After 13 years of scares, ScreamFest is coming to an end.

The popular carnival of terror, set up every October at the Stampede grounds, has been a Halloween tradition for many.

But ScreamFest Owner Mike Sheppard said this year will be the final season.

“The economy is not great, so attendance is dropping, coupled with increasing costs. You know, labour for one, is our single biggest cost and with the (wage) increases over the past few years, it really starts eating away at any profit we could make,” he said.

Sheppard says they hire over 200 staff for the temporary event, and it’s simply run its course.

But he’s not getting out of the Halloween business.

“We are hoping to come up with something bigger, better and newer for next year,” Sheppard said.

“It’s in the early stages right now. We are hoping to have it flushed out and announce it during (the last) ScreamFest, and then we’re going to hopefully be able to do some sort of campaign, maybe Kickstarter or something to get the public involved from the beginning.”

The 13th and final season of ScreamFest will kick off October 5th.