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Vancouver Thanksgiving Weekend

There is a lot to do on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend in Vancouver. 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 | Thanksgiving Halloween Activities

Thanksgiving in the Lower Mainland

Got family and friends visiting from out of town the weekend of October 6th to 8th in 2018? 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 including indoor ones for when it’s raining. There are also markets, festivals and spawning salmon to see, plus so much more.

Weekend Special Events in 2018

Special festivals and events happening on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend in 2018 include the following:

Glow Harvest – an exciting new and family-friendly attraction with pumpkins and hundreds of thousands of sparkling lights at Milner Village Garden Centre at 6690 216th Street in Langley. It’s open on the Friday and Saturday, but not on Thanksgiving Sunday or Monday.
Vancouver Halloween Parade – a family-friendly parade in downtown Vancouver on October 6th. Expect to see lots of fun costumes including superheroes and Japanese anime, plus perhaps a few Star Wars characters. There might be some zombies too, but nothing gory or ultra scary, so it’s a fabulous event for little kids too.
Vancouver Halloween Expo – live entertainment and Halloween activities take place at Robson Square and outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on October 5th to 7th and the Vancouver Halloween Parade is on Thanksgiving Sunday.
Oktoberfest – Oktoberfest beer festivals this weekend include Vancouver Oktoberfest at the Vancouver Alpen Club and the Port Moody Oktoberfest near the Port Moody Public Library.
Vancouver International Film Festival – films from all over the world are shown at various theatres around town all weekend.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – one of Fort Langley’s most popular events of the year is on Saturday, October 6th, in 2018.
Halloween Events – a number of Halloween events start up for the season on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend including the following:
- Forbidden Vancouver – Lost Souls of Gastown and other walking tours in downtown Vancouver.
- Fright Nights – haunted houses, rides and Halloween fun at the PNE on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday (but not Thanksgiving Monday).
- Halloween Pumpkin Express – child-friendly miniature train rides at Bear Creek Park in Surrey starting on the Saturday.
- Potter’s House of Horrors – a couple of haunted houses 12530 72nd Avenue in Surrey.
- Reapers – A haunted attraction that’s open from 7 to 10 pm on the Friday and Saturday (October 5 & 6) and from 7 to 9 pm on the Sunday (October 7). It starts up for the season at the beginning of October and is located at 9423 Gibson Road in Chilliwack.

Thanksgiving Autumn Activities

The Thanksgiving Long Weekend provides a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family enjoying traditional autumn activities, like exploring the outdoors and admiring the fall colours. Great places to do this include the following:

Vancouver Parks: Best places to admire the fall colours this time of year include Stanley Park and Bear Creek Park. For more ideas on where to see the fall colours, check out Vancouver’s Best Places in Autumn.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a family-oriented event at Fort Langley on Saturday, October 6th, in 2018. While you’re there, check out the Fort Langley Farmers Market too.
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 and White Rock. Also, final markets of the season are at Mt. Pleasant and Whistler.
- It’s not a farmers market, but the Thanksgiving weekend is also the last chance in 2018 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 Farms: Maan Farms in Abbotsford, the Bose Corn Maze in Surrey, the Chilliwack Corn Maze in the Fraser Valley and the Pumpkin Patch at Richmond Country Farms are all great places to take kids to pick out a pumpkin.
Thanksgiving Tea: Takes place at London Heritage Farm in Richmond on October 6 and 7 in 2018 and costs around $15 or so. While you’re in the area, go for a stroll along the waterfront at Steveston Village.
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 the Capilano River Hatchery in North Vancouver.

Thanksgiving Weekend Halloween Activities

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

If you are looking for something scary, Fright Nights at the PNE opens this weekend, and there is also Reapers in Chilliwack and Potter’s House of Horrors in Surrey (all of which are closed on October 8, the holiday Monday, in 2018).

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