What to know
- Toronto police are sharing safety tips for residents celebrating Halloween, including trick-or-treating and attending parties.
- Children should stick to familiar, well-lit streets, use sidewalks and crosswalks, and remain visible to drivers.
- Parents are advised to inspect Halloween candy and discard anything that appears opened, damaged or suspicious.
- Festivalgoers should keep their phones and valuables secure, stay with friends and avoid leaving drinks unattended.
- Road closures will be in effect around Church-Wellesley Village from 5 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday for “Halloween on Church” festival.
More than 80,000 people are expected to pack Church-Wellesley Village Saturday night for Halloween on Church, while families across Toronto head out trick-or-treating.
With crowds, costumes and candy taking over the city, Toronto police and Health Canada are sharing a few reminders to help keep Halloween fun — and avoid unwanted scares.
From staying visible on dark streets to keeping phones secure in packed crowds, here’s what to know before heading out.
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Toronto Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treaters
Trick-or-treating is one of the most well-known traditions of Halloween, and can be a fun activity for both children and adults. However, there are a few tips that can help you avoid falling for unwanted tricks while trick or treating.
Toronto police advise residents, especially children, to stay within well-lit and familiar streets to avoid trouble. They should also make sure to pay attention to traffic, avoid looking down at their phones when crossing the street, and sticking to the sidewalks and crosswalks.
Parents should also make sure their children are accompanied by a trusted adult or a buddy while trick or treating. They should also ensure their costumes are well-fitted so that they can walk safely and see the road.
While putting on a dark, spooky costume can add to the fun, police also warned trick-or-treaters should remain visible to avoid accidents. To do that, they can add glow sticks or reflective tape to their costumes.
Check Halloween candy before digging in
Eating lots of delicious candy is also one of the main perks of Halloween, but as tempting as it can be to immediately dig in after trick or treating, residents and parents are advised to double-check treats before eating.
Before letting the kids go trick or treating, the Government of Canada advises parents to warn them not to accept anything that is not commercially wrapped, and have a trusted adult inspect the candy before they can eat.
Adults inspecting candy should:
- Throw away any treats that look homemade as precaution
- Check wrapped candy for wholes, and throw out any that look opened, unwrapped, loose or torn
- Be cautious about treats that could be a choking hazard
- Throw out anything that looks suspicious or uncommon
Going to Halloween on Church? Keep valuables close
With the annual “Halloween on Church” Festival taking place tonight, Toronto police are also advising residents of road closures and giving out festival safety tips.
With several reports of increasing phone thefts and pickpockets over the past year, police are advising residents to make sure their valuables like phones and wallets are kept safe. Festival goers should be mindful crowded areas could be phone to pickpocketing and theft. In addition, personal belongings should not be left unattended.
If your property is stolen, report the incident to police as soon as possible.
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Festival attendees are also advised to stay with a group or friends whenever possible, and make sure they have a plan in case they get separated in the crowd.
Police also advise attendees to consume alcohol responsibly and not leave drinks unattended or accept drinks from strangers.
If they see any suspicious activity or violence in progress, they should notify local security or police, and call 911 in case of emergency.
Drivers are notified that road closures will be in place in the Church-Wellesley Village BIA area from 5 p.m. on Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday, including:
- Church Street between Gloucester and Alexander streets
- Wellesley Street East around Church Street
Other traffic restrictions could be in place to support festival safety and access.
