Vancouver Halloween Events

Halloween activities take place in Vancouver in October including haunted houses, trick-or-treating, costume parties, tours and other events.

There are activities appropriate for children of all ages, and other events just for adults.

This article includes a list of the following types of Halloween and autumn-themed events:

Click any of the above links to jump to a specific kind of event, or continue reading to learn all about the Lower Mainland’s various Halloween-themed events and attractions.

Halloween in Vancouver

Halloween highlights in the Lower Mainland include especially frightening things like haunted houses, but also other great fun stuff like dressing up at work and trick-or-treating with children around the neighbourhood.

Note: 2020 wasn’t a typical year for Halloween activities due to COVID-19. Some events were still happening, but not everything. And those activities that were running were different.

In this article we list events that are still happening as well as ones that have been cancelled. Of those that still plan to go ahead, things may change. Consequently, see official websites for the most up-to-date status of events before heading out to visit them!

Events that were still scheduled to take place in 2020 included the following:

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – spooky walking tours for adults and older youth in downtown Vancouver.
Vancouver Mystery Nights – outdoor adventure games in the streets of downtown Vancouver.
Maan Farms Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze – family-friendly activities at a farm in Abbotsford from September 25th until October 31st.
Haunted Corn Maze – a scary Halloween attraction for older youth at Maan Farms.
Halloween at FlyOver Canada – a family-friendly multidimensional film about Canada with a Halloween theme at Canada Place from October 1st until the 31st.
Slayland and the Taste of the PNE Trick & Treat Drive-Thru – rides and Halloween fun at Playland from October 9th until the 31st as well as a trick-or-treating drive-thru event on October 29th, 30th and 31st at the PNE.
Reaper’s Maze of Terror – a Halloween attraction for fright seekers in Chilliwack between October 9th and 31st.
Brinkworth Dungeon – an exceptional haunted house in Langley during the last week or two of October.
Halloween Spooktacular – child-friendly Halloween activities at Britannia Mine on October 24th, 25th and 31st.
Pumpkin Patches – pumpkins and child-friendly autumn activities at various farms throughout the Lower Mainland.

Whatever you do this Halloween, have fun, but remember to be responsible and stay safe!

Ongoing Haunted and Autumn-themed Attractions

Metro Vancouver is home to numerous Halloween and autumn-themed attractions that run for multiple days leading up to Halloween. Below are some of the main ones.

Maan Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze – family-friendly activities at a farm in Abbotsford. This venue has scary corn maze activities as well.
Maan Farms Haunted Corn Maze – a terrifically frightening haunted attraction also takes place at Maan Farms.
FlyOver Canada at Halloween – the popular multi-dimensional theatre attraction at Canada Place gets decorated and its shows have a Halloween theme. In 2020 it runs daily from October 1st until the 31st. The shows are a great way to learn about and experience Canada while celebrating the Halloween season. (The Halloween-themed shows are happening in 2020.)
Mystery Nights – groups of two to six players can try their luck at solving a cold-case murder investigation in the streets of Gastown. Alternatively, participants can be secret agents with their friends and go on a mission. Games take place outdoors every evening in October.
- To learn more about our experience in their game about secret agents, see our article about Secret Mission with Vancouver Mysteries.
Slayland – a new Halloween attraction at the PNE. It includes spooky decorations and about 20 of Playland’s rides.
Halloween Spooktacular – Halloween activities usually take place at Britannia Mine between West Vancouver and Squamish on the last weekend or two in October. 2020 dates are October 24th and 25th as well as October 31st.
Fright Nights – Playland’s annual Halloween celebrations take place most years at the PNE grounds at 2901 East Hastings Street and feature half a dozen haunted houses and over a dozen rides. The haunted houses will NOT be running in 2020. Instead of Fright Nights, in 2020 the PNE is hosting Slayland which has rides and Halloween decorations, but no haunted houses.
Reaper’s Maze of Terror – a haunted Halloween attraction at night at Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack. The event runs on select dates between October 9th and the 31st. Admission costs $15.
Brinkworth Dungeon – a haunted house where most of the scenes are built by hand in Langley. It’s scheduled to run from October 17th until the 31st.

Other Halloween events that usually take place in Metro Vancouver but were CANCELLED in 2020 due to COVID-19 are as follows:

Potter’s House of Horrors – two exceptional haunted houses in Surrey run for most of October. Potter’s House of Horror’s is usually open every day in October beginning on the first weekend (except for the Thanksgiving Monday). (This attraction did NOT happen in 2020 due to the coronavirus.)
Burnaby’s Haunted Village – although free in the summer, admission at Burnaby Village during this family-friendly event is usually about $14 for adults, seniors and youth, and $9 for children ages 2 to 12. Halloween activities in typical years include trick-or-treating, live entertainment and free carousel rides (which normally cost a couple of dollars). (This event was CANCELLED for 2020.)
VanDusen Glow in the Garden – lit-up carved pumpkins and Halloween activities at VanDusen Garden at night during the last week or two of October. In 2019 the theme was a story that followed an owl, Anna the hummingbird and her friends through the gardens. Last year the event ran from October 17th until the 27th. (CANCELLED for 2020.)

