Halloween in Edmonton and Calgary means festivals and frights

October 27, 5:05 PMLuxury Travel ExaminerRuthanne Terrero

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Frightening festivals and haunted animal adventures give travelers the perfect reason to spend Halloween weekend in Alberta this year. A trip to Edmonton or Calgary will guarantee families fun and festive ways to celebrate fall with creepy critters, haunted pumpkin patches and spooky campfire cookouts. 
 
Whether it’s playing with giant pumpkin puppets, strolling through the Calgary Zoo’s Walk of the Dead or creating the craziest scarecrow, Alberta offers the whole family a host of Halloween entertainment including:
 
Edmonton: Prairie Gardens’ 14th Annual Haunted Pumpkin Festival (now – Nov. 3)
Families can discover a magical world of scarecrows, pumpkins and Halloween at Prairie Gardens this season. Prairie Gardens is an award-winning 35-acre family farm with greenhouses, strawberry and pumpkin patches.  Its Haunted Pumpkin Festival is a fun-filled family adventure that includes wagon rides, scarecrow make & takes, pumpkin cannons, haunted houses, puppet shows, live entertainment and a pumpkin pie café. Travelers can even reserve a campfire site to savor the flavors of a campfire cookout and enjoy marshmallow and hot dog roasts together.
 
Prairie Gardens’ Haunted Pumpkin Festival occurs every weekend now through November 1, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Scheduled tours are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Maze & Pumpkin Sales Mon, Thurs, Fri, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Single Admission: $9.45; Family admission: $8.97/person or $36/4; Toddlers 2 and under are free; Group Rate: $7.75/person (15 or more); Campfire sites: $24.20 or $1/person for groups of 26 or more. All rates in USD + GST. (For more information and to purchase tickets visit: www.prairiegardens.org)
 
Calgary’s ‘Boo at the Zoo’ 2009 at the Calgary Zoo (Oct. 26-31)
Travelers can take a terrifying journey at the world-famous Calgary Zoo’s ‘Boo at the Zoo’ event this Halloween!  The Walk of the Dead through the Zoo’s spooked-out Prehistoric Park will thrill the older children and the toddler-friendly area is perfect for the little ones with fun Halloween-themed games during the day. 
 
Some of the highlights for this year’s ‘Boo At the Zoo’ event include: Beaners Beauty Shop of Horrors, Corn Maze, Ghoul School, Boogers on a Stick and Tic Tac TOE with a real toe! Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a treat - and every child (12 and under) will receive one. ‘Boo at the Zoo’ is from October 26-30, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., gates close at 8 p.m.

Adult admission: $8.75; Children: $6.80. Daytime activities for toddlers: October 31, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Free with zoo admission. All pricing in USD. (For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.calgaryzoo.org)