The meticulous planning behind the scenes of a beloved Toronto Halloween party

By Shreya Basu

With Halloween upon us, Storm Crow Manor is preparing for its famous annual Halloween haunted house. 

Since their opening in 2018 in the heart of Toronto’s gay village, Storm Crow Manor has quickly become a favourite among Church Street locals. Self-described as Canada’s nerdiest bar, Storm Crow Manor embraces subcultures and fandoms of all kinds — whether it’s science fiction, fantasy or horror.

They are famous for pulling out all the stops for fans and this year is no different. 

“I didn’t want to play too much into the scary part of it,”  said guest experience manager Eden Garreton. “I wanted to let the building speak. The manor itself is the decor. Why fight what we have going naturally for us?” 

Rather than a traditional haunted house, according to Garreton, this year’s event is built as a “Halloween house party,” with a mix of games, DJs and activities spread across each floor. 

The goal is to expand the audience beyond the bar’s prized nerdy patronage. 

“I’d heard of this place before but had never been,” said Garreton about her first impressions of the establishment. “When I got here, I was like, oh, this is really cool, but it’s so niche. It’s marketed as Toronto’s premier nerd bar, which it is, [but] there’s more to it than that.”

“We really have a cult following,” said Storm Crow Manor’s marketing specialist, Akash Katyal. “The people are so loyal. They keep an eye on whatever we do.”

This year, according to Katyal, the establishment experimented with a tiered ticket system after noticing feedback about pricing from past events. They offered two different pricing options — general admission and premium, the former giving access to the ground floor of the Manor, with the latter offering all access to the event. 

“I always want to give our audience the first preference,” said Katyal. “So that’s what I did this time as well, with an early bird discount through emails.”

To reach beyond their regular crowd, Katyal also partnered with local promoters like Always Creating Experiences to bring in new DJs and invite a new audience. Despite expanding their capacity to over 300 tickets, the event sold out weeks ahead. 

“It’s the biggest event we’ve ever thrown,” he said.

Bar manager Gregory Lee crafted a cocktail list this year that feels as theatrical as the decor on the ground floor of the Manor. 

“We’re working with our liquor partners to showcase their brands,” he explained, referring to collaborations with Sazerac, Corby Spirit and Wine Limited and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

The Halloween menu, with its seven cocktails, doubles as a soft launch for the winter drinks list. 

Lee’s favourite is a peach-ginger hot honey margarita, layered with smoky black tea lapsang souchong, to resemble a grilled peach.

According to Garreton, working “backwards from budget” was new for her, while Katyal talked about the effort it took to keep admission prices reasonable for both their loyal fanbase as well as newcomers. However, both agree it’s worth it once the doors open.

“No challenge is not worth it,” said Garreton. “Especially if it’s something that you think is going to be worthwhile and I think this party will be.”