Organizers of the annual Halloween bash on Church Street are calling off the festivities again this year due to the pandemic.
Halloween itself is not cancelled, but the outdoor street party does not meet city or provincial guidelines for outdoor public events. Ontario remains in Step 3 of the reopening plan, which caps non-seated organized outdoor gatherings at 100 people with physical distancing.
“Unfortunately this year it’s not safe for us to celebrate together in our usual way,” the Church-Wellesley Village BIA said in a statement, citing the Step 3 rules as the reason for the cancellation. “We are saddened to not be hosting our signature street event for the second year in a row, but we must adhere to these government restrictions.”
The BIA has promised to post alternative ways to celebrate on social media.
Typically scheduled for October 31, Halloween on Church is one of Toronto’s biggest Halloween parties, regularly attracting thousands of costumed revelers.
Organizers also pulled the plug on the 2020 edition in September of last year, when Ontario was reporting just over 200 new COVID-19 cases per day. This morning, the province confirmed a daily increase of 677 new infections.
Read the Church-Wellesley Village BIA’s full statement below.
