Pictured: Bear Creek Eco Park, 121 Ferndale Drive South, Barrie: crushed limestone trails and a marsh boardwalk, wheelchair accessible, with a small parking lot on site. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
In this issue: Sign-Up Radar · This week · Coming up · Book ahead · Ongoing
Good morning, In-the-Know Parents.
How was your long weekend? Thanksgiving was a busy one for us: two hockey games (one out of town) and two family dinners. The best part was just being together, with baby cuddles from my newest niece and watching my Grandma meet her newest great-granddaughter.
If you only do one thing this week: grab the City’s 50-cent Halloween swim and skate passes before October 31. Details below.
Be the one in the group chat who knew first. Copy this and share it:
City of Barrie is selling Halloween swim and skate passes for 50 cents. Each one is good for a drop-in swim or skate, ages 14 and under, Nov 1 to Feb 28. You can buy them at the rec centres or City Hall, until Oct 31 or they run out. No limit. (I read it in ActiveFam)
Shelley’s picks
Little kids: MacLaren Stroller Tour
Kids: Guitar Basics (free!)
Teens: Teen Takeover
Free: Family Fright Fest
Sign-Up Radar
Sign-ups to put in your calendar now, closing soonest first.
🎸 Closes Friday, October 23, 10am — Learn Guitar Basics — Barrie Public Library Downtown Branch, Angus Ross Room, 60 Worsley Street, Barrie — free grades 4–8
Good to know: Grades 4–8; max 10, register each child separately. One registration covers Saturdays October 24, October 31 and November 7, 10–10:45am. Guitars provided if needed.
🍬 Sunday, October 25, 2–5:30pm — Barrie Accessible Halloween Village timeslots — Oatley Vigmond parking lot, 151 Ferris Lane, Barrie — free all ages
Good to know: Each trick-or-treater registers for a 20-minute timeslot; parents and guardians don’t need tickets. Barrier-free trick-or-treating tables. Free parking.
❄️ Registration open now — City of Barrie Winter Break Camps — East Bayfield Community Centre, 80 Livingstone Street East, and Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Avenue, Barrie — one-day camps December 21–23 and 28–29 — $35 a day $$ ages 4–12
Good to know: Kinderfun is ages 4–5; camp is ages 6–12. East Bayfield runs 8:30am–4pm. At Peggy Hill, Kinderfun runs 8:30am–4pm and ages 6–12 run 8:30am–noon.
🖌️ Registration open now — MacLaren Winter Camps — MacLaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster Street, Barrie — Winter Wonders, December 21–23, and Snowy Creatures, December 28–30, 9am–4pm — $195 per camp, $180 for members $$ ages 6–11
Good to know: Ages 6–11. Before care 8:30–9am and after care 4–4:30pm are an extra $30.
This week
🏊 50-cent Halloween swim and skate passes 50¢ ages 14 and under
Each pass costs 50 cents and is good for one drop-in swim or skate for ages 14 and under, November 1 to February 28. Buy them at City of Barrie recreation centres or City Hall until October 31 or while quantities last. There’s no limit per person.
🥁 Georgian College Drum Social — Georgian College Barrie Campus gymnasium (J building), One Georgian Dr., Barrie — Saturday, October 17, 4–8pm, doors 3pm — free all ages
Good to know: A celebration of Indigenous language, culture, song and dance, hosted by Georgian’s Indigenous Resource Centre with Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin. Free parking; non-perishable food donations appreciated. Only invited drum groups drum.
First time going? Everyone is welcome to join in the dances, and smudging is available for anyone who wants it.
📚 Teen Takeover — Barrie Public Library Downtown Branch, Massie Family Community Room, 60 Worsley Street, Barrie — Mondays, October 19 and 26, 3–6pm — free ages 13–17
Good to know: Ages 13–17 only, no parents. Free pizza.
🎬 Haunted Halloween Drive-In: The Nightmare Before Christmas — Tanger Outlets Cookstown, east parking lot near Entrance 3, 3311 Simcoe 89, Cookstown, Innisfil — Friday, October 23, movie 7:30pm — free all ages
Good to know: Watch from your vehicle. Family photos, face painting and balloon twisting 5:30–7:30pm before the movie.
🎃 Family Fright Fest — Lampman Lane Park & Community Centre, 59 Lampman Lane, Barrie — Saturday, October 24, 3–9pm — free all ages
Good to know: 3–4pm is a sensory-friendly hour (no animated features, lights on). The City says it gets scarier as the evening goes on.
🏚️ Barrie Halloween Haunts — Residents’ homes, see the map — All of October — Mostly free; some ask for a charity donation. all ages
Coming up
🧺 Barrie Farmers’ Market Halloween — Barrie City Hall, 70 Collier Street, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 9am–1pm — all ages
Good to know: On-site pumpkin carving and a costume contest with prizes.
🃏 Cardboardicon — RioCan Georgian Mall, 509 Bayfield St, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 9:30am–6pm — free all ages
Good to know: 50+ vendor tables of Pokémon, One Piece and other trading card games, anime and collectibles.
Book ahead
👶 MacLaren Stroller Tour — MacLaren Art Centre, 37 Mulcaster Street, Barrie — Thursday, October 15, 11am–noon — free babies & toddlers
Good to know: Registration required, max 16 participants; babies, toddlers and adults each count as one. The next date after this is Thursday, November 12.
🧱 LEGO Disney Stitch build — Staples Barrie, 36 Barrie View Drive, Barrie — Saturday, October 24, 10am–noon — free ages 5+
Good to know: Eventbrite registration; space is limited. 25-minute sessions every 30 minutes. Ages 5+; kids take their mini build home.
🧛 Movie Magic: Hotel Transylvania — Five Points Theatre, 1 Dunlop Street West, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 2:00–3:30pm — $7 children / $5 adults $ all ages
Good to know: Tickets through the City’s Ticketpro page: $7 children, $5 adults. Slime making before the movie; each child gets a small Halloween treat.
Halloween season is in full swing around here. I’ve loved watching the neighbourhood deck out their yards a little more every day. Hats off to the families hosting haunted houses. We’ll definitely be checking out one or two on the Halloween Haunts map.
Halloween’s more fun when the whole street knows what’s on, so pass this along to a neighbour.
Spot a wrong time or price? Tell me and I’ll fix it. This is my hand-picked short list, not every event in Barrie. In-the-know parents share what they find. Know an event or program I missed? Hit reply and tell me.
Next issue Wednesday.
See you out there,
— Shelley @ ActiveFam
PS. Our Halloween decorations still aren't out. Are yours? Consider this me publicly promising to fix that before next Wednesday.
