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Metro Vancouver Halloween Kids’ Activities

September 18, 2024

October is a fun month for children and their families in Vancouver. They get to dress up, trick-or-treat and visit great Halloween events and attractions.

Top activities for young families in October include visiting pumpkin patches (like ones at Fantasy Farms, Maan Farms, Taves Family Farms, and the Chilliwack Corn Maze in the Fraser Valley). Other favourites are the HowlOver Canada flying film experience at FlyOver Canada, Harvest Days at VanDusen Garden, and Canyon Frights at Capilano Bridge, plus events at attractions like Britannia Mine and other museums.

To learn about these and other fun things to do during the Halloween season in the Lower Mainland, continue reading.

Halloween for Kids in Vancouver

Some of the best Halloween activities and places for children in Metro Vancouver are listed below.

Note #1: Only a small selection of haunted houses are listed below. That’s because most are for older youth and not appropriate for younger children. For a list of scarier places you won’t want to take pre-schoolers and more timid kids to, click Lower Mainland Haunted Houses.

Note #2: Event details are subject to change. See official event websites for the most up-to-date information.

This article lists kids’ Halloween activities in the following locations:

Halloween for Kids in the Fraser Valley

Visiting Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes – lots of fun for little folks and their families at places like Fantasy Farms, Taves Family Farms, Greendale Acres and Maan Farms.
Mission Nightmare Haunted House – a Halloween attraction in Mission that’s scary, but not overly so. Some of the live actors inside are even young kids! Also, families with young children usually get to hold flashlights (which warn actors to turn down the scariness factor). This event happened between October 18th and 30th last year. 2025 dates will likely be similar.
Brinkworth Dungeon – this is a fairly serious haunted attraction on Fridays and Saturdays when there are actors lurking around and dressed as monsters. For kids who like scary things, however, they might really like this place, especially during the times when there aren’t any live actors (which is most other days of the week). But don’t take kids who are easily scared or likely to have nightmares afterwards! 2025 dates are to be confirmed.

Halloween for Kids in Vancouver

FlyOver Canada – the multi-dimensional theatre at Canada Place is decorated with a Halloween theme in October. In 2025 the film HowlOver Canada shows from October 9th until Halloween.
Stanley Park Ghost Train – the very popular family-friendly attraction returned from October 10th to 31st last year! People of all ages could take a miniature train ride through Stanley Park while being lightly spooked by some haunted scenes. The status of the event for 2025 is to be confirmed.
Mystery Nights – Vancouver Mysteries hosts great outdoor adventures in downtown Vancouver. They do this year-round. In October, however, the games usually have a bit of an extra Halloween theme. Some of the games are designed for adults and older youth (ages 12+). The company has great games for younger children to play with their families too, including the family version of Heroes & Villains!
Halloween at the Roundhouse – the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown hosts multiple kid-friendly Halloween events in 2025. There are Pumpkin-Carving Activities on October 29th, followed by Haunted House Walkthroughs on October 31st. There’s also a Magic Everywhere show on November 1st.
Harvest Days at VanDusen Garden – family-friendly fall-themed activities happen at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Last year the event ran on Saturdays and Sundays between September 28th and October 20th, as well as on Thanksgiving Monday. 2025 details may be similar.
Big Halloween Run – a family-friendly Halloween-themed running event around the False Creek Seawall. It happens on October 30th in 2025.

CIRCUS SHOWS

A Latin-influenced circus is in town during the fall of 2025. It’s not a Halloween-related show, but the performances do run close to October 31st this year.

American Crown Circus Circo Osorio is a fabulous, family-friendly event, and reasonably affordable. Every adult ticket comes with one free ticket for kids ages 10 and under. Shows take place in Delta (September 25th to 29th), Abbotsford (October 2nd to 6th), Richmond (October 9th to 13th) and Coquitlam (October 16th to 26th).

To learn more about the circus, see our Circo Osorio article.

In North Vancouver

Canyon Frights – there are night-time lights and cool Halloween displays at Capilano Suspension Bridge from October 10th until November 2nd in 2025. It’s kind of like Canyon Lights at Christmas with the bridges and trees lit up, but with skeletons and spider decorations instead of Christmas ornaments.

