31 things to do in and around Victoria this Halloween weekend, October 29th-30th

Happy Hallow-eekend!

While the big day has been set aside for this upcoming Monday, pumpkins have been carved, costumes are ready and all over Victoria the anticipation of Halloween can be felt in the air.

After a long week of rain, the weather forecast this weekend is clearing up here and there making it the perfect weekend to trick and treat yourself!

Here are 31 things to do in and around Victoria this Halloween weekend, October 29th-30st:

Howl-oween Pet Parade

Nothing is cuter than a dog in a costume!

The Carr House and the James Bay Vet Clinic have teamed up once again for the second annual Howl-oween Pet Parade!

On Saturday, October 29th, pets from all across Greater Victoria will be adorning their cutest costumes and parading through the gardens of the historic Carr House.

Rain or shine, the pet parade shall go on, so if it is raining, remember to bring an umbrella.

• When: Registration at 12:15 p.m., parade at 1 p.m.
• Where: Emily Carr House, 207 Government Street
• Admission: Free

Crafted Farmhouse Market

Are you ready for a weekend full of handcrafted wares, homemade goodies and a list of local vendors that’s sure to impress?

You’re in luck, because Crafted Farmhouse Market is back with their fall edition!

Held at the Mary Winspear Centre in beautiful Sidney by the sea, this event showcases the best of the best of modern and vintage goods from local makers in Victoria.

• When:
  • Friday, October 28th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 29th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Where: Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney
• Tickets: $5 cash admission at the door – kids get in

Victoria Harbour Ferry Haunted Harbour Tours

Discover the Dark Past of Victoria’s Inner Harbour with Victoria Harbour Ferry and Ghostly Walks who have paired up to bring you a very Spooktacular one-of-a-kind tour – Haunted Harbour Tours!

The guides from Ghostly Walks have collected tons of tales of ghostly encounters in the Victoria Harbour and weaved them together to bring you this unique tour.

This exclusive tour is running for one week only! Starting October 24th and ending October 31st. Seating is limited and can only be booked online.

• When: Daily until October 31st, hourly from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Where: Victoria’s Inner Harbour

Festival of Fear at Galey Farms

Galey Farms is the place to be this October with their corn maze, pumpkin patch and highly anticipated Carnevil!

If you’re looking for some real scares, mark your calendar for the Carnevil and Festival of Fear events.

The 5,000 square foot Haunted House will be ready to spook you every Thursday, Friday and Saturday starting October 13th until October 31st. The PG13 haunted house has three “chicken exits” for those that need it.

• When: Starting October 13th until Halloween, check website for times
• Where: Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road

Frankenstein at Craigdarroch Castle

October is the best time of year to pop by one of Victoria’s most haunted locations and this year a one-man show of Frankenstein will be an added bonus to your visit.

The production of Frankenstein is set to haunt the dance hall within Craigdarroch Castle on Friday and Saturday nights beginning on October 14th.

• When: October 14th to 29th, every Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Where: Craigdarroch Castle, 1050 Joan Crescent

Attend Fright Night at Ocean View Estates

For a limited time only, the very same sunny Saanichton Sunflower Field will be transformed into twists and turns of horror for some very exclusive fright nights!

Their twisted interactive experience features evil clowns and zombies filling the former sunflower field and they’re all ready to scare the pants off of even the most daring visitor.

Scare enthusiasts are welcome to come in costume or dress as themselves but are urged to wear appropriate rain and mud gear.

• Where:  Saanichton Corn Maze, 7979 Central Saanich Road
• When:
  • Friday, October 29th; 7:15 p.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 30th; 7:15 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Tickets: $25 per person and can be purchased online.

The Wiggles

The world’s most popular children’s entertainment group, The Wiggles will be travelling across Canada from St Johns to Vancouver to perform their biggest show yet!

Anthony, Tsehay, Lachy and Simon are delighted to sing, dance and play music for their fans, and will be bring along all of their Wiggly friends too!

Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Shirley Shawn the Unicorn are all coming along for the fun, PLUS The Wiggles are excited to introduce Caterina Wiggle and John Wiggle from the Fruit Salad TV series to their Canadian fans!

• When: Saturday, October 29th, 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Where: McPherson Playhouse, 3 Centennial Square

Festival of the Dead: The Phantom of the Opera

The Festival of the Dead opens with a screening of the 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera. Directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney, the film is an early classic of the horror genre. The internationally acclaimed organ virtuoso David Briggs, currently the Artist in Residence for New York City’s Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, will provide a live, improvised accompaniment on Christ Church Cathedral’s magnificent Wolff organ. A performance not to be missed!

• When: Saturday, October 29th, 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Christ Church Cathedral, 930 Burdett Avenue

Galey Farms Corn Maze

All tickets include a train ride. Hop aboard and enjoy the 1.8km of track around the perimeter of our crop-producing fields and along Blenkinsop Creek. You will go past the pumpkin patch and thru our spooktacular displays decorated for Halloween.

