Toronto’s most epic Halloween party is back and it’s already embroiled in controversy

The most-anticipated Halloween party of the year returns to Toronto this month, but this time around, it’s also bringing some major baggage.

One of the greatest parts of Halloween is the fact that you can spend it however you want; scantily clad in a sweaty club dancing with some guy dressed as a Teletubby? Sure thing. Hiding out from Trick-or-Treaters with our lights off and curtains drawn? You do you!

If you’re hoping to spend the night partying on the streets of Toronto with a crew several thousand strong all dressed in some of the most outrageous, daring and opulent costumes you’ve ever seen, however, Halloween on Church is your ticket.

In a manner of speaking, of course, because the event is completely free and open to the public: no ticket required.

A tradition dating back as early as the 60s or 70s, what began as a celebration of the holiday where the neighbourhood’s largely 2SLGBTQ+ population could express themselves freely has now become one of the biggest public street parties of the year in Toronto.

Each year (at least for the last 30 years or so), the stretch of Church Street between Wood and Gloucester is closed to traffic, allowing festively-dressed pedestrians to dance in the street, flitting around neighbourhood staples like Woody’s, Crews & Tangos and Pegasus Bar, as well as local institutions like Glad Day Bookshop and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.

This year will be no exception, with the festivities set to start at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31 and continue far into the wee hours on Nov. 1 — but there’s a little bit of drama that goes beyond the typical theatrical flair of Halloween surrounding the event this year.

According to an anonymous tip sent in to blogTO, the Church-Wellesley Village BIA has gotten itself into hot water with members of the community after allegedly using AI-generated images for promotional materials advertising this year’s event, rather than paying local artists or businesses to do the job.

The Facebook post that sparked controversy, allegedly using an AI-generated image.

The BIA has since turned off commenting on the Facebook post, but before they could do that, the anonymous tipster was able to snap a few screenshots of disappointed community members voicing their opinions on the decision to use AI.

Community members voice their opinions in the comments of the Facebook post.

“Wow… I can’t believe the BIA decided to use AI-generated art to promote this instead of supporting a local queer artist,” one person commented on the post. “Shameful.”

To that comment, another neighbour points out that an eralier comment condemning the BIA’s use of AI was allegedly deleted before the comments on the post were disabled entirely.

“Beyond using AI like this (which is so unnecessary), doubling down and silencing community is absolutely inappropriate,” they say.

At the time of publication, the Church-Wellesley BIA has neither publically responded to the community’s critiques nor responded to blogTO’s request for comment on the situation.

As the use of AI in everything from advertisements to movies becomes increasingly commonplace, so, too, do conflicting opinions about how and for what purpose AI is used.

Earlier this year, the City of Toronto passed a motion granting employment rights to AI, while Seneca College plans to begin using AI tools in the classroom to teach students, both yielding mixed responses from the public — debates which only seem to be continually heating up as developments progress.

While it may very well be too late for the Church-Wellesley Village BIA to retroactively pay a community-based artist to create promotional materials, this is just another example of new precedents being set in Toronto — and beyond — for AI use moving forward.