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Vancouver on the Thanksgiving Weekend

September 20, 2024

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.

Family-friendly events that happen around this time of year include the Circo Osorio Circus in Richmond as well as activities at places like the Chilliwack Corn Maze, Peteys Pumpkin Patch, Maan Farms and Taves Family Farms in the Fraser Valley. Other events to check out on the last day of the long weekend include the Lost Souls of Gastown walking tours in Vancouver, HowlOver Canada film at FlyOver Canada, and the Canyon Frights Halloween attraction at Capilano Suspension Bridge at night. At VanDusen Garden there is also Harvest Days during the day.

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Thanksgiving in the Lower Mainland

Got family and friends visiting from out of town on the October long weekend? When you’re not sitting around the table eating turkey, why not 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, and so much more than that.

In 2025 the Sunday and Monday of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend are October 12th and 13th. The entire weekend runs from October 10th to 13th.

Best things to do at Thanksgiving include hanging out with close friends and family if you can. If the weather’s fairly decent, spend some time in area parks and nature outdoors. Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes are popular places to visit. Most years there are also Circo Osorio Circus shows in Richmond throughout the October long weekend. There are lots of other fun things to do too.

Halloween is just around the corner as well. Spooky events that take place over the Thanksgiving weekend include HowlOver Canada shows at FlyOver Canada, and pumpkin patches and haunted attractions at places like Fantasy Farms and Maan Farms. There are also walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver, and outdoor adventures with Vancouver Mysteries. Fright Nights at the PNE is always a popular attraction. So too are Harvest Days at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

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. Below is what’s happening this year. Our list includes autumn-themed activities, shows, turkey dinners, Halloween events and other activities.

Autumn-Themed Events

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:

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 too). These include the Chilliwack Corn Maze at Greendale Acres, Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms, and Fall at the Farm at Maan Farms. Another fun place is Taves Family Farms & Applebarn.
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 and Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms, plus Greendale Acres and Taves Family Farms.
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – one of Fort Langley’s most popular events of the year takes place on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend. There are activities in the town as well as at the fort. Admission to the Fort Langley National Historic Site is also free on the day.
Vancouver Parks: some of the best venues to admire the fall colours include Stanley Park, Bear Creek Park and other Best Places in Autumn. Also see our article about Best Places in Nature.
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.

Shows & Entertainment at Thanksgiving

Circo Osorio Circus – entertaining circus shows with a Latin flavour took place in a giant tent outside Richmond’s Lansdowne Centre from October 10th to 14th in 2024. The circus also plays in Coquitlam later in the month.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – CTORA Productions hosted shows at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend last year. Shows continued on select days until October 27th.
Metro Theatre – The Woman in Black showed at Vancouver’s Metro Theatre from October 12th until November 2nd in 2024. The play has been called “One of British theatre’s biggest and scariest hits” by The Guardian newspaper.
Deep Cove Stage – The Play That Goes Wrong showed at Deep Cove Shaw Theatre in North Vancouver from October 11th until the 26th in 2024. It’s a hilarious comedy about a play by a group of actors where everything that can go wrong does go wrong!
Presentation House Theatre – the play EARWORM showed from October 10th until the 13th at the theatre just up the street from Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.
The Improv Centre – live comedy improvisational theatre took place on Granville Island.

Restaurants with Thanksgiving Dinner

A big Thanksgiving dinner is one of the traditional highlights of the holiday weekend, but not everyone can make a big turkey dinner (or wants to). That doesn’t mean, though, that a fancy dinner is off the table! There are plenty of restaurants in Metro Vancouver that offer special Thanksgiving dinners for in-house dining and/or takeout meals to bring back home.

Below are examples of great places for getting a professionally-made Thanksgiving dinner. For more details about each, see our article about Thanksgiving Restaurant Dinners.

