Photo: Ernest Iliiasov, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
In this issue: Sign-Up Radar · PA Day & school break tracker · This week · Halloween Saturday · Coming up · Ongoing · Local Good News
Good morning, In-the-Know Parents! 🎃
It’s Halloween week, and we’re waiting until the last minute to buy candy because we have no self-control! 😂 One of my teens has a hockey game on Halloween night and the other is planning to go to a party, but I’m hoping I can convince them to join me for one of the daytime activities in the FYIFam Halloween Guide.
And don’t forget, the clocks go back Sunday, so yay for an extra hour of sleep!
If you only do one thing: grab Saturday's tickets now, Spooky Strides on Eventbrite and Movie Magic on Ticketpro.
Be the one in the group chat who knew first. Copy this and share it:
Halloween is Saturday. There’s a whole list of fun Halloween activities happening locally: https://www.fyifam.com/p/barrie-halloween-guide-2026 (I read it on FYIFam)
Shelley's picks
Little kids: Night at the BOO-seum
Sign-Up Radar
Sign-ups to put in your calendar now, closing soonest first.
🎃 "Haunted Hangout" Youth Holiday Party (City of Barrie) — Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Ave, Barrie — Friday, October 30, 4:30–7:30pm — free ages 11–20
Good to know: A City inclusion party for youth of all abilities. A sensory-aware space with a 5:1 participant-to-staff ratio. Limited spots, registration required. Search program #136543 on play.barrie.ca.
🤸 Nova Gymnastics Academy classes and PA-day camps — Nova Gymnastics Academy, 110 Anne St. South, Unit 17, Barrie — registration open now: Winter 1 session November 3 to December 21, and PA-day camps on November 20, January 29, April 30 and June 4 — Prices vary all ages
Good to know: Winter 2 (January 2 to February 26) priority registration opens November 19. The public open date isn't posted yet.
🏐 Barrie Spikes Volleyball Skills Blocks — Wednesdays at Algonquin Ridge School, Barrie; Mondays at Holly Meadows School, Barrie — registration open now for Block 2: Wednesdays November 4 to December 16 (grades 1–3, 6–7pm; grades 4–6, 7–8pm; grades 7+, 8–9pm), Mondays November 9 to December 14 (grades 4–6 and 7+, 6:45–7:45pm) — $100 per block $$ grades 1–7+
Good to know: Six-week blocks. No online sign-up: download the form from the Skills page, email it to [email protected] and pay by e-transfer.
My daughter did Spikes blocks and house league. She learned a lot, and it was a great starting point for her.
✏️ Cartoon Camp: Turn Your Pet Into a Character (PA day) — Upchuckle Education, Suite 135, 80 Bradford St, Barrie — Friday, November 20, 10am–4pm — from $89 $$ ages 8–13
Good to know: Seats are limited. All materials and a pizza lunch included. Optional extended-hours program. Sibling discount: 10% off your 2nd seat (applies automatically at checkout). Learn directly from a 25+ award-winning pro animator, designer, director and educator.
🦃 "Friendsgiving Social" Youth Holiday Party (City of Barrie) — Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Ave, Barrie — Friday, November 20, 4:30–7:30pm — free ages 11–20
Good to know: A City inclusion holiday party for youth of all abilities, with hands-on crafts and activities in a sensory-aware space. Registration required. Search program #136544 on play.barrie.ca.
❄️ City of Barrie Winter Break Camps — East Bayfield Community Centre, 80 Livingstone St. E, Barrie, and Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Ave, Barrie — registration open now for one-day camps on December 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 — $35 a day $$ ages 4–12
Good to know: Day camps are ages 6–12, 8:30am–4pm at East Bayfield and 8:30am–noon at Peggy Hill. Kinderfun for ages 4–5 runs 8:30am–4pm at both centres. Register on play.barrie.ca under the season "2026-27 Holidays & PA Days."
🖍️ Kaleidoscoppe Winter Camp — Kaleidoscoppe, 11 King St, Barrie — registration open now: Week 1 Monday to Wednesday, December 21–23, and Week 2 Monday to Wednesday, December 28–30, 9am–4pm — $285 per week $$ ages 4–10
Good to know: $545 for both weeks, no HST. Extended care 8am–5pm. Spots are limited, with a waitlist if it sells out. Register in the online store or at 705-503-7529.
Full sign-up list: more camps, classes and registrations, including winter and summer 2027 sign-ups, are coming Sun Nov 1 in the FYIFam Sign-Up Guide (free for subscribers: just enter your email).
PA Day & school break tracker
🏫 Fri Nov 20 — PA day — SCDSB and SMCDSB, elementary and secondary.
🏫 Fri Nov 27 — PA day — Viamonde and MonAvenir only.
Reminder: Wed, Nov 11 (Remembrance Day) is a regular school day.
