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

In 2023 Parade of Lost Souls happened on October 28th, which was the Saturday just before Halloween. Details for the event in 2024 are to be confirmed.

Other Halloween-themed events and activities on the same weekend in Vancouver last year included Dead Fellows Haunted Brewhouse, Fright Nights at the PNE, HowlOver at FlyOver Canada, Lost Souls of Gastown tours, and Halloween Mystery Nights. There were also Halloween Boat Parties for adults on October 28th and kid-friendly Harvest Days activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden all weekend.

Elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, other Halloween attractions in late October include family-friendly Canyon Frights at Capilano Bridge in North Vancouver, and ultra-scary places like Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors in Surrey and Brinkworth Dungeon in Langley. In the Fraser Valley there are Maan Farms Haunted Mazes and the Reapers Maze of Terror.

To learn more about the above and other activities that took place on the last Friday, Saturday and Sunday of October in 2023, see our article about What’s Happening on the Halloween Weekend. To learn about the Parade of Lost Souls, continue reading.

Halloween Parade of Lost Souls

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

Last year, the processions ran from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm. An after-party followed and continued until around 1:00 am at the Wise Hall, located at 1882 Adanac Street.

Event Features

The Parade of Lost Souls usually features Thriller Flash Mob workshops, Time Warp Flash Mob workshops and Witches Dance and Costume workshops. See below for details about each.

Lost Souls Flash Mobs

The Thriller Flash Mob workshops in 2023 happened at 1661 Napier Street at the Britannia Community Centre. They ran in the cafeteria on the Saturday afternoons of October 7th, 14th and 21st from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

Thriller Flash Mob participants were asked to attend the first workshop and then used the latter workshops as practice. Donations of $5 to $10 per session are appreciated. Participants at this event learn the choreography of Michael Jackson’s Thriller music video and then continue to practice the dance in preparation for show time (which is on the day of the Parade of Lost Souls).

In addition to the Thriller Flash Mob, there is also a Time Warp Flash Mob. Workshops in preparation for that also happened on the Saturdays of October 7th, 14th and 21st in 2023. They began after the Thriller Flash Mob Workshops and ran from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Folks practice the choreography of the Time Warp dance from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The rehearsals take place at the Britannia Community Centre at 1655 William Street and cost between $5 and $10 per session.

Parade of Lost Souls Skeletons

Witches Dance and Costume Workshops

For those who wanted to participate in the Witches Dance on parade day last year, workshops took place 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. Similar to other workshops in 2023, admission was likely by donation. 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 close to the event. In a previous year, it started at the Britannia Community Centre at 1661 Napier Street in Vancouver. The route was well marked and all you had to do was simply follow the crowd. Route details for the 2024 event is to be confirmed. 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 2019 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 in 2019 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 being the suggested minimum amount.

An official adults-only after-party usually happens, with tickets most years selling out long in advance.

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 Wise Hall at 1882 Adanac Street. The event is for folks ages 19 and older and it usually runs from 10:00 pm until 1:00 am.

Tickets for the After-Party are available online at a cost of 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 folks 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: If it has been raining in the previous few days (as it often does in October), wear boots. Some areas along the parade route can get muddy.