A Leaf Pile at the UBC Apple Festival

There is so much to do in autumn in Vancouver including Thanksgiving, Halloween, Remembrance Day and outdoor activities, plus fall festivals to check out.

There are beautiful autumn colours everywhere. Plus, late November marks the start of the Christmas Craft Fair season!

Something else that’s exciting and in the Lower Mainland in the autumn is Circo Osorio! The Las Vegas-based circus visited Abbotsford, Surrey, Tsawwassen, Richmond and Coquitlam between September 7th and October 30th in 2023. The circus offers great value for your money, especially as up to two children can see the shows for free with each paying adult.

What to do in Vancouver in Autumn

Below is a list of top Lower Mainland activities to do in the fall, as well as a calendar list of special fall events.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES AT WILDPLAY

A great place to enjoy the autumn colours is in Maple Ridge at WildPlay Element Park. It’s where you’ll find some of the Lower Mainland’s best ropes courses. They have axe throwing opportunities and ziplining too!

See our article about WildPlay Maple Ridge to learn more about the attraction.

Exploring Autumn Colours

Walking, jogging and cycling: Some of the best places to enjoy the fall colours outdoors include city parks like Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park and Deer Lake Park, and along waterfront pathways that are great for walks and cycling, like around Coal Harbour, Point Grey, False Creek, Steveston Village, Ambleside and Fort Langley. There are lots of other great parks and places in nature to enjoy the beauty of autumn too. Click Vancouver’s Best Places in Autumn for more details.
Golf: When it’s not raining, and before the rainy season really hits, and hard, some of the best places to enjoy fall colours are on the greens at Vancouver’s Best Golf Courses.
Fishing and salmon runs: Autumn is when the lakes get restocked with fish and the salmon begin their treks up rivers to spawn. The Capilano River Hatchery in North Vancouver is a great place to see the salmon up close while admiring fall colours in the area. Good fresh water fishing can be found in lakes and rivers throughout the Lower Mainland, from the Sea to Sky region to the Fraser Valley.
Wine tours: The best time to visit local vineyards and wineries is between late August and early October. That’s when the grapes are being harvested and the crushing begins, so there’s a lot to see (as well as sample). For information, check out Lower Mainland Wineries.

Indoors & Out of the Rain

Yes, autumn is the start of rainy season in the Lower Mainland. When the weather is good most folks like to take advantage of the sunshine while they can. On the increasingly frequent days when it’s raining, however, good things to check out are Vancouver’s best indoor activities.

Fall Festivals & Events

Summer is Vancouver’s peak festival season, but there are also some great festivals and special events in the fall. These include the specifically fall-themed events below. For a more complete list of festivals taking place in autumn, check out the Festivals and Events Calendar.

Lower Mainland in SEPTEMBER

Polish Festival Vancouver – a cultural event with music, food and entertainment at the Shipyards in North Vancouver (in early September).
Terry Fox Run – annual early fall fundraising runs to benefit cancer research throughout the Lower Mainland on a Sunday in mid-September.
Riverfest – a free family-friendly event put on by the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster in mid- to late September.

For more ideas on things to do in September, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ September Calendar.

Halloween Candy Sign at VanDusen Garden

Lower Mainland in OCTOBER

Thanksgiving – the holiday weekend near the beginning of the month.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a community festival celebrating cranberry harvest season in Fort Langley on the Thanksgiving weekend.
Vancouver Halloween events at various locations.
Apple Festival – a fundraising festival at the UBC Botanical Garden in mid-October.
FlyOver Canada at Halloween – Vancouver’s multi-dimensional theatre attraction at Canada Place has a Halloween theme in October.
Oktoberfest – a number of beer-themed events take place at various venues most years.
Lower Mainland Pumpkin Patches – pumpkins and family-friendly activities at farms around the Lower Mainland including Peteys Pumpkin Patch in Chilliwack.
Lower Mainland Corn Mazes – fields of corn you have to find your way out of. Some are fun and for little kids, like the one at Peteys Pumpkin Patch in the Fraser Valley. Others are scary, Halloween haunted house-like and for older folks, like Reapers Maze of Terror.

For more ideas on things to do in October, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ October Calendar.

Eagle on a Piling — An eagle on the Harrison River

Lower Mainland in NOVEMBER

Black Friday marks the start of the Black Friday shopping sales season.
Chutzpah Festival – the Jewish performing arts festival runs for most of November.
Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Week – a series of beer-related events in North Vancouver around the first half of November.
Christmas Craft fairs – the first ones start in early November and they run until the middle of December. One of the biggest and fanciest is the Circle Craft Market around the Remembrance Day weekend.
Remembrance Day – a statutory holiday on November 11th.

For more ideas on things to do in November, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ November Calendar.