Vancouver’s Parade of Lost Souls involves people in Halloween costumes walking around, listening to music, enjoying live entertainment and having a good time.

Parade of Lost Souls happens right after Halloween.

Other Halloween-themed events and activities in Vancouver include Fright Nights at the PNE, Howl Over at FlyOver Canada, Lost Souls of Gastown tours, and Halloween Mystery Nights. There is also a Halloween Boat Parties event for adults, usually at the beginning of November.

See our article about Vancouver Halloween Events to learn more about the above and other activities that take place around Halloween. Continue reading to learn about the Parade of Lost Souls.

This article includes the following information about the Parade of Lost Souls:

Halloween Parade of Lost Souls

The Parade of Lost Souls usually happens on the closest weekend to Halloween in the Commercial Drive neighbourhood of Vancouver. It’s one of the city’s best and most interesting traditional events for adults at Halloween.

The processions typicall run from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. An after-party follows and continues until around 2:00 am at the Biltmore Cabaret, located at 2755 Prince Edward Street.

Event Features

Last year’s Parade of Lost Souls featured Thriller Flash Mob workshops and Time Warp Flash Mob workshops. See below for details about both of them.

Lost Souls Flash Mobs

The Thriller Flash Mob workshops happened at 1661 Napier Street at the Britannia Community Centre. They ran in the cafeteria on the Sunday afternoons of October 6th, 13th and 20th from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Thriller Flash Mob participants could attend any number of the workshops. Donations of $10 per session were welcomed. Participants at this event learnt the choreography of Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video and practiced the dance in preparation for show time (which was on the day of the Parade of Lost Souls).

In addition to the Thriller Flash Mob, there was also a Time Warp Flash Mob. Workshops in preparation for that happened on the Saturdays of October 5th, 12th and 19th last year. They ran from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

People practiced the choreography of the Time Warp dance from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The rehearsals also took place at the Britannia Community Centre, but at 1655 William Street. They cost about $10 per session.

Parade of Lost Souls Skeletons

Witches Dance and Costume Workshops

Unfortunately, it didn’t appear there were Witches Dance and Costume Workshops in 2024.

The last time these ran were in 2023. For those who wanted to participate in the Witches Dance on parade day back then, the organizers held workshops on Sundays at Britannia Community Centre at 1661 Napier Street.

The dance workshops ran on October 8th and 22nd from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Admission was likely by donation, similar to other workshops in previous years. There were opportunities to work on costumes and set decorations as well. These workshops also ran from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, but on the Sundays of October 1st and 15th.

Parade Route Details

The parade route is usually announced pretty close to the event. As an example of what you can expect, the 2019 event began at the Britannia Community Centre at 1661 Napier Street in Vancouver.

The route is well marked and all you have to do was simply follow the crowd. Route details for 2025 are to be confirmed (as they’re kept secret until right before the event). For an idea of what to expect, details from 2019 are below.

2019 Parade Route

The parade route in 2019 started at the corner of Napier Street and Commercial Drive and then made its way through the back lanes around the Britannia Community Services Centre and surrounding buildings.

The procession began in front of the Britannia Library and headed north towards the ice rink. From there it turned west and finished at the tennis courts, although with a couple of fairly significant in-and-out and in-and-around side diversions along the way. Some notable stops included the secret dance party and a carving centre.

Halloween Crowds at Parade of Lost Souls

About the Parade

The Parade of Lost Souls is a grassroots Halloween parade/event that happens on the Saturday closest to Halloween in October. It takes place at a location that isn’t revealed until very close to the date of the parade.

The event takes place somewhere around the neighbourhood of the Britannia Community Centre at 1661 Napier Street. There is a procession down Commercial Drive or some other nearby street. There are also multiple small Halloween-themed live performances scattered around the neighbourhood and several thousand participants roaming around in spooky costumes.

The Parade of Lost Souls is put on by the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret which is an artist collective of professional and emerging artists based in East Vancouver. As a non-profit event, donations for participation in the parade are strongly encouraged, with $5 or $10 being the suggested minimum amount.

Parade of Lost Souls Procession

Lost Souls After-Party

The Lost Souls After-Party is a ticketed event that takes place after the Parade of Lost Souls.

Last year, the After-Party took place at the Biltmore Cabaret at 2755 Prince Edward Street. The event is for people ages 19 and older and it runs from 10:30 pm until 2:00 am.

Tickets for the After-Party are available online and cost about $40 each. Live music and other performances are part of the event.

Tips & Advice

Below are a few tips to help you make the most of your experience at the Parade of Lost Souls.

TIP #1: There are people of all ages at the Parade of Lost Souls, but primarily adults. There’s usually no beer garden and only a small number of food trucks selling things to eat. Plan to have dinner beforehand, plus perhaps a beverage or two to help with the festivities (assuming you’re 19+).

TIP #2: Wear a costume. It’ll add to your fun!

TIP #3: If you’ve never been to the event before, go! It’s a very interesting cultural experience.

TIP #4: Wear boots if it has been raining in the previous few days (as it often does in October). Some areas along the parade route can get muddy.