Halloween for Kids in Richmond

Halloween at the Cannery – special Halloween activities take place at the Cannery most years. The attraction in 2025 has a haunted sea theme between September 27th and November 2nd. The venue’s address is 12138 Fourth Avenue in Steveston Village.
Halloween Fireworks – live entertainment, kids’ activities and fireworks take place at Minoru Park at 7191 Granville Avenue. The event usually happens on October 31st, but the exact date for 2025 is to be confirmed.

Halloween in Maple Ridge

Celebrate the Night – Maple Ridge hosts a family-friendly event at Memorial Peace Park before Halloween. The free celebration typically includes games, crafts, pumpkins and live entertainment. It also features a wonderful fireworks finale. The event in 2025 takes place on Saturday, October 18th.
Alouette Cemetery – an annual graveyard display featuring lights and animatronics on October nights. Admission is by donation. 2025 dates are to be confirmed.

Halloween for Kids in Burnaby

Metro-Con HalloweenFest – a pop culture consumer tradeshow that’s kind of like Comic-Con in San Francisco, but with a Halloween theme at Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby. Expect to see lots of people in costumes, tons of cool merchandise and even a few celebrities. It’s probably mostly for adults, but there will be children too, and lots of older youth.
Burnaby’s Haunted Village – a family-friendly event at Burnaby Village. Last year its theme was Legends, Tales and Other Stories. The festivities ran from October 23rd to 27th. 2025 details are to be confirmed.
Pumpkins After Dark – Jack-o-lanterns and light displays are set up around Central Park and Swangard Stadium. Last year’s event ran from October 3rd until Halloween night. 2025 dates may be similar.
Central Spark – free family-friendly activities at Central Park including a dance party, food trucks, live entertainment and a fireworks finale. The event takes place on October 24th in 2025.

In the Sea to Sky Region

Dia de los Muertos – spooky fun takes place at Britannia Mine on a couple of weekends around Halloween. In 2025 the event happens on October 18th, 19th, 25th and 26th as well as on the weekend of November 1st and 2nd.

Britannia Mine Railway at Halloween — Britannia Mine at Halloween

Halloween for Kids in Surrey

Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors – the haunted attraction in Surrey is usually one of Metro Vancouver’s scariest at night. The attraction opens on October 3rd in 2025 and runs until November 8th. The scare factor does get turned down a bit though to make the place more suitable for families. There are no live actors during the Horrors Jr. Show, and the animatronics are turned off then too.
Halloween Pumpkin Express – child-friendly miniature train rides take place most years at Bear Creek Park in Surrey. The kid-friendly trains last year ran from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm from September 27th until October 31st. Then from October 11th, you were also able to ride the Haunted Forest Scream Train, but for that you needed to leave your little ones at home! 2025 details will likely be similar.
BOO-seum Halloween Party – family-friendly activities including a magic show at the Museum of Surrey. This event took place on the Saturday just before Halloween last year. Admission was free! 2025 details are to be confirmed.

Halloween for Kids in Coquitlam

Mr. I’s Slightly Spooky Songs and Stories – a Halloween-themed concert for children and their parents at Place des Arts Centre in Coquitlam on October 26th in 2025.

Halloween for Kids in New Westminster

Halloweekend on the River – activities for young families take place at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster around Halloween. Last year the event happened on October 26th, 27th and 31st. 2025 dates are to be confirmed.

Halloween for Older Spooks

There are also scarier events that some youth and older children might enjoy, while others won’t.

Haunted house-style attractions that usually take place at this time of year include the Haunted Corn Mazes in Abbotsford, Brinkworth Dungeon in Langley and Reaper’s Maze of Terror in Chilliwack. They are all amazing, but also fairly hard core. As a result, they are recommended primarily for older youth and young adults, although some older (and braver) children also attend.

Two other scary haunted attractions that also take place are Fright Nights at the PNE and Cougar Creek’s House of Horrors in Surrey. Don’t take young kids to either! Older youth who like scary things, however, will enjoy them both.

For a list of other Halloween haunted houses, most of which aren’t appropriate for folks under 12, check out Lower Mainland Haunted Houses.