FrightFest: Ottawa’s Scariest Nights Out

Haunted attractions, street theatre, and fire shows after dark at Saunders Farm

📍 Get Directions Full Schedule

Saunders Farm’s 100 acres turn into Ottawa’s biggest haunted attraction every fall, with a lineup of haunts, roaming street theatre, a fire stage show, a zipline, and food booths running Friday and Saturday nights from late September, then every single night through Halloweek.

👻 Multiple haunted attractions 🎭 Street theatre & fire stage show 🎪 Zipline & arcade 🍎 Saunders Cider & food booths

💡 Tickets are date and time-slot specific and sell out most years — book your night in advance rather than showing up hoping to walk in.

Why Go Schedule Attractions Food Essentials Getting There Tips FAQ

✨ Why It’s Ottawa’s Go-To Halloween Night

Saunders Farm has been running Halloween programming for over 30 years, and FrightFest has grown from a hayride into a full after-dark festival spread across their 100-acre property in Munster, just southwest of Ottawa near Stittsville. It’s consistently one of the region’s most talked-about — and most sold-out — fall attractions.

The farm rates its own attractions on what it calls the “Chainsaw-o-Meter,” running from Unsettling (creepy, no jump scares or blood) up through Creepy Crawly, Cut and Run, and Seriously Scary — so you can pick your intensity level attraction by attraction rather than getting blindsided.

Beyond the haunts, there’s a fire-and-sword stage show at Ghost Town Stage, roaming street theatre that doesn’t stay confined to the marked attractions, a zipline, an arcade, and Saunders’ own hard cider on tap at MacIntosh’s CiderHouse — enough going on that most guests plan for a full evening rather than a quick scare and home.

🗓 When It Runs

FrightFest isn’t a single weekend — it’s a five-week run with two different operating patterns.

🎟 Tickets are sold for a specific date and a 30-minute arrival window, but once you’re in, your ticket is good for the whole evening — no need to rush if traffic runs you late.

👻 The Haunts

A mix of walkthrough haunts, a hayride, and roaming scare zones spread across the farm — ticket holders aren’t guaranteed to hit every one in a single visit, so plan your priorities.

🚜 Haunted Hayride 🧪 Barn of Terror 🪚 The Sawmill 🐷 The Shambles ⚰️ The Cemetery Scare Zone 🔥 Ghost Town Stage Show 🧙 The Coven 🤡 Circus Macabre 🎭 Roaming Street Theatre

🍎 Food & Drink

Several food booths and the on-site cidery keep the night going — most food and drink is an additional cost on top of admission.

🍗 What The Cluck — fried chicken sandwiches 🍟 Pogos & Poutine — Green Queen Poutine 🍕 MacIntosh’s CiderHouse — wood-fired pizza & Saunders Cider 🍬 The Farmshop — treats & local artisan market

📋 Essentials

🚗 Getting There & Parking

Saunders Farm sits in Munster, part of rural Ottawa, southwest of the city near Stittsville — plan for a drive from most parts of town.

Parking: Free, supervised, and well-lit parking is available on site — no separate parking fee.

Weather: The farm operates rain or shine. In extreme weather or an emergency closure, updates are posted on Saunders Farm’s social media channels.

💡 A Few Things Worth Knowing

🎭 Costumes yes, masks no. Dressing up is encouraged, but guests aren’t permitted to wear masks or face coverings — plan your look around that rule.

🐕 Leave pets at home. Dogs aren’t permitted on the grounds during FrightFest, with the exception of service animals.

🎫 Book ahead, especially for Halloweek. Tickets are date and time-slot specific and sell out most years, particularly the final nights before Halloween.

🧥 Dress for the weather, not just the scares. This is an outdoor event on farmland after dark in late September and October — layers and closed-toe shoes go a long way.

❓ Common Questions