animatronics to elicit those laugh-screams. Slate River Slaughter is the OG Halloween walk-through in the city, celebrating its lucky 13th anniversary with all kinds of gruesome fun. (Watch each group’s socials for “friendly” nights designed to be less scary and/or sensory-friendly.)
Several other locations get in the Halloween fun as well. Come aboard the Alexander Henry, TBay’s icebreaker (that’s a National Historic Site) at Marina Park, for their Haunted Harbour events where you tour the historic ship that’s all decked out with scary actors and decorations, Thursdays through Saturday evenings in October (plus a non-scary daytime event or two). The Thunder Bay Museum hosts Phantom of the Galleries on three nights in October in partnership with Science North, featuring a creepy walk-thorough with actors, storytelling and more, all in a historic century-old building that was once a Thunder Bay police station. The Haunted Lakehead walking tours promise “guts, ghosts and gore of downtown Port Arthur.” Rated PG-13 for disturbing content (and is not recommended for children under 13), each 3km tour lasts about an hour and has an expert guide taking your group on a walk that delves into TBay’s darker history.
Make Halloween last all month long
Those Halloween costumes are too good just to see one night only. Sleeping Giant Brewing Co. throws an annual Halloween party for families called Pints and Pumpkins. Held in late October, this afternoon party is free for kids (adults require a paid ticket) and you can all get some snaps at the Halloween photo booth, decorate pumpkins and sample the caramel apple bar. For a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, visit Fort William Historical Park for their family-friendly Halloween Hoot, held on two weekend afternoons in October. The fort, an impressive recreation of a 1802 fur trading fort, gets all Halloweened up with a costume parade, craft stations, a scavenger hunt, trick-or-treating, a costume parade, and more.
There is a second Witches Walk event too, this one based at Goods & Co. and geared toward adults. Register ahead, put on your best witchy outfit and then get your Witches Walk map at Goods and head out for a self-guided tour of the Waterfront District, collecting stamps at participating shops and services along the way. Then it’s back to Goods for a dance party with prize draws.
For littles on Halloween itself, stop by Dagwood’s Bakery & Deli in Westfort for their Slightly Batty Halloween. Snap a selfie with celebrity villains, pick out some Halloween-themed baking and do a walk-through that’s silly, not scary. Not into dark or chilly trick-or-treating? Intercity Shopping Centre hosts Malloween every year, where small kids can dress up and trick-or-treat at various stores. Say an earth-friendly goodbye to Halloween on November 1, when EcoSuperior holds a Pumpkin Parade—just bring your jack-o-lanterns to Hillcrest Park, where they’ll be lit and displayed for all to enjoy that evening, then composted.
From harvest celebrations to sweet or spine-tingling Halloween events, there is lots for families to discover in TBay in the fall!
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CEDC © 2025. All rights reserved.