Thousands visit Safari Niagara’s first weekend of Boo at the Zoo

Safari Niagara’s Boo at the Zoo wrapped up its first of two weekends after drawing thousands of visitors and more than 100 vendors to Stevensville Road.

The event ran October 4 and 5 with kids trick-or-treating from booth to booth while parents browsed the local goods and services.

Safari Niagara expanded the annual Halloween tradition to two weekends after previous crowds “overwhelmed” the park during the Thanksgiving weekend. Attendance on Saturday stayed steady from morning to late afternoon.

“This was our pilot weekend for the second weekend,” said Taryn Hipkiss, general manager at Safari Niagara.

“We’ve had an overwhelming response, just as busy as Thanksgiving weekend,” she told Fort Erie Radio at the event on Saturday.

Hipkiss said vendors were grouped near the front of the park this year to make walking easier for families with small children. Guests entered through a tunnel into the amphitheatre, where about 40 vendors surrounded picnic tables before the path continued through Birds of Prey, the Adventure Zone, and the fairgrounds.

A free hayride looped the back of the park, and several animal viewing areas stayed open for the event, but all attractions except the carousel were closed and trams were not operating.

Children aged 12 and under in costume were admitted for $5, while adult tickets cost $19.95. Members entered for free.

Visitors were encouraged to bring food donations, which were collected at the gate for Niagara food banks including COPE and St. Vincent de Paul in Fort Erie.

8Trees Inc., a Niagara-based conservation group, used its booth to sell merchandise and share information about its workshops, biology camps, research, and outreach focused on shoreline ecosystems, including Fort Erie’s endangered Fowler’s toad.

“You know you have a good beach if you have Fowler’s toads and they can’t go anywhere else,” said Anne Yagi, founder of 8Trees.

Katherine Yagi, research associate with 8Trees and Anne’s daughter, told Fort Erie Radio the Boo at the Zoo event gave their cause “great exposure” and drew steady interest about local conservation.

Bungin Foods offered honey, jams, nut butters, sauces, and candy apples made from its farms in Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, and Brantford.

Ethan Surman, co-founder, told Fort Erie Radio the event felt close to home, with their Niagara Falls farm so near to Safari Niagara that they can hear the monkeys in winter.

“It’s a chance for people to see what’s actually close by and local,” said Surman.

Another booth featured Annelid Press from Richmond Hill, run by author and publisher Allison McWood and her 10-year-old daughter, Rosie Amazing, who has published more than 50 children’s books since the age of four.

“This is our first time here, and it’s going great,” said McWood, who has been touring Ontario with her daughter in search of kid-friendly events to share their stories with families.

Boo at the Zoo continues October 10 to 12, with the zoo closed on Thanksgiving Monday. Full details and food drive information are available on Safari Niagara’s website.

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