FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL

Variety – the Children’s Charity of Ontario is back with its 3rd annual Halloween Food Truck Festival with partner Canadian Food Truck Festivals for a family-friendly, accessible 2-day Halloween event Oct. 28, 29 at Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave. in Scarborough. The festival features the GTA’s best food trucks, craft beer, live entertainment, kids activities, costume contests, Halloween treats, prizes, giveaways and more. Grab your kids, costumes and pets, and bring your appetite. All proceeds from the festival go towards supporting Variety Village’s inclusive programs and facilities for children and adults of all abilities. More info.

COMMUNITY HIKES

With the help of a Park People Grant, the Scarborough Junction Community is offering a variety of hikes starting from Warden Hilltop C.C., 25 Mendelssohn St. Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m., from beginner to advanced, including: Scavenger Hunt Hike - 400m (30min.); Bomb Girls Historical Hike - 2 km (1 hour); Tree Identification Hike - 3 km (1 hour); Animal Tracking Hike - 4 km (1.5 hours); Meadoway Hike - 8 km (2 hours); Rouge National Urban Park Hike 19.1 km (5 hours, starting Warden Hilltop Community Centre, 25 Mendelssohn St.). More info.

SPOOKTACULAR

Halloween Spooktacular Tuesday, Oct. 31, 4 to 7 p.m. at Bridlewood Mall, 2900 Warden Ave. Visit this annual Mall-O-Ween event and enjoy a safe, warm and fun-filled evening of retailer Tricks and Treats and a Spooktacular Magic Show you won't want to miss. Trick-Or-Treating starts at 4 p.m., Magic show starts at 5 p.m. More info.

NIGHTS OF LIGHTS

Through to Oct. 31, Halloween Nights of Lights is a thrilling, immersive walk-through experience, various times available at Scarborough Town Centre, 500 Progress Ave. Continue the fun inside of Pumpkinville, a fun fair located at the end of the Nights of Lights trail featuring larger than life pumpkin sculptures and village. Both events run Thursdays to Sundays, through to Sunday, Oct. 29, and are then also open Monday, Oct. 30 and Tuesday, Oct. 31. Nights of Lights is open 6:30 to 11 p.m. Pumpkinville is open 5 to 11 p.m. except on Saturdays and Sundays when it opens at noon. Some pet friendly dates are available. Tickets must be bought in advance.This year's experience will feature more than 1.5 million LED and RGB lights animated and synchronized to your favourite Halloween tunes. Advance tickets required. More info at nightsoflights.ca

LIVE THEATRE

Scarborough Music Theatre presents Xanadu Nov. 2 to 18; Scarborough Players present A Christmas Carol Dec. 1 to 16. Scarborough Theatre Guild presents Death of a Salesman Jan. 12 to 27, 2024. All productions performed at Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Info on the theatre and the production companies at theatrescarborough.com.

SCARBOROUGH PHILHARMONIC

Friday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m. at The Salvation Army Citadel Scarborough, the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra presents ‘showpieces for viola and orchestra’ with international classical star violist Máté Szűcs and featuring premiere of a new viola concerto, conducted by the composer, SPO’s own Ronald Royer. Info on this and entire season’s concerts at spo.ca

ART SHOW AND SALE

The Fall Art Show and Sale showcases the wonderful art of The Art Guild of Scarborough artists Nov. 4 and 5, 2023, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Awards Presentation Nov. 4, 10:15 a.m.) at Centennial Recreation Centre, 1967 Ellesmere Rd. (west of Markham Rd.). The art is in a variety of mediums including watercolour, pastel, oil, acrylic, ink, sculpture and mixed media. More info.

WINTER FAIR/CLOTHING DRIVE

Charlottetown Junior PS Winter Fair & Winter Clothing Drive Saturday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Charlottetown Junior Public School, 85 Charlottetown Blvd. Lots of excitement and activities, including games, food and entertainment for everyone to enjoy, plus a winter clothing drive to help those in need stay warm this season. More info.

CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

The Sugar Plum Christmas Bazaar Saturday, Nov. 4, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Margaret in-the-Pines Anglican Church, 4130 Lawrence Ave E, Scarborough features delicious baked goods, jams, sweets, and amazing crafts, Christmas treasures, collectibles, books, DVDs, jewelry and much more! Lunch also available. More info.

CATHEDRAL BLUFFS SYMPHONY

Saturday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m. at Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, 5183 Sheppard Ave. E. The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra honours Remembrance Day with powerful composers and their inspirational works. More info at cathedralbluffs.com.

ACOUSTIC HARVEST

Acoustic Harvest, which brings the finest in roots acoustic music to Scarborough and east Toronto, has kicked off its 2023-24 season. Upcoming shows include: Nov.18, Connie Kaldor; Dec. 9, A Christmas Carol featuring John Huston with Abby Zotz; Jan. 20, Shawna Caspi and Isabel Fryszberg and The Uncommons; February 17, The Russell de Carle Trio; March 9, Guy Davis; April 20, Boreal’s Spring show; May 11, The Healing Garden Fundraiser featuring Stephen Fearing. Venue: St. Paul's United Church, 200 McIntosh St. Tickets and full concert schedule at acousticharvest.ca

AT CLARK CENTRE

• F8 Photography Collective, Oct. 2 to 30. Marvel at advancements made in transportation over the past 200 years with this exhibition by members of F8. Responsible for transforming towns, cities and countryside, these momentous innovations have shaped our modern world.

• The Eclectic Eye, Nov. 2 to 29. Opening reception: Nov. 4, 1 to 3 p.m. See a fascinating collection of photographs by the Beach Photo Club, a local photography club based in Toronto’s east end. This eye-opening exhibition presents life in Toronto through the lens of some innovative locals.

Clark Centre for the Arts, is located at 191 Guildwood Pkwy., Scarborough. More info on this and upcoming exhibitions here

AT SCARBOROUGH MUSEUM

• to Dec. 31, 2023: by Megha Parhar, Portraits of Absence & Mirrors into a Colonial Heart of Darkness. This project is part of the Toronto History Museums’ Artist Mentorship Showcase: Pride with Mentor Ashley Mckenzie-Barnes. More info.

• to Jan. 31, 2024, The Queer Tamil Collective’s Oor Exhibition explores the question of belonging when faced with the fractures of displacement through war, colonialism, caste violence, and queerphobia. More info.

Scarborough Museum is located at 1007 Brimley Rd.

AT CEDAR RIDGE:

• Oct. 21 to Nov. 2, 2023, The East End Makers Collective Exhibition, entitled "Elemental". These seven east-end artists showcase their work in ceramics as well as acrylic, watercolour, glass, metal and jewelry making.

• Nov. 4 to 16, Cedar Ridge Student Exhibition. Reception: Nov. 5, 1 to 3 p.m. Visit the gallery to check out what students at Cedar Ridge are creating. Be inspired by this student show, featuring acrylic, watercolour, drawing, mixed media, textiles and clay.

• Nov. 18 to Dec. 7, Scarborough Arts Annual Juried Exhibition. Reception: Nov. 18, 1 to 3 p.m. Scarborough Arts presents its Annual Juried Exhibition, with work by local artists working in a variety of media.

Cedar Ridge Creative Centre is located at 225 Confederation Dr. More info.

GUIDED WALKS

Rouge National Urban Park guided walks: discover the park's natural, cultural and agricultural stories with friendly and knowledgeable Parks Canada volunteer leaders and staff on most weekend days. Visit park website for information on theme, age suitability, difficulty of the walks. 

DANCE CLASSES

Thursdays, 7 to 9 p.m., Swing Dance Classes at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 258, 305 Morrish Road, Scarborough. Classes are held on Thursdays, beginners 7-8 p.m, Intermediate/Advanced 8-9 p.m. More info.

These selected events are taken from our online city-wide “Things to do” list which, in turn, are selected from our events calendar at toronto.com/events (as well as the City of Toronto events calendar). You can enter your own Scarborough events at toronto.com/events - and chances are they will end up here in this listing!