Home Holiday Activities Vancouver on the Thanksgiving Weekend

Vancouver on the Thanksgiving Weekend

September 25, 2023

There is a lot to do on the Thanksgiving weekend in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. There’s so much to be thankful for, and so many places to explore.

This article contains information on the following topics:

Weekend Special Events | Autumn Activities | Halloween Activities

Thanksgiving in the Lower Mainland

Got family and friends visiting from out of town the October Long Weekend? When not sitting around the table eating turkey, go out and explore this great region of the world.

There are parks to visit, autumn colours to admire and Halloween attractions to check out. There are also markets and festivals to see, plus so much more.

In 2024, the Sunday and Monday of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend are October 13th and 14th. The entire weekend runs from October 11th to 14th.

Best things to do at Thanksgiving most years include hanging out with close family and, weather permitting, spending time in area parks and nature outdoors. Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes are popular places to visit. Halloween is also just around the corner.

Halloween-related events that take place over the Thanksgiving long weekend include HowlOver Canada shows at FlyOver Canada, pumpkin patches and haunted attractions at places like Fantasy Farms and Maan Farms, Lost Souls of Gastown walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver, and outdoor adventures with Vancouver Mysteries.

In 2023, the Thanksgiving long weekend, which ran from October 6th to 9th, also marked the start of the season for the PNE’s Halloween event. Yes, that’s right, Fright Nights was back with all its rides and haunted houses! Its first day of the season in 2023 was Friday, October 6th.

Continue reading to learn more about the above and other events happening in Vancouver on the October holiday long weekend!

Thanksgiving Weekend Special Events

A number of festivals and special events happen on the Thanksgiving long weekend in a typical year. Below is a list of events that take place most years. Our list includes Halloween-related events, Thanksgiving runs, autumn-themed activities and other events.

Halloween Events at Thanksgiving

Below we list Halloween activities that normally happen within the City of Vancouver. Also listed are fun and spooky activities happening elsewhere in the Lower Mainland.

Vancouver Halloween Activities

Nightmare Before Christmas Market – an artisan market with a Halloween theme. It features over 72 makers and artists at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver.
Forbidden Vancouver – Lost Souls of Gastown and other walking tours take place daily each year in downtown Vancouver.
Halloween at FlyOver Canada – a family-friendly multi-dimensional film shows at Canada Place every day in October 2024.
Mystery Nights – a detective crime-solving game for groups of two to six players. It’s kind of like an escape room game, except it takes place in the streets of downtown Vancouver.
Fright Nights – amusement rides, haunted attractions and live entertainment at the Pacific National Exhibition from early October to the end of the month. In 2023 Fright Nights ran from October 6th to 31st.
Harvest Days – live music and family-friendly autumn-themed activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden in October. In 2023 the event was on from October 7th to 9th. (It also takes place on other weekends later in October too.)

See further below for haunted houses and other Halloween attractions elsewhere in the Lower Mainland (including in the Fraser Valley where there are some awesome places)!

Halloween Activities Elsewhere in the Lower Mainland

Cougar Creek House of Horrors – haunted houses, mazes and an escape room in Surrey.
Reapers – a haunted attraction and Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack. In 2023 the pumpkin patch was open daily over the Thanksgiving long weekend, while Reapers was open from the Friday to the Sunday.
Brinkworth Dungeon – a professional-quality haunted house at a private residence in Langley. In 2023 the attraction was open daily from October 4th until November 5th, so for the full Thanksgiving long weekend.
Halloween at Maan Farms – the farm in Abbotsford hosts its Haunted Corn Maze every year in October. The outdoor attraction is scary and popular with fright seekers. It was open on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend in 2023. The farm hosts other daily activities that are suitable for younger children too. They include the farm’s Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze.
Harrison Pumpkin Festival – a pumpkin patch-style event at Agassiz in the Fraser Valley.

For information about the above and other Halloween attractions, see our articles about Vancouver Halloween Events, Lower Mainland Haunted Houses, Halloween Activities for Children and Halloween Activities for Adults.

Thanksgiving Runs

Granville Island Turkey Trot – a 10-kilometre Thanksgiving run, walk or stroll that took place on Granville Island on Monday, October 9th in 2023.

Autumn-themed Events

Corn Mazes – a number of Lower Mainland farms offer kid-friendly corn maze-related activities from late summer until early to mid-fall (so on the Thanksgiving weekend most years too).
Pumpkin Patches – pumpkin fields and kid-friendly activities take place at various farms around the Lower Mainland in October, including over the holiday weekend. Awesome attractions to check out in the Fraser Valley include the Pumpkin Forest at Maan Farms, Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms and the Harrison Pumpkin Festival in Agassiz.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – one of Fort Langley’s most popular events of the year took place on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving long weekend in 2023.

Other Events

VAM Symphony Orchestra: Next Generation BC – the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra started its season with a concert at the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, October 8th in 2023.
Made in the 604 Artisan Market – a pop-up market that featured local artisan vendors at Heritage Hall on Main Street in Vancouver on October 8th, 2023.
Latin American Heritage Month – events celebrating Latin culture happened in Vancouver between October 6th and November 2nd in 2023. On the Friday of the Thanksgiving long weekend there was the LAHM Opening Ceremony and Brazilian Night at Granville Island.
BC Culture Days – a series of arts and cultural events that took place around the Lower Mainland until October 15th in 2023.
Lower Mainland Farmers’ Markets – Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest season. It’s also the end of the season for a number of local farmers’ markets (although some continue for a few more weeks). Markets that typically happen on the Thanksgiving weekend include ones in Abbotsford, Ambleside, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Fort Langley. There are also ones in Kitsilano, Maple Ridge, Squamish, Trout Lake, the West End, Whistler and White Rock.
Vancouver International Film Festival – films from all over the world are shown at various theatres around town up until Sunday.

Thanksgiving Autumn Activities

The Thanksgiving long weekend provides a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family enjoying traditional autumn activities. Fall is a great time to explore the outdoors and admire the fall colours. Great places to do this include the following:

Vancouver Parks: some of the best venues to admire the fall colours include Stanley Park, Bear Creek Park and other Best Places in Autumn.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a family-oriented event at Fort Langley on the Saturday of the October long weekend.
Farmers’ Markets: it’s harvest time and close to the end of the season for farmers’ markets that haven’t closed down already:
- Saturday Farmers’ Markets to still check out include those in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Fort Langley, Lonsdale Quay, Maple Ridge, Squamish, Trout Lake and the West End.
- Sunday Farmers’ Markets still open include those at Ambleside, Coquitlam, Kitsilano, Mt. Pleasant and White Rock. Also, the final market of the season in Whistler is on the Thanksgiving weekend.
- It’s not a farmers’ market, but the Thanksgiving weekend is also the last chance of the season to visit the Richmond Night Market. Not a lot of autumn leaves to see there, but nice places to visit in that part of the Lower Mainland include Richmond’s Minoru Park and the Steveston Village area along the waterfront.
Lower Mainland Pumpkin Patches: popular places for pumpkin-themed fun include Peteys Pumpkin Patch in Chilliwack, the Harrison Pumpkin Festival in Agassiz, Maan Farms in Abbotsford, and multiple other venues.
Fishing and Salmon Viewing: the lakes are getting stocked this time of year throughout the Lower Mainland and there is usually great salmon viewing at area rivers.

Thanksgiving Weekend Halloween Activities

In addition to Thanksgiving, October is also the month for Halloween. A number of Halloween attractions are usually open this weekend (as mentioned above).

For more ideas on Halloween things to do this month, check out the following: