VANCOUVER — The air is becoming crisp and the rain is falling but there's another reason Metro Vancouver might feel a little spine-chilling this season. Halloween is approaching and with it comes plenty of scary and supernatural happenings. Who says All Hallows' Eve should only be celebrated for one day?
Here are five things to do in Vancouver this Halloween season:
Ghost Train in Stanley Park
The Ghost Train in the city's famed Stanley Park takes riders on a journey through a spooky but family-friendly world. This year, join Jack O'Lantern in the dark forest, where he wanders trapped in an ancient Halloween world with a Celtic twist. The ride is open Oct. 11 to 31 and runs rain or shine. Tickets are $6 to $12.
Fright Night at the Pacific National Exhibition
Why settle for one haunted house when you can have eight? Cap off the night with ghoulish comedy shows by The Monsters of Schlock and Singe the Clown. Select nights Oct. 5 to 31. Tickets are $24 to $109.
Parade of Lost Souls
Stretch your imagination with a surreal procession of fantastical characters. The Parade of Lost Souls is a decades-old tradition in East Vancouver organized by the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret. The route is kept secret until midnight before the event. This year's date has not yet been publicized but it typically happens on or near Oct. 31.
West Vancouver Pumpkinfest
Get your cosy sweaters on and head to the north shore for an old fashioned harvest festival. Pick out your future jack-o'-lantern in the pumpkin patch, pet animals in the farm zone or get your face painted. The festival also includes a home and harvest competition, artisan market and entertainment. Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Vancouver Community Centre.
Ghost walks
Take a stroll back in time with one of several spooky walks offered in Metro Vancouver. Forbidden Vancouver will lead you through the backstreets and alleyways of Victorian Gastown with stories of smallpox, fires and murder on its Lost Souls of Gastown tours starting Oct. 16. Hear tales of hauntings on Ghostly Vancouver Tours downtown tour and the story of British Columbia's "hanging judge" in the New Westminster tour.
