Monster Fest
An international festival focused on the construction of monsters and monstrosity.Oct. 28-31, 2025
Join us in beautiful Halifax for Monster Fest, a four-day exploration of the cultural, historical, and political significance of monstrosity. Our internationally renowned speakers invite you to conduct monstrous examinations through diverse lenses, including gender, race, sexuality, ability, religion, and Indigeneity.
Highlights
- Horror Trivia Night (October 28, 2025)
- Academic panels and film screenings
- A "grotesque" themed art installation
- A monster building workshop
- Coven/Community Breakfast (October 31, 2025)
PLUS don't miss the Monster Ball! The conference will culminate on Halloween night with a "horrific" costume celebration featuring theatrical set design and a drag artist DJ!
Monster Fest’s accessible events will encourage dialogues that engage monstrosity as a site through which to reveal, challenge, and subvert cultural norms and power structures.
The conference brings scholars, students, artists, and community members together to collapse traditional boundaries between their specific spheres. Together, we will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and promote diverse forms of knowledge creation and mobilization.
Partnerships
Our festival is modelled after and created in partnership with the Festival of Monsters at the University of California, Santa Cruz. We are also proud to be supported by myriad local partners, including Halifax Public Libraries, Hellifax Horror Fest, SMU Alumni, The Halifax Ghost Walk, and the Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery.