Nearly 60% of Canadians plan to take part in Halloween, with BC residents among the most enthusiastic

The Story

Nearly six in 10 Canadian adult residents say they plan to take part in Halloween in some way on Saturday night, according to a new Canada Pulse Insights poll.

In Toronto, 48 per cent of residents surveyed said they planned to give out treats or go out on Halloween night, the lowest share across the regions included in the poll and five percentage points lower than the previous year.

Surrey, B.C. recorded the highest participation intention at 65 per cent. Alberta followed closely, with 63 per cent in Calgary and 62 per cent in Edmonton saying they would participate.

In Vancouver and Metro Vancouver, the share of residents saying they will take part increased the most year over year, rising by 10 percentage points to 56 per cent in Vancouver and 59 per cent in Metro Vancouver.

Outside Toronto, 57 per cent of residents in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) excluding the city itself said they planned to dress up or go trick-or-treating.

The poll also found that parents with children under 18 reported the strongest Halloween participation, with between 76 and 85 per cent saying they would take part. Adults aged 18 to 34 were also more likely to participate, with figures between 65 and 79 per cent depending on the region.

The findings come from Canada Pulse Insights surveys of adult residents in three markets. Toronto (n=510) and the GTA outside Toronto (n=825) were surveyed between Sept. 14 and 25, 2026, while Calgary (n=401) and Edmonton (n=383) were surveyed between Sept. 30 and Oct. 9, 2026. Three British Columbia regions—Metro Vancouver (n=1,374: the City of Vancouver, Surrey and the rest of Metro Vancouver), Vancouver Island (n=511) and the Okanagan Valley (n=498)—were surveyed between Sept. 28 and Oct. 14, 2026. The surveys were conducted through an online panel platform managed by Sago.

For comparable probability-based random samples of the same sizes, the poll lists a margin of error of ±4.3 percentage points for Toronto, ±3.4 for the GTA outside Toronto, ±4.9 for Calgary, ±5.0 for Edmonton, ±2.6 for Metro Vancouver, ±4.3 for Vancouver Island and ±4.4 for the Okanagan Valley, 19 times out of 20.