From Toronto to Vancouver, this immersive experience invites guests to don their costumes, raise a glass, and summon a spirit (or two).
If your idea of Halloween involves more mezcal than monsters, the Black Lagoon pop-up bars might be your perfect haunt. What began as a goth-horror cocktail concept dreamed up by bartenders Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage has grown into a North American phenomenon — part theatre, part mixology, and entirely spooky.
Now returning to Canada for another season, Black Lagoon transforms ordinary bars into occult playgrounds draped in cobwebs, red light and rock-and-roll attitude. Each location features an original menu of fiendishly named cocktails — from Forever Midnight to Nocturna Colada — served by bartenders who look ready to headline a metal show.
At The Walrus Pub & Beer Hall, Toronto’s subterranean Black Lagoon kicks off the festivities with all the eerie trimmings: rubber severed heads dangling from the ceiling, a horror-film soundtrack (think Werewolves of London, Boris the Spider, and Thriller), and a crowd that embraces the dress-code suggestion: “Come as your spookiest self.”
“We’re expanding the Halloween experience,” says Jas Bowles, part of the Toronto team. Meanwhile, Bowles’ colleague Veronica Cox says bar visitors shouldn’t be nervous about ordering a Widow Maker, despite its foreboding name. “It was the only drink created for Black Lagoon that doesn’t have alcohol, she notes. “It sounds lethal, but it’s the one that’s going to spare you a hangover in the morning.”
A Cross-Canada Haunting
This year, Black Lagoon spreads its dark wings across the country. Here’s where you can raise the dead — or at least your glass:
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Toronto, ON – The Walrus Pub & Beer Hall (Oct 1 – Nov 2)
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Vancouver, BC – Butcher & Bullock (Oct 1 – Nov 2)
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Whistler, BC – The Raven Room (Oct 3 – Nov 2)
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Calgary, AB – Charlie’s Watch Repair (Oct 1 – Nov 1)
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Edmonton, AB – Dolly’s Cocktails (Oct 1 – Nov 2)
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Ottawa, ON – The Standard Tavern (Oct 13 – 31)
Each city adds its own flair, but the spirit remains the same: a celebration of horror culture through handcrafted drinks and immersive design.
