The Vancouver Halloween Expo was a weekend event in October that included a comics and anime-themed exhibition, parade and entertainment near Robson Square.

Some of the event’s activities took place indoors at Robson Square, and some happened in the North Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.

2024 EVENT CANCELLED

The Vancouver Halloween Parade & Expo has been cancelled for 2024 due to construction. This is the third year in a row that it’s been cancelled for that reason. The last time the event took place was in 2019.

Hopefully both the trade show and parade return in the future.

To learn about events that are happening this year, see our articles about Vancouver Events at Halloween, Halloween Activities for Adults and Halloween Activities for Children.

Vancouver Halloween Parade & Expo

In 2022 the Vancouver Halloween Parade & Expo was going to take place on the weekend of October 7th to 9th, so on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend. However, the event was cancelled due to construction. The same was the case in 2023 and 2024.

In years when it does take place, the three-day expo includes both free and ticketed events. There are free live performances on all three days in the afternoons and early evenings outdoors in the North Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery at 850 Georgia Street. There is also a wonderful, free and family-friendly parade on the Sunday.

Ticketed events usually take place on the Saturday and Sunday at UBC Robson Square at 800 Robson Street, both indoors and under shelter by the ice rink.

Halloween Expo Activities

The Vancouver Halloween Parade & Expo features activities at Robson Square, free live entertainment in the Vancouver Art Gallery’s North Plaza, and a parade in the heart of the city.

There is usually an indoor exhibition at UBC Robson Square (at 800 Robson Street) from around 12:00 pm until 7:00 pm on both the Saturday and Sunday.

There are also usually free live performances in the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Georgia Street between Howe and Hornby Street in the evening on the Friday and on both the Saturday and Sunday beginning early in the afternoon.

The parade typically runs for about 10 blocks down Howe Street, along Smithe, and then back up Granville Street. Click Vancouver Halloween Parade for more details.

What to Expect

The Vancouver Halloween Expo isn’t about skeletons, witches, zombies, pumpkins and the walking dead. You might see a few of these Halloween characters and symbols, but not a lot. Instead, the event is all about comics, Japanese anime, video games and mythologies.

If you happen to be anywhere near Robson Square or the Vancouver Art Gallery on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend, on any day other than the holiday Monday, expect to see lots of young people in Japanese anime, superhero and various other funky costumes. Perhaps because of the anime element, the event tends to be especially popular with Korean, Japanese and other Asian young adults.

Halloween Expo Admission

The parade and outdoor live entertainment are free. The comic and anime exhibition and indoor performances, however, require a pass purchase.

When the event does take place, single-day passes cost $8 online or about $10 at the door. A weekend pass is good for both the Saturday and Sunday (in years where the exhibition runs on both those days) and costs $15 at the door or $13 online.

Family passes are also available for one day, are good for up to two adults and four children (ages 12 and under), and cost $30 at the door or $28 online.

Expo Performances and Exhibition

In addition to the free parade and free performances in the Vancouver Art Gallery Plaza, ticketed activities take place downstairs either by the ice rink or in the UBC Building at Robson Square (which is accessed through doors near the ice rink).

At the Vancouver Halloween Expo you don’t have to purchase a separate ticket for each individual event. Just buy a day pass or weekend pass and you get access to everything.

To give you an idea of what you can expect when the event hopefully returns in future years, below was the 2019 schedule of programming. This was the last year the event took place. (Note: Schedules and performers were subject to change.)

Friday, October 11th, 2019

At the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza.

4:15 pm to 5:00 pm – Caracas Latin Punk Rock (free)
5:30 pm to 6:00 pm – Light Years After (free)

Saturday, October 12th, 2019

At the Indoor Exhibition in Robson Square.

12:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Exhibition

At the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza.

1:15 pm to 2:00 pm – Beautiful Tarim Middle East Mythology (free)
2:30 pm to 3:15 pm – The Runaway Four (free)
3:45 pm to 4:30 pm – International Blindfold (free)
5:00 pm to 5:45 pm – Rio Samaya (free)
6:15 pm to 7:00 pm – An Evening With 20SIX Hundred (free)

Sunday, October 13th, 2019

At 900 Howe Street.

11:00 am – The Grand Halloween Parade (free to watch)

At the Indoor Exhibition in Robson Square.

12:00 pm to 7:00 pm – Exhibition
12:00 pm to 5:00 pm – Maid Café (ticketed)
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm – The Fictionals (ticketed)
3:15 pm to 4:45 pm – Cosplay Exhibition (ticketed)
5:15 pm to 5:45 pm – Girls Secret (ticketed)
6:15 pm to 7:00 pm – Zeús! LoveLive! (ticketed)

At the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza.

12:15 pm to 1:00 pm – Eleven Twelves (free)
1:45 pm to 2:30 pm – Alice in Wonderland (free)
3:00 pm to 3:45 pm – Lumi Starlight featuring ShootingStar Idols (free)
4:15 pm to 5:00 pm – MissingNo. Band (free)
5:30 pm to 6:15 pm – Fusica Band (free)
6:45 pm to 7:30 pm – Men In Black (free)

Costume Rules

Participants in the parade and event in general are encouraged to dress in costume. It’s a family-friendly event, though. Below is a list of what’s allowed and not allowed with respect to costumes should the event run again in the future.

No blood or gore.
No metal weapons or sharp objects. Plastic and wooden swords and other props, however, are permitted.
No replica guns. If using a gun as a prop, be sure the toy gun is either significantly smaller or larger than the real version (so it’s obvious to all that it’s not a real gun).
No nudity or adult material (like what you might see occasionally, for example, at the Vancouver Pride Parade, which is another hugely popular parade).
No firecrackers or small explosives (like what you might find, for example, at the Chinese New Year Parade).