Vancouver Halloween Events

Halloween activities in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland in October include Haunted Houses, trick-or-treating, costume parties, tours and other events.

There are Halloween Activities for Children of all ages as well as Halloween Events for Adults. There are Haunted Houses, Halloween Boat Parties, scary movies, and Halloween Rainy Day Activities. It’s not Halloween-related, but in October last year the Circo Osorio Circus was also in town.

To learn about these and other Halloween-themed happenings this year, continue reading.

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

Highlights of the Halloween season in the Lower Mainland include Maan Farm’s Haunted Mazes for the older crowd in Abbotsford at night, and the kid-friendly Fall at the Farm activities at the same venue during the day. In Chilliwack there is both Reaper’s Maze of Terror and Petey’s Pumpkin Patch. There is Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors and Dreadworks Haunted House in Surrey (which are great for people who like scary things) and Canyon Frights at Capilano Bridge on the North Shore (which is suitable for people of all ages). In October there is Fright Nights at the PNE and HowlOver Canada at FlyOver Canada.

In Vancouver there are Halloween Boat Parties, plus spooky walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver and fun outdoor adventure games with Vancouver Mysteries. If you like walking tours, another awesome Halloween activity to check out is Grave Tales in Fort Langley. There are a number of wonderfully scary Haunted Houses in the region, but also other great fun stuff like dressing up at work and trick-or-treating with children around the neighbourhood.

Below is a list of Halloween-related events that typically take place in Vancouver and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

Events & Attractions in the City Vancouver

There are some fantastic haunted houses in Vancouver as well as a variety of other Halloween-theme activities to do. Below is a list of things to in downtown Vancouver and other parts of the city.

Events in Downtown Vancouver

Halloween at FlyOver Canada – a family-friendly multidimensional film about Canada with a Halloween theme at Canada Place in October. The show is a great way to learn about and experience Canada while celebrating the Halloween season. HowlOver Canada usually runs from early October until the end of the month. (TIP: Excluding the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, on Mondays to Thursdays this month one child can ride for free per paying adult if you select the Family Experience Package!)
Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – spooky walking tours for adults and older youth in downtown Vancouver. The most popular one this time of year is the Lost Souls of Gastown Tour which is led by a professional actor. It’s highly recommended.
Halloween Mystery Nights – outdoor adventure games in the streets of downtown Vancouver. From mid-October to the end of the month, teams can compete for prizes in the company’s Secret Mission, Crime in Downtown and Ghost Patrol games. Heroes & Villains is popular this time of year too. There’s also the Case of the Hotel Detective at the Delta Hotel Vancouver Downtown Suites on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Events Elsewhere in the City of Vancouver

Fright Nights at the PNE – Playland’s annual Halloween celebrations take place at the PNE grounds at 2901 East Hastings Street. Fright Nights features eight haunted houses and over 12 rides. The attraction usually runs on select days between early October 4th and end of the month. (TIP: Use the promo code GHOULS when you purchase your tickets online and you’ll save over 20% for visits on October 27th to 31st!)
Latin American Heritage Month – various non-Halloween events celebrating Latin culture take place in Vancouver in October. On the first weekend in November there is the Day of the Dead Latin Market at Granville Island (which is sort of Halloween-themed, but Mexican-style).
Big Halloween Run – a new family-friendly running event starting and finishing at Olympic Village on October 30th this year.
Witchilano Paddle – a fun event on the first Saturday of October where hundreds of people dress up as witches and paddleboard from Kitsilano Beach to Granville Island.
Nightmare Before Christmas Market – a Halloween-themed maker and artist market that happens at the Maritime Labour Centre in the latter part of October.
Halloween Boat Parties – a night club-like party takes place on chartered yachts in the waters around downtown Vancouver. Last year there was the Halloween Havoc Cruise on November 1st with Vancouver Boat Parties.

Events and Attractions Elsewhere in Metro Vancouver

Dreadworks Haunted House – a scary immersive experience in Surrey that combines elements of live theatre, haunted houses and escape rooms. It runs from late September to early November.
Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors – with three haunted houses and other scary experiences in Surrey, this attraction runs from the beginning of October to the beginning of November.
Grave Tales in Fort Langley – creepy and spine-tingling walking tours around the Village of Fort Langley. Last year they take place on almost every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October, as well as on the Thursdays of October 17th and 24th.
Canyon Frights – lights and Halloween decorations at Capilano Suspension Bridge from October 10th to the 31st in 2025.
Alouette Cemetery – an award-winning Halloween display with hand-crafted animated skeletons, tombstones and other spooky things in Maple Ridge. Admission is free. Donations, however, benefit Katie’s Place Animal Shelter.
FanCon HalloweenFest – a Halloween-themed tradeshow at the BCIT campus in Burnaby. Expect to see people in costumes as well as all kinds of merchandise and even a few celebrities. Last year it took place on Sunday, October 20th, in the BCIT Student Association Building (which is SE2).
Burnaby’s Haunted Village – although free in the summer, admission at Burnaby Village during this family-friendly event costs about $10 for adults, seniors and youth. It usually runs towards the end of October.
Pumpkins After Dark – a Halloween attraction featuring light displays and Jack-o-lanterns in Burnaby. The event usually runs from the beginning of October until Halloween.
Dovercourt Crypt – a haunted house at a private home in North Vancouver from around the middle of October to the end of the month. Admission is by donation with proceeds benefitting the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.
Brinkworth Dungeon – an exceptional haunted house in Langley that runs from late October until mid-November (although not in 2024).

Events and Attractions Elsewhere in the Lower Mainland

Maan Farms Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze – family-friendly activities at a farm in Abbotsford. The fall festivities run from mid-September until the beginning of November.
Haunted Corn Maze – a scary Halloween attraction for older youth at Maan Farms. Last year there were three attractions between September 27th and November 3rd.
Petey’s Pumpkin Patch – pumpkins, train rides, a corn maze and other kid-friendly activities at Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack.
Taves Family Farms – a pumpkin patch, jumping pillows, corn maze and other fun things to do in Abbotsford.
FANG-Tastic Halloween – Halloween activities take place at Britannia Mine Museum between West Vancouver and Squamish on the last two weekends of October.
Presentation House Theatre – the venue in North Vancouver hosted a special Haunted Histories presentation with the Vancouver Paranormal Society on October 29th last year.
Reaper’s Haunted Attraction – a popular Halloween event for fright seekers in Chilliwack. It runs on most days from the end of September until the beginning of November.
Chilliwack Corn Maze – Greendale Acres hosts its annual corn maze event with farm animals, a jumping pillow, play structures and other family-friendly activities. The last day of the season is usually October 31st.
Pumpkin Patches – pumpkins and child-friendly autumn activities at various farms throughout the Lower Mainland.

CIRCUSES IN TOWN

There are typically a couple of circuses in town in October. They aren’t Halloween events, but they do have shows on or close to October 31st and throughout the Halloween season.

Last year the Circo Osorio Circus hosted shows at Coquitlam Centre between October 17th and 28th. It’s a wonderful, family-friendly and very affordable event. An adult and one younger children can get in for less than $33.

Cirque du Soleil, meanwhile, is a world-famous circus company that visits Vancouver each year. Last year the circus presented ECHO at Concord Pacific Place. It was an amazing and entertaining event! Shows ran on select dates between October 9th and early January 2025. General admission started at about $67 to $77.

To book your seats for when the circus returns this year, click American Crown Circus Tickets or Cirque du Soleil Tickets.

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:

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours – a selection of exceptional and highly recommended guided tours. A perfect choice for Halloween is the Lost Souls of Gastown Tour.
- Lost Souls of Gastown features true stories about Gastown’s gruesome history, including about smallpox, fire and murder. The tours are great for Halloween!
Grave Tales in Fort Langley – Fort Langley National Historic Site hosts spooky walking tours during the Halloween season. There are usually adult tours and tours for kids between early October and end of the month. The tours go around the town and, in some cases, into the local cemetery. They are also tremendously popular and sell out most years.

