26 ways to celebrate Halloween in and around Victoria this October

It’s dark Octoberist’s favourite time of year again!

As the nights get longer, the pumpkins come out and Spirit Halloween becomes more crowded, fall fiends everywhere start to get a tingle in their stomachs.

With so many events going on in the city, it can be hard to decide what to do.

With haunted houses, scary screenings, costumed cabaret, devilish drag, mad markets and good old-fashioned pumpkin patches, there’s something going on for everyone this scary season.

But be warned: while this list may start out lighthearted and family-friendly, the events get scarier and more shadowy the further it goes on. Continue, if you dare!

Here are 26 ways to celebrate Halloween in and around Victoria this October:

Pumpkinfest at Galey Farms

Looking for some Halloween fun without all the scares? Galey Farms is bringing back Pumpkinfest for another season of family-friendly fall festivities!

Visitors can hop aboard a train ride, explore the corn maze, take a wagon ride and wander through the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkin.

There’s also a Ghost Town, a children’s haunted house and plenty of opportunities to soak up the Halloween atmosphere.

Tickets are available online, and children aged two and under get in free!

• Where: Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road
• When: Weekends through November 1st, plus Friday, October 23rd

Kids Halloween Karaoke Party with Performances by Mister Mojo at The Open Studios 

Bring the kids in costumes to see Mister Mojo’s Halloween show and stick around for Kids Karaoke!

Mister Mojo (Morien Jones) is an award winning singer-songwriter and performer who lives in Victoria.

His fun and catchy songs are enjoyed by families the world over. Kids and adults alike love to sing and dance along to his entertaining performances.

Mister Mojo has performances at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., each of which are followed by a round of kids karaoke.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Open Studios, 634 Humboldt Street
• When: Saturday, October 31st – 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Hotel Transylvania at Cineplex Westshore

Get into the spirit of Halloween with a fun, family-friendly movie morning at Cineplex Westshore Town Centre and Hotel Transylvania!

The 2012 film features Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a human boy discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teenaged daughter.

The film will be playing on Saturday, October 24th at 10 a.m., with ticket prices set at only $7.50. Purchase yours here!

• Where: Cineplex Westshore, 2945 Jacklin Road
• When: Saturday, October 24th – 10 a.m.

Halloween Pumpkin Express train rides at Heritage Acres

The Vancouver Island Model Engineers are bringing their Halloween Pumpkin Express back to Heritage Acres for three days of festive fall train rides!

These are the last public train days of the season!

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the miniature trains before they wrap up for the winter and return next spring!

Admission is $10 at the gate, with an extra $3 for a train ride.

• Where: Heritage Acres, 7321 Lochside Drive
• When: 
  • Friday, October 16th – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 17th – 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Sunday, October 18th – 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Legends of Halloween II at Haunted Manor: Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge

Victoria’s premiere Halloween event is back at Haunted Manor: Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge.

The Legends of Halloween have escaped Halloweenville and returned to the McKinnley Manor to enact chaos.

Join the iconic demon host for an immersive Halloween adventure filled with legendary characters and frightful fun for the whole family.

Arrive early and enjoy a beverage in the newly themed Parlour Lounge!

Tickets prices vary and can be purchased here.

• Where: Haunted Manor: Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge, 711 Yates Street
• When: September 21st to November 3rd

Halloween Activities at Swan Lake

Visit the nature house on Halloween for this family-friendly event.

Learn that bones and skulls are not so scary and enjoy some hands-on learning with these specimens offered by Nature Educator and Stewardship Assistant Ruby.

There will also be a colouring station available with classic scary creatures featured.

The nature house welcomes costumes of all kinds!

Admission is free or by donation.

• Where: Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Road
• When: Saturday, October 31st – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Go Mad exhibit at Monkey C Interactive’s Artcade

The Artcade is busting open two new portals to worlds never before seen with the premiere of the Orbit City Synthilator and the (huggable?) Pom Trees.

Hosted by intergalactic ambassadors “Beep” and “Boop”, attendees are invited to journey to worlds beyond and discover many other weird surprises.

Don’t forget to don your best “mad” outfit and enter the costume contest!

Tickets are $15 for the duration of the exhibit from October 21st to November 1st and can be purchased at the door.

• Where: Monkey C Interactive’s Artcade, 706 Fort Street
• When: Wednesday, October 21st to Sunday, November 1st – Wednesdays to Sundays 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A-Scare-ium of the Salish Sea

Get ready for a frightfully fun underwater adventure as the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea transforms into a spooky aquarium for Halloween!

The sixth annual Halloween Spectacular invites families to dress in their favourite costumes and enjoy trick-or-treating among the marine exhibits.

Visitors can search for sunken jack-o’-lanterns, explore eerie underwater displays and enjoy face painting.

Admission is by donation, with proceeds supporting the New Marine Centre Society and the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank. A donation of $5 to $10 per person is suggested.

• Where: Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, 9811 Seaport Place, Sidney
• When: Friday, October 23rd – from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Halloween Spooktacular at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens

Dress in costume and explore the Gardens decked out for Halloween!

