Frolic’s Haunt is a fully accessible, outdoor home haunt (a “home haunt” is a non-commercial haunted house on private property). In 2017 Frolic’s had a 500 sq/ft “walk-through” (that means a haunted house that a visitor moves through) Haunt. In 2018, we’re testing out a new “community fair” format where we have a number of different activities set up all around the property for guests to enjoy, and actors will be moving freely from area to area.
This is a labor of love that takes a lot of time, energy, and money, as well as volunteers willing to help. Our 2017 Haunt required nearly 60 volunteers throughout the whole process, including 40 volunteers on the night of the event.
Why?
Wheelchair-accessible home haunts are extremely rare, and commercial haunts (which are also often inaccessible) are almost always too frightening for children and most young teens. That’s why we started Frolic’s Haunt. We believe Halloween and scary fun should be accessible to everyone who wants it, and Toronto needs a local home haunt so both disabled and non-disabled kids can come have a great time. It also provides an opportunity for disabled parents (see ◊ footnote) who want to bring their kids to a haunt and be able to go through it with their children, or for disabled adults without children to come have a great time too.
When?
Frolic’s Haunt 2018 will be on Saturday October 27th, 2018. (Due to the high number of volunteers – actors, makeup artists, ASL interpreters, and support staff – required to make the event run, we’re open on one night only.)
Where?
We’re in northwest Toronto (Ontario, Canada) near Wilson and Dufferin, close to two major highways (400 and 401) and the Allen. We’re easily TTC-accessible, only a short bus ride from Wilson station. The exact address is sent via email to groups who have made reservations.
Why do people have to make reservations?
Due to the fact that we run on one night only, demand is extremely high. We require all visitors to reserve a half-hour time slot during which they plan to attend, so we can cap attendance for each half-hour slot at a limited number of groups. Requiring reservations also means we don’t have the risk of having to turn people away because they arrived after we’d already hit our capacity.
How much does it cost? 
The Haunt is free to attend. If you enjoyed yourself and want to give us a donation, you’re welcome to; just hunt down our Donations Booth at the event or use our Donate button on this site. All donations go toward the next year’s Haunt, as this is an expensive venture that’s entirely funded by the Frolics themselves.
What sort of activities will you have this year?
Last year we found that some of our younger guests were nervous about going through the Haunt, and it wasn’t scary enough for some of our adult guests. The new “community fair” format should help alleviate that problem, with different activities that should appeal to a wider range of ages.
This year we plan to have such attractions as:
- singing pumpkins
- minature Halloween village
- button-making station
- facepainting
- Mini Scare School
- pneumatic props
- actors you can interact with
- selfie station
- and more!
Is this an outdoor event?
Yes. DRESS WARMLY! All of the Frolic’s Haunt activities are located in my front yard, back yard, and two driveways.
What happens if it rains?
Unfortunately, due to the space that this format requires and the difficulty and expense of waterproofing several large areas, Frolic’s Haunt 2018 will be cancelled if it’s a very rainy night.
Want more info?
Check the rest of our site for information on lots of ways to help out with the Haunt, get Community Service hours for high school students, find out what we mean when we say Accessibility, learn about our Choose Your Scare system, or meet some of the volunteers that are helping to run the Haunt.
◊ The Haunt Overlord, Robin, is an invisibly disabled person and uses Identity-First Language (“disabled people”) to reflect that disability can be an integral part of our identities. If you prefer Person-First Language (“people with disabilities”), please just mentally substitute that while reading our site.
Frolic’s Haunt is a proud member of the Canadian Haunter’s Association.