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

Halloween Boat Parties

Arguably even more fun than a party at a regular night club is a dance party on a boat off the coast of Vancouver. Last year there was the Halloween Havoc Boat Party on the Burrard Queen. It took place on Saturday, November 2nd (so on the weekend after Halloween).

To learn about these and boat party events at other times of the year, see our articles about Vancouver Boat Parties and Halloween Boat Parties.

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 are some of the film and theatre opportunities to consider.

FlyOver Canada at Halloween – Vancouver’s multi-dimensional flying experience film at Canada Place has a wonderful, family-friendly Halloween theme from the start of October to the end of the month. In the show HowlOver Canada you get to fly with witches. It’s suitable for all ages (i.e. in no way is it a horror film. Minimum height requirements, however, do apply).
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – the 1922 classic shows at the Orpheum Theatre as part of Vancouver Civic Theatre‘s Silent Movie Mondays series towards the end of October.
The Woman in Black – a spooky play at South Vancouver’s Metro Theatre showed on select dates between October 12th and November 2nd last year.
Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival – horror films with in-person screenings take place over a couple of weekends in October. Last year the festival ran from October 18th to 20th in Burnaby and from October 25th to 27th in Vancouver.
Halloween Spooktacular Concert – spine-chilling music at the Sanctuary on 6th in New Westminster. At the event the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra performed the Carpenter’s “Halloween Theme” and music from “Psycho,” the “Nightmare Before Christmas Medley,” “Phantom of the Opera” and other famous pieces on October 27th last year.

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 small children 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 run from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm every day from the end of September until Halloween night. The Haunted Forest Scream Train is at the same place and runs from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm but only starts towards the middle of October.
Stanley Park Ghost Train – family-friendly miniature train rides with a Halloween theme. Last year the train ran almost every day from October 10th until Halloween on October 31st. Whether or not it will happen in 2025 is TBD as the train shut down indefinitely in mid-December of 2024.

Other Special Halloween Events

Metro Vancouver is home to numerous attractions, like miniature trains and Haunted Houses. They 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:

Celebrate the Night – an evening of family-friendly activities and fireworks at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge. Last year the event happened on October 19th.
Central Spark – a free Halloween celebration at Burnaby’s Central Park. The second annual event took place on October 25th last year. It features carnival games, an outdoor maze, fireworks, and more.
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 event took place on November last year.
Night for All Souls – free Halloween-type activities take place at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery most years. Last year the events ran from October 24th until November 1st.
Halloween Fireworks – free music, kids’ activities, fire juggling, a magic show and fireworks take place at Minoru Park in Richmond on Halloween night.
Vancouver Halloween Parade – a fun family-friendly parade in downtown Vancouver. (Note: This event was CANCELLED for 2023, as was the related Vancouver Halloween Expo. It didn’t happen in 2024 either.)

For more special events, see our articles about the Halloween Weekend or Halloween for Adults.

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 venues like Brinkworth Dungeon in Langley, Alouette Cemetery in Maple Ridge, Anmore Manor just north of Port Moody, and Reapers in Chilliwack. Other favourites are Maan Farm’s Haunted Mazes, Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors, Dreadworks Haunted House, Fright Nights at the PNE, and the list goes on and on.

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, Capilano Suspension Bridge, VanDusen Garden, Britannia Mine, and other places of interest. In October there are also Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes all over the Lower Mainland. There are also fun events at Lower Mainland museums and places of interest including the following:

Halloweekend on the River – kid-friendly activities at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster. (On October 26th, 27th and 31st last year.)
Mr. I’s Slightly Spooky Songs and Stories – a Halloween concert for little kids and their parents at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts towards the end of October.
Museum of Surrey – there was a Boo-seum Halloween Party on October 26th last year.
Britannia Mine Museum – special activities happened at the historic copper mine in the Sea-to-Sky Region on October 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th last year.

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

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.

Other Activities in October

Interested in learning about other great activities in the month of October? Then check out the following:

If you happen to be in Victoria (on Vancouver Island) around Halloween, another family-friendly event you might like is Wicked Victoria. It’s a street party with free admission.