Halloween Walking Tours

An interesting and entertaining way to enjoy the Halloween season is by taking a guided tour. There are some great walking tours to choose from, including the following (which take place throughout the year too):

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – a selection of exceptional and highly recommended guided tours. Perfect ones for Halloween include the Lost Souls of Gastown and Dark Secrets of Stanley Park. See below for details about each.
- The Lost Souls of Gastown tours are about 1 km in length and include stories about smallpox, fire and murder. The tours are great for Halloween and start at Cathedral Square (at the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir) and end at Maple Tree Square in Gastown.
- The Dark Secrets of Stanley Park tours explore world-famous Stanley Park, including its seawall and paths through the forest. They take place on Wednesday and Saturday and involve stories about Deadman’s Island, cemeteries and crime scenes.

Vancouver Gastown Walking Tour — Lost Souls of Gastown Tour at Halloween

Halloween-Themed Movies & Theatre

Because of the Halloween season, October is the perfect month to see horror movies (assuming you like that sort of thing). It’s also a great time to see kid-friendly Halloween-themed movies too. Below were some of the film opportunities happening in 2020.

Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival – last year it was a 2-day event featuring over 30 short horror flicks from 9 different countries at the York Theatre at 639 Commercial Drive in Vancouver on October 25th and 26th. The event was for all ages (but parental discretion was advised). (In 2020 the festival took place online.)
FlyOver Canada at Halloween – Vancouver’s multi-dimensional flying experience film at Canada Place had a wonderful, family-friendly Halloween theme every day in October of 2020. In the show you got to fly with witches and it is suitable for all ages (i.e., in no way is it a horror film).

Halloween Trains

The Lower Mainland is home to a couple of miniature train attractions that go all out at Halloween. Both offer fairly tame tours for little kids in the afternoons and early evenings, but then really ramp things up for youth and young adults at night.

Bear Creek Halloween Train – child-friendly Halloween Pumpkin Express miniature train rides in Surrey are usually from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm from around the second weekend in October until the 31st. The cost is about $11. The Haunted Forest Scream Train is at the same place, costs about $3 more and runs from around 6:30 to 10:00 pm (but starting a week or so later than the Pumpkin Express). It also includes additional frightening stuff. (This event did happen in 2020.)
Stanley Park Ghost Train – family-friendly miniature train rides with a Halloween theme. In 2019 the train ran every day from October 11th until Halloween on October 31st. (This event was CANCELLED for 2020.)

Special Halloween Events

Metro Vancouver is home to numerous attractions, like miniature trains and haunted houses, that run for either most of the month or at least the last few days of October. In addition to the “attractions” though, there are also a number of special one-day events, including the following:

Halloween Fireworks – music, kids’ activities, fire juggling, a magic show and fireworks take place at Minoru Park at 7191 Granville Avenue in Richmond on the evening of October 31st. This is a free event. (The fireworks were CANCELLED for 2020.)
Celebrate the Night – an evening of family-friendly activities and fireworks at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge on the last Sunday of October most years. In 2019 this event took place on October 27th. (VIRTUAL for 2020.)

Other special Halloween events that happen in most years but were officially CANCELLED in 2020 included:

Parade of Lost Souls – an annual grassroots parade event where the location isn’t revealed until midnight on the Friday before Halloween (although one can assume it’ll be somewhere in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood). The parade takes place on the closest Saturday to Halloween from around 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Donations of $5 are encouraged to help support the event. A Lost Souls After-Party also takes place from around 9:00 pm to 2:00 am for which ticket prices range from about $20 to $30 depending on when you get them. (This event did NOT happen in 2020.)
Night for All Souls – free Halloween-type activities take place in the evening at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery on the last Saturday in October most years. This event took place on October 26th in 2019. (CANCELLED for 2020.)
Vancouver Halloween Parade – a fun family-friendly parade between Drake and Smithe, along Howe Street and Granville on a Sunday in early or mid-October starting at 11:00 am. In 2019 the parade took place on Sunday, October 13th, which was the Thanksgiving weekend. (This event was CANCELLED for 2020.)

For more special events click Halloween Weekend or Halloween for Adults.

Vancouver Halloween Parade on Granville — Vancouver Halloween Parade

Other Haunted Venues

In addition to the above-mentioned attractions, the Lower Mainland has numerous other wonderfully scary haunted houses.

Click Vancouver Haunted Houses for a list of more spooky places in the Lower Mainland. Some of the best haunted houses include North Shore venues like the Haunt of Edgemont and Dovercourt Crypt, the Nightmare Haunted House in Mission, Brinkworth Dungeon in Langley, Anmore Manor just north of Port Moody, Reapers in Chilliwack and the list goes on and on! (Note: Some of these places were planning to run in 2020. Many though were taking a break due to COVID-19.)

In addition to the above list, there is also a wide variety of other events and activities for people of different age groups, both on the big day of October 31st as well as throughout the entire second half of the month.

Halloween Activities for Children

Check out Vancouver Children’s Halloween Activities for a list of other family-friendly and only-moderately-spooky fun. Attractions with kid-friendly activities include FlyOver Canada and other places of interest. In October there are also Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes all over the Lower Mainland.

Note: due to COVID-19, Not all attractions were able to run in 2020. The annual Halloween event at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, for example, wasn’t able to take place. A number of other events elsewhere, however, were.

Click Vancouver Children’s Halloween Activities for ideas on what to do with kids.

Bose Farms Pumpkin Patch

Halloween Activities for Adults

Click Adult Halloween Activities for a list of Halloween events for people age 19+, or click Lower Mainland Haunted Houses for a list of haunted attractions suitable for adults and older youth.

In addition to haunted houses, adult Halloween activities include boat parties, night club parties, spooky walking tours and mystery games.