The Night of Dread Festival runs from October 2nd to October 25th, 2025. On Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 we’ll have an Opening Event at the Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers’ Market . Throughout the month of October we’ll have lots of FREE Workshops available and Community Studio sessions that we encourage you to explore and attend. The festival will conclude with a park procession and Pageant on Saturday, October 25th in Dufferin Grove Park!

NOD will take place onsite at Dufferin Grove Park which is located at 875 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON, M6H 3K8.

Puppet Central is what we call the Dufferin Grove Rinkhouse during our NOD Festival residency for the month of October. It is located right off of Dufferin St. and on the northwest corner of the park beside the Dufferin Grove Park skating rinks.

Volunteers and Clay and Paper Theatre staff will be meeting at Puppet Central for most of our Festival activities. This is where C&P will host our Workshops and Community Studio sessions (for puppet building/repair and other hands-on activities) throughout October. This is also where you can purchase NOD 2025 T-shirts, or , as Volunteers, sign-out (for free) puppets (big and small) and character performer costumes and masks during the final Pageant evening on October 25th, 2025.

For more NOD specific park locations please check back on October 2nd when our our NOD park map will be made available.

We’re always looking for folks to join us for Saturday, October 25th as Volunteers. There are plenty of roles available including: Event Assistants, Park Guides, Fear Puppeteers, Character Performers, or Scenario Performers.

If you’re wanting to get involved on the production side of Night of Dread, keep an eye out for Community Studio sessions! We ask community members to join us during open studio sessions to help create the images that’ll dance through Dufferin Grove Park!

If you’re interested in getting involved, send an email to volunteer.clayandpaper@gmail.com

When you come to Puppet Central for the final Pageant event on Saturday, October 25th, we recommend that you avoid bringing valuables (money, credit cards, photography equipment, as some examples). While we can store items in the Clay and Paper Theatre storage area, the space will not be continuously monitored. To mitigate any risk, we advise Volunteers against bringing any non-essential valuables with them.

Yes, the final Night of Dread Pageant evening is a rain-or-shine event. In 25 years we have NEVER cancelled a Pageant.

Hosting an outdoor event at this time of year comes with its ups and downs, and is often unpredictable. The weather could be sunny, balmy, rainy, windy, and/or cold. So, to stay comfortable, particularly in the cooler temperatures, please consider the following...

• Wear thick socks, and bring extras!

• Wear a waterproof/resistant windbreaker!

• Bring an umbrella. Those small, retractable pocket sized ones will do the trick!

• Layer, layer, layer (undershirt, long sleeves, sweater)!

• Be SUUUPER Canadian and get y'ur toque on (plus gloves and a scarf), eh!

• Bring a travel mug or a thermos – hot drinks are your best friend (like a hug from inside).

• Bring some small snacks to keep y’urself powered through this Dreadful Night!

• Dance (blood flow and cardio exercise)!

Black and white and dreadful!

The Night of Dread Pageant on October 25th, 2025, is a non-ticketed pay-what-you-can event with a suggested donation of $20. No one will be refused entry to Night of Dread; however, it is important to note that donations are CRUCIAL to Clay and Paper Theatre and help to ensure that Night of Dread can continue to offer all of our Workshop and Community Studio activities FREE to the public, while paying local artists, performers and Clay and Paper Theatre staff for their outstanding NOD work.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Clay and Paper Theatre is a very small arts organization with no ‘fundraising team’, unlike venued and bigger Toronto theatre companies that 1) rely on ticket sales and 2) have fundraising and development staff. This is why we are quite direct in our appeal for funds.

On the Pageant evening you can donate in CASH - just look for a Night of Dread Money Catcher (carrying a big black NOD donation box or black top hat). You can also donate on-site using one of our SQUARE READERS or you can donate through our secured CANADA HELPS website. As always, we are so grateful for your generosity and supporting your local arts organization.

There are plenty of ways that you can support Clay and Paper Theatre to ensure the Night of Dread Festival and its many rituals keep inspiring the community. You can make an online donation through our secured site at Canada Helps. Of course, if you can’t afford to donate right now, helping to spread the word about Night of Dread by sharing posts to your social media is always a HUGE help too and is greatly appreciated!

Following us on social media is the best way to get all the information you’ll need about the Night of Dread Festival and the final Pageant evening. You can find us on:

Instagram – @clay.paper.theatre https://www.instagram.com/clay.paper.theatre

Facebook – Clay and Paper Theatre https://www.facebook.com/clayandpaper/

Threads – @clay.paper.theatre https://www.threads.net/@clay.paper.theatre

We #luv being tagged and seeing your stories and shares of this much-loved, family-friendly, all-inclusive, community event. Twenty-six years strong! Spread the Dread!

#NightofDread #TorontoArts #PuppetsOfInstagram #NOD2025 #Davenport #DufferinGrovePark #ClayandPaperTheatre #ArtsInTheParksTO #FearOfTheYear

At the time of publishing this 2025 Night of Dread FAQ, Dufferin Grove Park has been the home to many houseless people living in tents. These folks are our neighbours. We ask that you respect their spaces, especially during the final pageant evening of Saturday, October 25th. That means: do not explore the encampment area by walking close to residents’ tents. That can be frightening and unnerving to people inside a tent to hear footsteps so close to where they may be lying down and trying to rest.

Most of the tents are set up on the east side of the park and for that reason we will not be animating that side of the park. We will continue to do outreach to our park neighbours so that they are also informed about the Night of Dread schedule and any changes.

If you would like to help Dufferin Grove Park encampment folks more directly, we encourage you to reach out to The Ripple Community Collective who, for the last year, have been been preparing and offering free, hot meals and clothing and supply drives for the Dufferin Grove Encampment Community.