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.
This article contains information on the following topics:
Weekend Special Events | Autumn Activities | Halloween Activities
Got family and friends visiting from out of town on the October Long Weekend? When 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 2024, the Sunday and Monday of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend are October 13th and 14th. The entire weekend runs from October 11th to 14th.
Best things to do at Thanksgiving most years include hanging out with close family and, weather permitting, spending time in area parks and nature outdoors. Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes are popular places to visit. This year, there’s also Circo Osorio Circus shows in Richmond throughout the October long weekend.
Halloween is just around the corner as well. Spooky events that take place over the Thanksgiving weekend include HowlOver Canada shows at FlyOver Canada, pumpkin patches and haunted attractions at places like Fantasy Farms and Maan Farms, Lost Souls of Gastown walking tours with Forbidden Vancouver, and outdoor adventures with Vancouver Mysteries. There is also Fright Nights at the PNE.
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 a list of events that take place most years. Our list includes Halloween-related events, Thanksgiving runs, autumn-themed activities and other events.
Halloween Events at Thanksgiving
Below we list Halloween-themed activities that normally 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 Canada – a family-friendly multi-dimensional film shows at Canada Place from October 3rd to 31st in 2024.
- Fright Nights – amusement rides, haunted attractions and live entertainment at the Pacific National Exhibition. In 2024 Fright Nights runs from October 4th to 31st, including on Friday to Sunday of the Thanksgiving long weekend.
- Harvest Days – live music and family-friendly autumn-themed activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden. This year the event takes place on select dates between September 28th and October 20th. It runs on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the long weekend.
See further below 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 – haunted houses, mazes and an escape room in Surrey. In 2024 the attraction operates on Friday to Sunday of the Thanksgiving long weekend.
- Reapers – a haunted attraction and Peteys Pumpkin Patch at Fantasy Farms in Chilliwack. This year the pumpkin patch is open daily over the Thanksgiving long weekend, while Reapers is open from the Friday to the Sunday.
- Brinkworth Dungeon – a professional-quality haunted house at a private residence in Langley. In 2023 the attraction was open daily from October 4th until November 5th, so for the full Thanksgiving long weekend. 2024 dates are TBC.
- 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. It’s open on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. The farm hosts other daily activities throughout the month that are suitable for younger children too. They include the farm’s Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze.
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.
Thanksgiving Runs
- Granville Island Turkey Trot – a 10-kilometre Thanksgiving run, walk or stroll that takes place on Granville Island on Monday, October 14th in 2024.
Autumn-themed Events
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 in 2024.
Other Events
- Circo Osorio Circus – entertaining circus shows with a Latin flavour take place in a giant tent outside Richmond’s Lansdowne Centre from October 10th to 14th in 2024. It’s also in Coquitlam later in the month.
- Cirque du Soleil – the world-famous circus company brings their ECHO show to Vancouver’s Concord Pacific Place. In 2024 the shows run from October 9th to December 15th, including on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend.
- Latin American Heritage Month – events celebrating Latin culture happen in Vancouver between October 9th and November 3rd in 2024.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – CTORA Productions hosts shows at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the long weekend. Shows continue on select days until October 27th.
- BC Culture Days – a series of arts and cultural events that take place around the Lower Mainland until Sunday of the long weekend in 2024.
- 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.
Thanksgiving Autumn Activities
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:
- Vancouver Parks: some of the best venues to admire the fall colours include Stanley Park, Bear Creek Park and other Best Places in Autumn.
- Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – a family-oriented event at Fort Langley on the Saturday of the October long weekend.
- 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, Maple Ridge, Squamish, Trout Lake and the West End.
- Sunday Farmers’ Markets still open include those at Ambleside, Coquitlam, Kitsilano, Mt. Pleasant and White Rock. Also, the final market of the season in Whistler is on the Thanksgiving weekend.
- It’s not the same as a a farmers’ market, but the Thanksgiving weekend is also the last chance of the season 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 Pumpkin Patches: popular places for pumpkin-themed fun include Peteys Pumpkin Patch in Chilliwack, the Harrison Pumpkin Festival in Agassiz, Maan Farms in Abbotsford, and multiple other venues.
- 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.
Thanksgiving Weekend Halloween Activities
In addition to Thanksgiving, October is also the month for Halloween. A number of Halloween attractions are usually open this weekend (as mentioned above).
For more ideas on Halloween things to do this month, check out the following:
Other Information
For other ideas on things to do at other times this month, check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ October Calendar.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
Whatever you end up doing, we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! For those of us who live in Vancouver, we have a lot to be thankful for!