A Halloween block party on Church St. has officially wrapped up for the season, but some attendees are raising concerns about aggressive behaviour, overcrowding, theft, and a lack of security, with some describing this year’s festivities as a “nightmare.”
The annual Halloween on Church St. celebration took over the Village from Carlton to Gloucester streets on Oct. 31 between 6:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., with extended festivities on Nov. 1. The event featured a licensed beer garden, Village go-go dancers, drag performances, and elaborate costumes that transform the iconic street into a massive outdoor party.
The decades-long tradition has become one of Toronto’s most anticipated Halloween events since its debut, originally created as a way for the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ community to celebrate and express themselves freely, drawing thousands of attendees from across the city and beyond.
However, while the event aims to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for community members to celebrate the spookiest season of the year, one local resident took to social media to describe the crowds and event as “intense.”
In a Reddit post over the weekend, the user detailed incidents of intentional pushing and shoving, groping in packed areas, aggressive and antisocial behaviour, blocked sidewalks, homophobic slurs, and multiple instances of pickpocketing.
“My partner and I along with a few of our friends hit the street at around 11pm and holy…we all agreed that it’s never been this busy/bad before… Another person after we made it through the worst of the crowd (who was very clearly inebriated) walked by and just randomly hurled the f slur at my partner and I…in the village. That was something.” they said in the post.
While the festivities continued, the user also reported that some attendees appeared overly intoxicated, and several of their friends had phones stolen despite keeping them secured in zipped bags and pockets. They added that navigating the thick, unmoving crowds made it difficult to breathe, raising concerns about the event’s security measures and crowd control.
“The crowd was intense… At some points it was bad enough that I almost fell over multiple times because I kept getting squished. “
“All in all, will be just hosting a Halloween party at home next year. Honestly so disappointed and also kind of concerned about the lack of crowd control or security measures in place this year.”
Others also took to the platform to share their experiences, describing the event as both “chaotic” and “dreadful,” with some recalling similar safety and crowd-control issues from previous years.
“Getting intentionally shoulder checked by a**holes, leered at hard, and having to keep top security over my pockets, is not my idea of a good time. 1000000/10, will never return to the Church St block “party” again,” one Reddit user commented.
“It was awful. People just full on pushing you out of the way cus they’re more important apparently. Never going back,” another user said.
“I also had a very drunk young woman tug on my very long (past my bum) hair and ask if it was real. Which, ehhhhh, not cool ma’am,” one Redditor said.
“Last year was the last time for me, after a similar experience,” another user commented
“This seems to be happening with every festival and party lately. Honestly, this city is increasingly losing the understanding of what’s acceptable and how to conduct oneself in public,” another Reddit user added.
Now Toronto reached out to the Church-Wellesley BIA for comment and is waiting for a response.
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