Although Halloween isn't until next Tuesday, ghosts and goblins are expected to flock to the downtown this weekend.
The annual Downtown Candy Crawl, a trick-or-treating event organized by a variety of core-area businesses, is scheduled to take place from noon until 3 p.m. on Sunday.
"This is an event that has been running since 2019," said Brent Hodson, senior marketing manager at Budweiser Gardens. "It is very, very family friendly. We want moms, dads, and all the kids to come down. All of the locations are going to be doing different things."
Businesses participating in this year's Crawl include Budweiser Gardens, Dundas Place, Downtown London, Eldon House, Covent Garden Market, Museum London, and Grand Theatre. Bud Gardens will have displays setup outside and be handing out candy, while Eldon House is bringing back its spooky gourd painting station. The Covent Garden Market is hosting a "Halloween Boo-Bash, offering photo opportunities, 100 free treat bags and cookies, bouncy castles, face painting, and glitter tattoos.
On Dundas Place, there will be Halloween games, circus performances, spooky music, and a mini market.
"This event keeps growing each year," said Hodson. "Last year, there were tons of great costumes and lots of people out and about... The event lets you go out, get your face painted, get some candy, and really get into the spirit ahead of the actual day."
Candy Crawl attendees can also partake in a costume contest to win prizes. To enter, those in costume just have to post a picture of their Halloween look to social media using the hashtag #LDNCandyCrawl. Among the prizes up for grabs are tickets to Disney on Ice: Into the Magic at Budweiser Gardens, tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Grand, $150 Downtown Dollars, spa treatments, Pokémon cards, comics, and gift cards from local businesses.
"I'm looking forward to the costumes," added Hodson. "I expect we will see everything from scary costumes to hero costumes and everything in between."
A full list of participating businesses and a map of the crawl can be found by clicking here.