This week
🏛️ Night at the BOO-seum (Simcoe County Museum) — Simcoe County Museum, 1151 Highway 26, Minesing, Springwater — Wednesday, October 28 to Friday, October 30, 6–8:30pm — $5–$10 $ all ages out of town
Good to know: Adults $10, seniors and youth $8, children $5; preschoolers and museum members get in free. Most activities are outdoors, so dress for the weather and come in costume. Not too scary: kids can practise trick-or-treating, try a straw bale maze and take a not-so-spooky tour.
🌙 Bedtime Tales (Barrie Public Library) — BPL Holly Branch, 555 Essa Road, Barrie — Wednesday, October 28, 7–7:30pm — free under 5
Good to know: An evening storytime, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
🎃 Pumpkin Walk (Town of Innisfil) — Innisfil Beach Park, 676 Innisfil Beach Road, Innisfil — Sunday, November 1, 5–8pm — free all ages out of town
Good to know: A place to bring your pumpkin after Halloween. Drop off carved or painted pumpkins from 11am on November 1, and they're lit with battery-operated lights from 5pm. Afterwards, local farmers pick them up for livestock feed or compost.
🕐 Heads-up: clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday, November 1.
Halloween Saturday
Three picks for Saturday, October 31, plus an indoor backup if the weather turns.
Every Halloween event on our list is in the FYIFam Halloween Guide 2026.
👟 Spooky Strides Fun Run: The Sequel (Happy Strides Run Club) — Arboretum Sunnidale Park, 265 Sunnidale Road, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 11am–1pm — free all ages
Good to know: Grab a ticket on Eventbrite first. Doors open at 10:45am. Run, walk or jog in costume, with prizes, goodie bags and treats.
🦇 Movie Magic: Hotel Transylvania (City of Barrie) — Five Points Theatre, 1 Dunlop Street West, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 2–3:30pm — $5–$7 $ all ages
Good to know: $7 children, $5 adults. Buy tickets ahead on Ticketpro. Slime making comes before the movie, every child gets a treat, and the film is rated PG.
🏚️ Barrie Halloween Haunt & Maze (The Scream Team on Gore) — private front yards, 126 & 127 Gore Drive, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, from dusk — free all ages
Good to know: "NO BOO" glow sticks let younger kids opt out of the scares, so teens and little siblings can go together. The bottom of Gore Drive is closed, so park in the Summerset parking lanes, at Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School or at Ferndale Park (entrance at Nicholson & Summerset) and walk. Donations to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Barrie Food Bank are welcome, not required.
🃏 Cardboardicon (Cardboard Addictions) — RioCan Georgian Mall, 509 Bayfield St, Barrie — Saturday, October 31, 9:30am–6pm — free all ages
Good to know: Your indoor rainy-day backup. 50+ vendor tables (Pokémon and One Piece trading card games, anime), costume raffles, and candy and pack giveaways for trick-or-treaters. Barrie Food Bank drop-off on site.
🗺️ 2026 Barrie Halloween Haunts — map of local haunted yards
Coming up
🎨 MacLaren Family Sundays: Cup of Hot Chocolate — MacLaren Art Centre (PIE Education Centre), 37 Mulcaster Street, Barrie — Sunday, November 1 and Sunday, November 8, 1–2pm or 2:30–3:30pm — $5 $ all ages
Good to know: Free for members. Sign up that day at the front desk, first-come. Max 25 per workshop, adults included.
🎅 Santa's Holiday Workshop at Horseshoe Valley Holiday Weekend — Horseshoe Valley Resort, 1101 Horseshoe Valley Road West, Oro-Medonte — Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, 11am–3pm — free all ages out of town
Good to know: No registration needed. Kids craft and "bake" treats with Santa, and there's a photo zone with Santa. Cash donations to Gift-a-Family are welcome.
🎮 PHTCC Youth Centre drop-in (City of Barrie) — Peggy Hill Team Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Ave, Barrie — Mondays and Thursdays 3:30–7:30pm, Saturdays 3:30–8:30pm (Mondays to Dec 7, Thursdays to Dec 10, Saturdays to Dec 5) — free ages 11–17
Good to know: Just drop in. There's a games room, lounge, kitchen and computer, plus a drop-in gym on Saturdays, 7–8pm.
Local Good News
Maple Ridge Secondary School's Grade 12 leadership class (34 students) raised more than $2,000 on its own for the school's October 2 Terry Fox Run. That helped the five-year-old school in south-east Barrie nearly double last year's total of about $3,400, according to their teacher.
That's the week. I'm still working on getting my two to join me for a daytime Halloween activity. Hope your Halloween is magical and you can enjoy the extra hour of sleep on Sunday (if the kids let you).
Know a parent who's already thinking about winter camps? Forward this to them. The FYIFam Sign-Up Guide, with more camps, classes and registrations, is coming Sun Nov 1 just for the In-the-Know Parents (like you!). https://www.fyifam.com/subscribe
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 @ FYIFam
PS. I heard Mount St. Louis Moonstone got cold enough to start its snow makers overnight last week. Is anyone planning to hit the hills this winter?