Thanksgiving Dinner Specials in Vancouver

P2B Bistro & Bar – the restaurant inside the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront at 1133 West Hastings Street. P2B offered various Thanksgiving dinner options from October 7th to 14th in 2024, served either individually or as a three-course meal. There was also a 10-person “Family-Style” Thanksgiving dinner that could be eaten either at the restaurant or taken home, and a Turkey Dinner for Two takeout meal.
Tutto Restaurant & Bar – an Italian restaurant at 901 Homer Street downtown in Yaletown. Its Thanksgiving dinner was served on Monday, October 14th. It was a set platter that included turkey, potato gratin, sage and chestnut stuffing, gravy, and Brussels sprouts. There was also a suggested wine pairing with the meal.
H2 Kitchen + Bar – on October 13th, 2024, this establishment in the Westin Bayshore Vancouver offered its Thanksgiving dinner. It was a three-course meal that included smoked turkey breast, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, and pumpkin pie with ice cream for dessert. The restaurant is located at 1601 Bayshore Drive in Coal Harbour.

Thanksgiving Dinner Specials in North Vancouver

The Lobby Restaurant & Lounge – the restaurant inside the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier is located at 138 Victory Ship Way which is just a five-minute walk from Lonsdale Quay. The Lobby offered both dine-in and take-out options on October 13th and 14th, 2024. For the former, you could choose between slow-roasted turkey, Haida Gwaii halibut, prime rib or stuffed acorn squash. Each dish on the menu had a suggested wine pairing. The Thanksgiving Turkey To-Go package had enough food for up to 10 people, and included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and maple glazed vegetables.
Pier 7 Restaurant + Bar – enjoy some waterfront dining at 25 Wallace Mews in the Shipyards District. Pier 7 offered a full three-course meal on the Saturday and Sunday of October 13th and 14th. The entrées included bison short rib risotto, confit turkey and grilled cauliflower steak. There were also some share plates available for appetizers, including stuffed frites, honey garlic green beans, and biscuits with butter and jam.

Halloween Events at Thanksgiving

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

Vancouver Halloween Activities

Forbidden Vancouver – Lost Souls of Gastown and other walking tours take place daily each year in downtown Vancouver.
Halloween at FlyOver – a family-friendly multi-dimensional film shows at Canada Place for most of the month.
Fright Nights – amusement rides, haunted attractions and live entertainment at the Pacific National Exhibition. It runs on select dates from early October until the 31st. It also runs on the Friday to Sunday of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend.
Harvest Days – this event is all about live music and family-friendly autumn-themed activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden. It takes place on select dates in September and October including on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend.

Keep reading 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 – there are five haunted houses at this Halloween attraction in Surrey in October including on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend.
Dreadworks Haunted House – a new high-intensity haunted attraction at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey.
Canyon Frights – the popular Capilano Suspension Bridge has Halloween-themed decorations and activities for much of the month of October.
Reapers – there is a haunted attraction as well as Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack.
Brinkworth Dungeon – a professional-quality haunted house at a private residence in Langley. (Note: This place is usually open during the second half of October. It didn’t operate last year, however, but likely will in 2025.)
Grave Tales – spooky and immersive walking tours for all ages at Fort Langley on select days in October.
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. The farm hosts other daily activities throughout October that are suitable for younger children too. See our article about Fall at the Farm for details about the family-friendly activities.

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.

Other Events on the Long Weekend

River Basin Days – the Fraser River Discovery Centre often hosts a special event somewhere in the Lower Mainland on the holiday weekend.
Made in the 604 Market – the Pipe Shop at the Shipyards in North Vancouver is usually full of artisan vendors on the Saturday of the long weekend. Admission is free.
BC Culture Days – a series of arts and cultural events that take place around the Lower Mainland until the long weekend.
Granville Island Turkey Trot – a 10-km Thanksgiving run, walk or stroll that takes place on Granville Island on the holiday Monday.
Kilby Historic Site – the historic Fraser Valley farm and museum is an interesting place to visit, and it’s especially pretty in autumn. In 2025 on the Thanksgiving weekend there are apple-pressing demonstrations. (Note: Kilby Farm is just a 20-minute drive west of Harrison Hot Springs which is also very pretty this time of year. There are likely lots of bald eagles in the area to see too!)
Railway Museum of BC – a cool museum with the biggest collection of heritage trains and railway artifacts anywhere in the province. There’s also a very long miniature railway and a number of heritage buildings.
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.