Enjoy complimentary face painting, discover fascinating insects at the Spooktacular Species keeper table and enter to win a Halloween prize package valued at $175!

The first 100 children in costume to complete the scavenger hunt will receive a full-sized chocolate bar, and mini candies will be available for the remainder of the day while supplies last.

Admission prices vary, tickets can be purchased here.

• Where: Victoria Butterfly Gardens, 1461 Benvenuto Avenue
• When: Saturday, October 31st – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Halloween on the Boolevard at Uptown

A full day of family activities, including pumpkin carving, games, music, princess appearances and trick-or-treating from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

• Where: Uptown Shopping Centre, 3440 Saanich Road
• When: Saturday, October 31st – from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

12th annual Wicked Victoria

Get your costumes ready! One of Victoria’s favourite Halloween celebrations is returning to downtown for another day of spooky, family-friendly fun!

The 12th annual Thrifty Foods Wicked Victoria will transform Government Street into a Halloween wonderland, complete with live entertainment, costumed characters, trick-or-treating, local vendors and plenty of activities for the little ones.

Families can enjoy spooky storytelling, music, dance performances, face painting and Halloween crafts throughout the day.

Best of all, this community celebration is completely free to attend!

• Where: Government Street (between Yates and Broughton Streets) and Bastion Square, downtown Victoria
• Where: When: Sunday, October 25th – from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Halloween Market YYJ at the Da Vinci Centre

Ready to join the coven?

This event will offer two days of haunting artisan makers, delicious food and drinks, haunting tunes from DJ Boitano, workshops and more!

The event is partnered with Habitat Acquisition Trust in support of their Bat Program through the Early Bat Shopping Hour.

Tickets for this first pick event always sell out, get yours soon!

Ticket prices vary and can be purchased here.

• Where: Da Vinci Centre, 195 Bay Street
• When: Saturday, October 24th and Sunday, October 25th

Halloween Pop-up Vintage Fair and Market at Lazy Susan’s

Island Vintage is back with another pop-up vintage market specializing in Halloween wares!

Expect all things vintage, retro, mid-century modern, Halloween, handcrafted, jewelry, clothing, collectibles and more.

Admission to the market is free.

• Where: Lazy Susan’s 2039 Oak Bay Avenue
• When: Saturday, October 17th – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Halloween Comedy Costume Show at The Mint

Head to The Mint for a costumed comedy show!

This event is a comedy show featuring sexy and scary themes with Headliner Danielle Florence, Carilynn Nicholson, Luke Jonathan, Sarah Carol, Mike Deitering, opener Yukaliptis and comedy duo Keithsonic and Lucia.

Tickets are $20 advance or $25 at the door and can be purchased here.

• Where: The Mint, 1414 Douglas Street
• When: Friday, October 30th – 7 p.m.

High Noon: A Werewolf Western at Heritage Acres

Set against a backdrop of shadowy barns and moonlit churches, this original site-specific theatrical show plunges the audience into a remote wild west town where around every corner something hungry and hairy awaits you.

Performances are recommended for those aged 12 and older. This is not a seated performance, and attendees should expect standing and outdoor walking on unpaved road and grass.

Tickets can be purchased here.

• Where: Heritage Acres, 7321 Lochside Drive
• When: Varying dates and times until October 30th

Festival of Fear and The Asylum at Galey Farms

When the sun goes down, Galey Farms transform for the Festival of Fear!

The farm offers a nighttime Halloween experience packed with scary attractions.

Take your friends and brave the darkness!

Or, check out Galey’s haunted house, The Asylum.

Enter if you dare and face twisted clowns, terrifying characters, dark surprises and enough scares to keep you looking over your shoulder all night.

Ticket prices vary and can be purchased here.

• Where: Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road
• When: October 8th to 31st – Weekend evenings and select weeknights

Rocky Horror Picture Show at an Independent Theatre

There’s no better way to celebrate the scary season than with The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

The cult classic starring Tim Curry is likely to be an even bigger event this October after his passing earlier this year.

Several of Victoria’s independent theatres make an event of the film every year, with movie go-ers dressing as their favourite characters, singing and yelling alongside the characters and using props at select times throughout the movie.

Every fan of the films has a favourite place to watch in town, what’s yours?

UVic’s campus theatre, Cinecenta, will be playing the films on October 28th and 30th with two showings each evening.

The Vic Theatre has seven screenings of the film throughout October, many of which have already sold out.

Drag Sunday Productions will also be hosting their annual Rocky Horror Drag Show, with performances throughout October.

How will you celebrate the cult classic this scary season?

Fright Fest at The Vic Theatre

Fright Fest is already in full swing at the Vic Theatre, with some classic slasher/horror films that paved the way for horror films playing on the big screen this October.

Remaining films include Suspiria on October 18th, The Exorcist: Director’s Cut on October 25th, and John Carpenter’s Halloween on October 31st.

Pick your favourite and head down to The Vic Theatre for scary season!

• Where: The Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas Street
• When: Varying showtimes

Ross Bay Cemetery Ghost Tour

One of the Old Cemetery Society’s most popular annual tours is based on ghost stories linked to people buried at Ross Bay Cemetery.

On some of the graves, the occupants might even seem to come to life and tell their tales.

Cemetery tours are $5 for non-members or $2 for members and can be purchased upon arrival.

• Where: Ross Bay Cemetery, 1495 Fairfield Road
• When: Saturday, October 25th – 2 p.m.

Ghostly Walks Halloween Tours

Think you know Victoria’s haunted history? Think again!

Ghostly Walks is bringing its popular Halloween tours back to downtown Victoria, offering a spine-tingling journey through the city’s darker past.

Led by knowledgeable guides, the walking tours explore historic streets and buildings while sharing chilling ghost stories, mysterious legends and tales of unexplained happenings.

It’s a chance to discover a different side of Victoria’s history while getting into the Halloween spirit!

Tickets and tour times vary.

• Where: Downtown Victoria
• When: Various dates and times through November 1st

Halloween Cabaret: FUN HOUSE with Atomic Vaudeville

FUN HOUSE is a large-scale, unruly collision of comedy, music, dance, drag, spectacle and theatrical chaos.

This year, audiences enter a warped fun house built for a world increasingly obsessed with frictionless living, virtual experience and keeping messy human bodies at a safe distance.

What begins as entertainment gets stranger, wetter and harder to control as a large ensemble of Victoria artists takes over Fellowship Hall with original music, clown, dance, satire and theatrical mayhem.

Tickets prices vary and can be purchased here.

• Where: 932 Balmoral Road
• When: October 22nd to November 1st

Art For Art’s Sake – Halloween Horror at The Roxy Theatre

Get your tickets for CineVic’s Presenter Series – Art for Art’s Sake: a focus on creating, showcasing and learning for the fun of it.

Join in for the screening of newly created short horror films made by local participants.

Each filmmaker will have 10 minutes to present their work, followed by a short Q&A and sharing some stories about their process.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can with a minimum of $10. Purchase yours here.

• Where: The Roxy Theatre, 2657 Quadra Street
• When: Wednesday, October 21st – 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Horror Escape room

You have 45 minutes to uncover a mystery in detailed escape room sets, finding clues, solving puzzles, triggering high tech props and unlocking your way into multiple rooms!

Horror Escape offers three thrilling escape rooms.

Will you escape?

Admission is $27 per player and can be purchased here.

• Where: 523 Broughton Street
• When: Varying times

RAKATA Latin Night: Halloween Edition at Capital Ballroom

Vancouver’s Jayville returns to Victoria to headline the first-ever Halloween edition of RAKATA.

RAKATA Resident DJ and founder of Latin party brand Vibra’s, Jayville has spent years setting the standard for West Coast Latin nights.

His sets are built on packed floors, big moments and nonstop energy, and he’s been central to shaping the RAKATA sound and one of our favorite Latin selectors behind the decks.

Expect reggaeton all night, framed as old school versus new school, a full-capacity crowd, wall-to-wall energy and a costume-heavy dance floor.

Make sure to wear your costume!

Remaining tickets start at $18 and can be purchased here.

• Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates Street
• When: Saturday, October 24th – 9:30 p.m.

90’s Dance Party: Halloween Edition at Capital Ballroom

Backstreet’s Back, alright!

On Friday, October 30th, SUPER TASTE is taking over Capital Ballroom for a Halloween edition of the legendary 90’s DANCE PARTY.

They’ll be summoning the pop culture spirits of the decade that gave us Scream, Hocus Pocus, The Craft and Buffy the Vampire Slayer for one unforgettable night on the dance floor.

So grab your best Britney costume, dust off your Nirvana flannel or hop aboard the Vengabus for a haunted journey through the biggest pop, R&B, eurodance, alternative, grunge, hip hop and pop-punk anthems of the 90s.

All looks are welcome, but bonus points if they’re inspired by the era of Jim Carrey, Aqua and The Blair Witch Project.

Expect haunting visuals, nostalgic moments and prizes for the best costumes!

Remaining tickets are $28.30 plus fees and can be purchased here.

• Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates Street
• When: Friday, October 30th – 9 p.m.

Dance with the Devil – Reap what you sow at Alix Goolden Performance Hall

• Where: Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 900 Johnson Street
• When: 
  • Friday, October 16th – doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, October 17th – doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.

Velvet & Vampires: a Halloween themed variety show at Pour & Famous

Start the Halloweekend off with a night of velvet and vampires at Pour and Famous! You can expect a fun and frightful variety show full of Burlesque, Draglesque and Drag!

The evening will feature performances from Vera Descent, Naughty Nixx, Oliver Clozoff, Cuntastrophe, Sappho Heart and Velvet Nymph.

Ticket prices vary and can be purchased here (this link is for the second of two shows).

• Where: Pour & Famous, 757 Yates Street
• When: Thursday, October 29th – 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.