A spooky Halloween bash is set to take over the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood next week for a beastly two-day event that promises to bring out a few ghastly ghouls and sexy skeletons.The annual event is slated to transform a parking lot at the intersection of Church and Maitland Streets into a witches-brew beer garden.The party kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday and runs until midnight with a mega stage show that will feature drag performances from local queens Sofanda Cox, Boa, Ari Darlin, Georgina Hudson, Jayjay Kings and a few more.Organizers are also promising a Michael Jackson thriller performance and a tribute dedicated to beloved gay icon, Dolly Parton.Then on Saturday, six blocks of Church Street will be closed from the north end of the road at Gloucester Street to Carleton Street starting at 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Sunday.The street festival, which organizers claim began in the 1960s, has long-been a significant tradition for the area’s LGBTQ2S+ community and local businesses, attracting tens of thousands of attendees in recent years.The two-day event is estimated to cost more than $100,000 with the bulk of the funds going towards security and paid-duty police officers. Expenses for the event are paid by the Church Wellesley Business Improvement Association, with a $32,000 donation from the City of Toronto.“The city is supporting us with a donation this year, but we have to pay all the costs,” Jaret Sereda, executive director of the Church-Wellesley BIA told CityNews. “Halloween on Church was not created by the BIA, but it’s a tradition that’s been happening for over 30 years.”“It started back in the 60s, and it’s grown exponentially to what it is now,” he explained. “It started with men wanting to dress up in drag at a time when it was illegal to do so.”“The times have changed, and although we still have a long way to go, Halloween is all about dressing up and having fun, joining the community and embracing each other,” he added.In support of the event, the BIA also took the extra step to apply for liquor licence extensions on behalf of a dozen local bars and restaurants that will be open and serving alcohol until 4 a.m. on Oct. 30 and 31. The list includes: Crews and Tangos, O’Graddy’s, Flash on Church, Church St. Garage, Black Eagle, Bunker and a few more.“This is an annual tradition that’s great for all the businesses,” Sereda said. “Local businesses rely on events such as Pride and Halloween to sustain them throughout the year, so these events are so vitally important.”This is the second year that the festival has held a two-day event and the second year having last call extended until 4 a.m.Legendary Toronto drag queen Sofonda Cox is slated to perform at the Church Street festival on Friday and Saturday night, and will appear at multiple bars throughout The Village, as well as a circuit party hosted by Prism Events.She told CityNews that she’s preparing six different costumes for the weekend and will elicit the help of four people to bring it all together.“Last year I was Elphaba from Wicked, and it was awesome, so the pressure is on to do something bigger this year,” she explained. “I’ve been thinking about a few different characters like She-wolf, Annabelle, Marie Antoinette.”“I won’t give too much away, but I’m dabbling in all of those characters this year,” she added. “Rest assured it will be grand. It will be a production.”For more information about Halloween on Church click here.