There are many fun things to do near Toronto in the fall, but they can quickly drain your wallet. Check out these 5 budget-friendly activities happening now, that will end in October.

1. Spooktacular Light Show

One of the biggest Halloween Drive Thru Light Events is here in GTA!

Spooktacular Light Show with Christmas Drive Thru Festival is returning! This Halloween season, the Spooktacular Light Show will feature over 1.5 million lights that a 2-kilometre long. It’ll include a drive-through tunnel filled with pumpkins, 2D and 3D displays, music lights, and more!

Mount Joy GO station in Markham and Meadowvale GO station in Mississauga are convenient locations for the Spooktacular Light Show.

Date: September 24–October 31, 2022
Admission fee: $24.95 per vehicle with a maximum of 8 passengers from Monday – Thursday, for Friday – Sunday: $34.95.
Locations:
- 1801 Bur Oak Ave Mississauga
- 6845 Millcreek Drive, Markham

2. Enjoy Cranberry Harvest

Dinners with turkey and cranberry sauce! Take part in an exclusive experience of Northern America by visiting Cranberry harvest at Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery! See how 27 acres of marsh are harvested to yield between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds of cranberries!

Date: September 24 – October 23, 2022
Admission fee: Free
Location: Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala ON P0C 1A0

3. Art Exhibition-Drift: Art and Dark Matter

Photo Credit: Art Museum at the University of Toronto

For those who enjoy art combined with astrophysics, check out the art and dark matter exhibition at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. It features the works of artists Nadia Lichtig, Josèfa Ntjam, Anne Riley, and Jol Thoms. They explore how and why physics and art are connected to understanding dark matter.

Date: May 11–October 8, 2022
Admission fee: Free
Location: Art Museum at the University of Toronto — Justina M. Barnicke Gallery Hart House Building, 7 Hart House Cir

Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village

Visit this magnificent outdoor art display of 7,000 handcrafted pumpkins illuminated at night along a kilometre-long route at Upper Canada Village. This captivating display of lighted pumpkins created by artists is a must-see!

Date: September 30, 2022 7:00 pm – October 16, 2022 9:30 pm; and
October 17, 2022 6:30 pm – October 30, 2022 9:30 pm.
Admission fee: $20 (prior booking required)
Location: Located at 13740 County Road 2, Morrisburg, Ontario

Bala Cranberry Festival

Photo Credit: Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery

Celebrate the cranberry harvest with loved ones and friends while enjoying entertainment, a bazaar, juried arts and crafts, and tours of two cranberry marshes.

Date: October 14-October 16, 2022
Admission fee: $10 (prior booking required)
Location: 3130 Muskoka District Road 169, Bala, ON P0C 1A0, Canada.