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Metro Vancouver Halloween Kids’ Activities

October 11, 2020

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 and the Harrison Pumpkin Festival in the Fraser Valley). Other favourites are the HowlOver Canada flying film experience at FlyOver Canada, Canyon Frights at Capilano Bridge, and Harvest Days at VanDusen Garden, 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 Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms and the Harrison Pumpkin Festival in Agassiz.
Maan Farms Pumpkin Patch & Fall Activities – the farm in Abbotsford has a corn maze, pumpkin patch and farm animals. It also has lots of fun play structures for children to enjoy.
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 20th and 29th last year.
Brinkworth Dungeon – this is a fairly serious haunted attraction, especially on Fridays and Saturdays when there are extra actors lurky around and dressed as monsters. For kids who like scary things, however, they might really like this place, especially because it includes a pirate theme. It’s a freaky attraction for adults, however, so don’t take kids who are easily scared or likely to have nightmares afterwards!

Halloween for Kids in Vancouver

FlyOver Canada – the multi-dimensional theatre flying experience at Canada Place is decorated in a Halloween theme in October. Last year, HowlOver Canada ran from September 28th until the end of October.
Mystery Nights – Vancouver Mysteries hosts great outdoor adventures in downtown Vancouver. They do this year-round. In October, however, the games have a bit of an extra Halloween theme. Some of the games are designed for adults and older youth (ages 14+). The company has great games for younger children to play with their families too!
Harvest Days at VanDusen Garden – family-friendly fall-themed activities happen at VanDusen Botanical Garden on Saturdays and Sundays between early and end of October. Last year, activities also happened on October 9th (which was Thanksgiving Monday) and October 20th (which was a Pro-Day for school children).
Dead Fellows Haunted Brewhouse – Vancouver’s Strange Fellows brewing company has its first-ever haunted house every evening from October 27th until the 31st in 2023. On the afternoons of October 28th and 29th, the attraction also offered less scary experiences for families with younger children.
Barclay Manor – a haunted house hosted by the West End Community Centre in Vancouver’s West End (not far from Denman Street and Robson Street). Admission is just $4 per person and it’s recommended for folks ages 8 and up. Last year, the attraction was on from October 27th and 28th and took place in an old house built over 100 years ago on.
Maritime BOO-Seum – there was a drop-in scavenger hunt at the Vancouver Maritime Museum on the Halloween weekend of October 27th to 29th in 2023.
Big Halloween Run – a family-friendly Halloween-themed running event around the False Creek Seawall. It happens for the first time on October 30th in 2024.

THE CIRCUS IS COMING!

American Crown Circus Circo Osorio was in British Columbia from September 7th until October 30th in 2023. It’s not a Halloween event, but some of its shows take place during the Halloween season. It’s also a fabulous, family-friendly event, and very affordable.

Shows last year took place in Abbotsford (September 7th to 11th), Surrey (September 14th to 18th), Tsawwassen (September 21st to 24th), Richmond (October 12th to 16th) and Coquitlam (October 19th to 30th). There were also circus shows in Nanaimo (September 28th to October 2nd) and Victoria (October 5th to 9th).

To learn more about the circus and its performances, see our article about Circo Osorio or see the American Crown Circus website.

In North Vancouver

Canyon Frights – there were lights and cool Halloween displays at Capilano Suspension Bridge from October 13th until the 31st at night in 2023. 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. Last year, the attraction had a haunted sea theme between October 2nd and November 5th. 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 happened on October 31st in 2023.

Halloween in Maple Ridge

Celebrate the Night – Maple Ridge usually hosts a family-friendly event at Memorial Peace Park before Halloween. The free event usually includes games, crafts, pumpkins and live entertainment. It also features a wonderful fireworks finale most years. The event in 2023 took place on Friday, October 20th.

Halloween for Kids in Burnaby

Burnaby’s Haunted Village – a family-friendly event at Burnaby Village. Last year, its theme was Legends, Tales and Other Stories and it took place between October 19th and 29th.
Pumpkins After Dark – Jack-o-lanterns and light displays are set up around Central Park and Swangard Stadium. The event last year ran from October 6th until Halloween night.
Central Spark – free family-friendly activities at Central Park including an outdoor maze, carnival games, arts and crafts, and a fireworks finale. The inaugural event took place on October 27th in 2023.

In the Sea to Sky Region

Treasures of the Deep Halloween – spooky fun takes place at Britannia Mine on a couple of weekends before Halloween. In 2023 the event ran on October 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th.

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. Last year, on the afternoons of October 14th & 15th, 21st & 22nd and 28th & 29th, however, the scare factor got turned down a bit 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. Last year, the kid-friendly trains ran from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm from October 1st until the 31st. Starting on October 13th, you could also ride the Haunted Forest Scream Train, but for that you needed to leave your littler ones at home!
BOO-seum Halloween Party – family-friendly activities including a magic show at the Museum of Surrey on October 28th in 2023. Admission was free! There was also an event for younger children (ages 0 to 5) on October 26th and another for children with sensory needs and who preferred quieter spaces on October 27th. For details about all of these, see the City of Surrey‘s website.

Halloween for Kids in New Westminster

Halloweekend on the River – activities for young families took place at the Fraser River Discovery Centre in New Westminster on October 28th and 29th in 2023.

Halloween for Older Spooks

There are also scarier events that 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.