After your train ride you will enter our two-hectare corn maze which winds you thru our sphink, graveyard, pirates island, dino town, a ghost town and our family-friendly haunted house. You are then invited to our pumpkin patch, you can either take a leisurely stroll or you’re welcome to ride on one of our haywagons upon availability to get there.

• When: Saturday and Sunday, October 29th and 30th, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road

Astrocolor

MRG Live, 91.3 The Zone and Astrocolor Presents a Freaky Funky Halloween with Astrocolor and special guests at the Capital Ballroom on October 29th. Dress up and dance away!

• When: Saturday, October 29th, starting at 8 p.m.
• Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates Street

Saanichton Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch

As of October 1st, Ocean View Estates has officially reopened their corn maze and pumpkin patch, and you won’t want to miss it!

• When: Friday-Sunday for the month of October, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Where: 7979 Central Saanich Road
• Tickets: Available online
  • $12 general admission
  • $9.50 for children (4-12)
  • $36 for family pass (2 adults + 2 children)
  • Kids under 3 are free

Stranger Things Halloween

This Halloween weekend Upstairs will take you through Hawkins and into the Upside Down for a Stranger Things themed party! There will have limited tickets available at the door so make sure to get down early!

• When: Saturday, October 29th, starting at 9 p.m.
• Where: Upstairs Cabaret, 15 Bastion Square

Horse-Drawn Haunted Halloween Tours

As Halloween approaches, when the barrier between the world of the living and the dead is thinnest, we are more likely to experience sightings and ghostly energies. Experience the dark and twisted past of Victoria’s most-infamous haunted buildings and hear spine-tingling tales of their resident ghosts!

• When:
  • October 20th to 23rd, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • October 27th to 31st, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Where:
  • Victoria tours depart from the corner of Belleville and Menzies Streets, beside the Parliament Buildings
  • Central Saanich tours depart from outside the Central Saanich Municipal Hall

Victoria Symphony presents Music That Goes Bump in the Night

It’s spooky, it’s spine-tingling, it’s symphonic… and it’s happening this weekend!

Join Victoria Symphony this Saturday, October 29th and Sunday, October 30th for ‘Music That Goes Bump in the Night’—bringing frights and delights with some of the most chilling compositions from the concert hall and silver screen.

• When: 
  • Saturday, October 29th – 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, October 30th – 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton Street

Fall Food Truck Festival at The Langford Station

Are you ready for a weekend full of delicious food, fun, and family events?

The Langford Station’s got you covered for all of the above and then some, with a massive food truck festival featuring tons of delicious eats spanning across both days this upcoming weekend.

Then the fun continues into Monday when The Langford Station will host their first ever Treat Street, an evening full of Halloween events.

• When: Saturday, October 29th from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 30th
• Where: 720 Station Avenue, Downtown Langford

Victoria Zombie Walk 2022

The march of the undead has officially returned.

On Saturday, October 29th, the zombie apocalypse will descend upon downtown Victoria once more, bringing some of the city’s goriest creatures along with it.

Kicking off in Centennial Square at 3 p.m., all humans are invited to rip up some clothes, bathe in some blood, and show off their most terrifying ensembles.

• When: Saturday, October 29th, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Zombies can start gathering at 2 p.m.!)
• Where: Centennial Square

Saturday Night Thriller

Halloween Disco party! Dress up in your favourite disco costumes and prepare to enter the time machine back to 1979 for some authentic live disco tributes. This is going to be lit, folks!

• When: Saturday October 29th, starting at 7 p.m.
• Where: 6044 Oldfield Road

Halloween on the Farm

Join Roddy the Pumpkin Elf as he spins tales of Halloween past. Make a spooky mask, groom a pony, play in the castle and go for a ride through our cemetery. This event is great for the younger crowd as they focus on fun, not scary! Tickets available online.

• When: Saturday and Sunday October 29th and 30th, 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day
• Where: White Eagle Polish Hall, 90 Dock Street

Little Rave of Horrors

Bring in this Halloween with some wickedly evil devils’ music, or maybe just a bit of techno… Our selectors will make your blood boil!

Featuring Dataist, Jayman, Michif. Costumes expected.

• When: Saturday October 29th, starting at 10 p.m.
• Where: Quadratic Sound, 655 Queens Avenue

Carnival of Terrors – Halloween Show and Party

Passion and Performance Arts is bringing you into a Carnival of Terrors, an immersive horror experience at the Crystal Garden.

Carnival of Terrors will kick off with an immersive dance spectacle. The show will feature performers in dances of all levels from beginner to professional. They have weaved their twisted tales into an exciting evening for you filled with blood, gore and horror.

• When: Saturday October 29th, starting at 7 p.m.
• Where: Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas Street

Family-Friendly Costume Bike Ride 

Show off your Halloween costume in this family-friendly, chill-paced (10km /hour) costumed ride! Glide along to some spooky tunes and Halloween favourites; stick around to check out costumes and enjoy a tasty treat at the end!

