A grown-up kind of Halloween

The best places to go on Halloween in the Lower Mainland

By Benjamin Howard, Contributor

Outgrown trick-or-treating and wondering what to do on Halloween? If so, here are some events for you.

The Lost Souls of Gastown. Embark on a journey into the dark history of Vancouver’s Gastown by going on this theatrical walking tour. Here’s a quotation from its website: “Venture into our city’s earliest and most gruesome history this Halloween season. A time when Vancouver was the Granville Townsite, a violent frontier town of hustlers and thieves, vagabonds, and bawdy girls.” The tour begins at 8 p.m. in downtown Vancouver at Cathedral Square, which is at Dunsmuir and Richards Street. Be warned, you might want to bring an extra pair of pantaloons!

The Chinatown Haunted House. A haunted house with a Chinese twist, the Chinese Haunted House is inspired by the macabre stories of detective Judge Dee—a mysterious Sherlockian figure based off of real-life magistrate Di Renjie, who was a member of the Tang court. It features over 25 actors, dancers, and musicians, and is located at the beautiful Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on Carrall Street. It’s open from 7–10 p.m., and tickets are $14.

Potter’s House of Horrors. Mentioned in a previous Halloween themed article, this attraction hosts two haunted houses. The first, The Ripper of Whitechapel, offers a terrifying walk through Victorian England, and is based loosely on the old Jack the Ripper legend. The second, The Swampin’ Slaughterhouse, is set in an eerie Louisiana swamp, making great use of all the voodoo, zombie, and crocodile references they can. Tickets are $15 per haunted house. Potter’s can be found in Surrey at 12530 72nd Avenue, and is open from 7–10 p.m.

The Parade of Lost Souls. The annual parade returns, this time with the theme of trickery. In keeping with tradition, the parade organizers will not announce the whereabouts until All Hallows’ Eve, but generally speaking, it will be somewhere in East Vancouver. The parade lasts from 7–10 p.m., and best of all, it’s free and completely family friendly!

Fright Nights at Playland. Though it seems like a main staple on the majority of our Halloween themed articles, Fright Nights are guaranteed fun! Featuring 15 rides, seven haunted houses, fire dancers, and a comedic magic sideshow, Fright Nights have just about everything. Tickets go from $32–$37, so they’re a little pricey when compared with the rest of these attractions—but who can say no to The Beast?

Happy haunting everyone!