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Quick answer: for a Toronto Halloween rave, wear a costume you can dance in for five hours on concrete, with shoes you can stand in and a layer for the walk home. Late-October nights here are often in single digits by 3 AM. Costumes are recommended at the Halloween Special on October 30 in the Junction, and there's a photo booth to prove you made the effort.
Four rules for a dance-floor costume
- Nothing covers your face at the door. Staff will compare your face to your ID. Bring the mask, but put it on after you're in.
- Nothing wider than your shoulders. Wings, big hats and inflatables get crushed in a packed room. Room 2 at the Halloween Special holds 200 people.
- Leave realistic prop weapons at home. Venues commonly turn them away at the door, and they're a pain to carry all night anyway.
- Plan for the heat inside and the cold outside. A warehouse full of people gets hot fast. October in Toronto averages a low of about 7°C, and it's colder by month's end.
Ten costume ideas that work at a rave
Easy to dance in
- Skeleton bodysuit. Light, stretchy, and it reads from across the room. Add face paint instead of a mask.
- Boiler suit character. Ghostbuster, mechanic, slasher-movie janitor. Coveralls have pockets for your phone and ID.
- Vampire in a suit. A black suit you already own, fake fangs and some stage blood. The jacket doubles as your outer layer.
- 80s aerobics instructor. Built for sweating, and very on theme for a house party.
- Witch with a short cape. Skip the floor-length robe; someone will stand on it.
Made for the photo booth
- Group costume. Three Toronto crews host the Halloween Special, so bring your own: a band, a sports team, the Spice Girls.
- Glow-in-the-dark details. Glow paint, light-up glasses or LED trim show up on a dark dance floor and in photos.
- A Toronto in-joke. A raccoon is the classic, and a cardboard TTC "Line 2 delays" sign costs nothing.
- Disco ghost. A white sheet cut into a fitted top, plus mirrored sunglasses. Fits Kiinjo's disco-leaning room.
- Matching DJ duo. Two of you in the same outfit, in tribute to Room 1's double headline.
Shoes and the walk
From Dundas West station it's about 15 minutes on foot to Mooi Space at 75 Pelham Ave, and you'll be standing on concrete floors once you're in. Wear broken-in sneakers or boots. Leave the platform heels for a night that ends at midnight.
What to do with your coat
Coat check hasn't been announced for the Halloween Special, so plan as if there isn't one. Pick a costume with a light layer built in (a jacket, a cape, a hoodie under the coveralls) or one you can tie around your waist. At 3 AM you'll want it while you wait for a ride.
Doing it cheaply
Toronto's thrift shops on Queen West and in Kensington Market are the easy start for a costume that doesn't come in a bag. Pair a thrifted base with face paint and you're done for well under the price of a packaged costume. Our cheap Halloween parties guide covers saving on the night itself.