• When: Sunday, October 30th, starting at 3 p.m.
• Where: Downtown Victoria, at Fort and Government Streets

Bad + Boo-jee Halloween Bash

G ready to bring that big witch energy to this spooktacular bash that will feature a live DJ, best costume will win a $200 gift card.

• When: Saturday, October 29th, starting at 8 p.m.
• Where: CRAFT Beer Market Victoria Harbour, 450 Swift Street

Bite Night – A Vampire Soirée

Dine Gothic-Style at the hour the undead come alive! Prepare for a fun-filled evening of surprises. Enjoy a three-course meal like you’ve never experienced and learn about Vampire Culture.

Peter Golz, PHD, Associate Professor in the department of Germanic and Slavic studies at the University of Victoria will present a short talk on Comedic Vampires.

Peter’s Vampire course is one of North America most popular university courses on Vampires. Get answers to the burning questions you’ve carried with you all your mortal years.mBecause space is limited and in the spirit of L’Apéro some guests may be sharing their table with other guests.

Gratuity for food is included in the ticket price. Let us know of any food allergies.

• When: Saturday, October 29th, starting at 7 p.m.
• Where: L’Apéro – Wine and Cheese Bistro, 1028 Blanshard Street

Trunk or Treat

Who’s ready for candy?! Trunk or Treat is returning to an in-person event in the Colwood Church parking lot. Bring your kids in their best costumes with buckets/bags and come trick or treat safely as a family! Enjoy all the decorated vehicles as well as other activities taking place in our gym including slime station, playdough, crafts, grilled cheese, and hot chocolate, etc.!

• When: Saturday, October 29th, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Colwood Church, 2250 Sooke Road
  

Chills and Thrills Halloween Skate

Enjoy chills and thrills at our Halloween skate this Sunday, Oct. 30, 2:30-4:15 p.m. at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Everyone welcome. Skate and helmet rentals are available, and costumes are encouraged.

• When: Sunday, October 30th, 2:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
• Where: Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard Street

Victoria Bug Zoo’s SPOOKY 25th Anniversary

Enjoy a Spooky night of adventure and local creators! The Victoria Bug Zoo will be open regular hours on October 30th with a twist.

Celebrate 25 years of bugs by coming back to the Zoo at 5 p.m. for a spookier time with special Halloween bug stories and games.

Inside the Zoo and throughout Nootka Court, you will find a night market full of local creators and artists.

Though they will try to keep our spooky themed Bug Zoo appropriate for all ages, it might be a bit too spooky for some little ones. Lights will be dimmed, smoke machine will be on, and stories might be a little scarier than normal.

• When: Sunday, October 30th, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Where: Victoria Bug Zoo, 631 Courtney Street

Sidney Halloween Cruise

Car enthusiasts from all over Greater Victoria are dressing their vehicles up for the third annual ‘Sidney Halloween Cruise’ this weekend.

Spectators can expect classic, modified, hot rod and muscle cars driving a designated route, decorated in the Halloween spirit.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 30th at the Sidney location of Canadian Tire in their parking lot. Drivers will then leave the lot at 7 p.m. and drive at a slow pace along their route, expecting to arrive back at the same Canadian Tire around 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.

• When: Sunday, October 30th from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Starting at Canadian Tire parking lot – 10300 McDonald Park Road, and throughout Sindey

Visit 31 eerily haunted places in and around Victoria

For those who didn’t know, Victoria is considered one of most haunted cities in British Columbia. Almost every building in the downtown core has a ghost story.

Some say it’s a result of our Wild West beginnings during the Gold Rush, when the streets were full of fortune hunters, pleasure houses, saloons, public hangings, and opium dens – back when vice was around every corner.

So, in anticipation of Halloween, we’ve compiled some of the most famous active locations of paranormal activity in the city. Click here to see the full list.

Visit Halloween Decorated Homes

Costumes aren’t just for people!

Many Greater Victorians have dressed their houses up with cobwebs, skeletons, jack-o lanterns and so much more!

If you know of a house that scared you out of your socks, or put you in the Halloween spirit, send Victoria Buzz a picture along with the address and we can add it to this list.

Click here to see the full list.

Halloween Night Climb at WildPlay Victoria

Experience the Classic Adventure Course in a whole new way. Navigate log bridges, rope swings and ziplines with just the narrow beam of your headlamp and the light of the moon to guide your way!

• When: Sunday, October 30th, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Where: WildPlay Victoria, 1767 Island Hwy #15

Haunted House at Luxton Fairgrounds

Something spooky has happened at the Luxton Fairgrounds! They have a haunted house set up! Head on down and have a spooktacular time!

• When: Saturday and Sunday, October 30th, Kid friendly from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., adult from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Where: Luxton Fairgrounds, Hwy #14, across from Ronald Road