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Halloween on Vancouver Island 2026: the Saturday Halloween weekend guide

Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so the Island gets a proper Friday night out, a full Saturday of daytime trick-or-treating, and pumpkin smashes on Sunday. Here are the plans and picks from Victoria to Port Hardy.

EnjoyHere editorsUpdated Monday, October 26, 2026

Plan my Halloween with AI

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means the whole weekend counts. Friday the 30th is the big grown-up night in Victoria: a bar crawl of up to 800 people in costume, a masquerade ball and spooky improv. On Saturday, kids get the morning at the butterfly gardens and the afternoon trick-or-treating on Uptown Boulevard, then they're out at dusk with no school the next day. Then on Sunday, Parksville and Campbell River smash the leftover pumpkins.

Sunset in Victoria on the 31st is at 5:55pm and it's dark by about 6:30. Early Open-Meteo model runs show a mild, mostly dry evening, and BC doesn't turn its clocks back this year. We went through the roughly 70 Halloween listings on EnjoyVancouverIsland for October 26 to November 1 and checked key details against organizers' pages. Below are three plans for the weekend, our picks by category with a section for up-Island, where to trick-or-treat, and the practical details. One thing to watch: Victoria buses are running under an overtime ban, so check alerts before you count on the last bus home.

Best ghost tours and scares

  • Ghostly Walks - Halloween Tour at Market Square

    Ghostly Walks - Halloween Tour

    Market Square$26+

    On our annual Halloween tour, we make sure to tell many of our favourite gruesome tales but we also include new and…

    Ghostly Walks - Halloween Tour — Oct 1 – Nov 1

    Every Halloween tour starts at the Market Square archway, but the route changes each year and mixes favourite gruesome tales with untold ones. From $26.

  • Haunted Manor Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge Presents: Legends of Halloween II at HAUNTED MANOR

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

    HAUNTED MANOR$17.95-$24.95

    Victoria’s premiere Halloween event is back at Haunted Manor: Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge from September 21st to…

    Haunted Manor Mini-Golf & Ping Pong Lounge Presents: Legends of Halloween II — Sep 21 – Nov 3

    Immersive Halloween mini-golf with a demon host and costumed characters, scary enough to be fun and fine for families ($18–25). It stays open past Halloween, so it's a good rainy-day backup.

Best for families

  • Pumpkinfest! at Galey Farm at Galey Farms Market

    Pumpkinfest! at Galey Farm

    Galey Farms Market

    Pumpkins are available for purchase on site. Visit Galey Farms, where fall comes to life with plenty of family fun.

    Pumpkinfest! at Galey Farm — Oct 3 – Nov 1

    A long-running Victoria fall tradition with farm fun for kids and pumpkins for sale on site. Children 2 and under get in free.

Warm-ups during the week and the Sunday pumpkin smash

You don't have to wait for the weekend. On Monday there's a by-donation Halloween Haunted Gym in Victoria (5pm). Wednesday brings free Halloween Trivia at Spinnakers Brewpub with Sixty Watt Trivia: teams of up to six and a costume contest (7pm). Thursday is the busiest weeknight. Cinecenta shows The Rocky Horror Picture Show ($8–11), and there's a free Halloween drag show in Victoria, Sidney Pride's show at the Mary Winspear, and both ghost tours, all starting at 7pm.

On Sunday, November 1, bring your jack-o'-lantern. Campbell River drops pumpkins from a 101-foot tower truck at the Sportsplex (10am–2pm, by donation). Parksville's Great Downtown Pumpkin Smash is in Memorial Plaza at 1pm. Sooke holds a Spooky Pumpkin Walk at Pineridge Park from 5:30pm.

Neighbourhoods

Oak Bay Avenue (Oak Bay Village)

Every Halloween, merchants and Oak Bay Municipal Hall hand out treats from Foul Bay Road to Monterey Avenue. Look for the pumpkin poster in shop windows. The Oak Bay BIA posts the merchant list about a week before Halloween. The 2025 event ran 2–5pm on October 31, so confirm this year's times.

The decorated-house circuit

Little Local keeps a map of Greater Victoria's most elaborate Halloween homes, and Victoria News has covered big yard displays from Saanich and Oak Bay to Langford and Colwood. Little Local says its 2026 homes are still being confirmed, so check the map again before you set off.

Uptown Boulevard

Organized trick-or-treating at Halloween on the Boolevard, 3–5pm on Saturday. A good option before dark for younger kids.

Know before you go

  • Sunset

    **Sunset is 5:55pm on Saturday** in Victoria, and civil twilight ends at 6:27pm. Head out by 5:30 to get a little daylight.

  • Getting there

    **Victoria buses:** Unifor Local 333's overtime ban, in effect since October 5, is causing trip cancellations and delays. Check BC Transit's Victoria alerts before relying on a late bus home from Friday's crawl or Saturday's parties.

  • Weather

    **Weather:** Open-Meteo's latest run (late Oct 25) has Victoria mostly dry on Saturday, about 8°C at 6pm, with a chance of showers on Friday. Check Environment Canada closer to the day.

  • Timing

    **No clock change:** BC moved to permanent time in 2026, so you won't gain an hour on Sunday morning.

  • Getting there

    **Book ahead:** The Fright Crawl wristband has to be collected by 10pm on Friday, and the Ghost Bus Tour only gives out its start point when you book.

Questions

What time is sunset on Halloween in Victoria?
5:55pm on Saturday, October 31, with civil twilight ending at 6:27pm.
Do the clocks change on Vancouver Island on November 1?
No. BC adopted permanent time in 2026 and stays on UTC−7, so the time won't change on Halloween weekend.
Are Victoria buses running normally on Halloween weekend?
Not entirely. A union overtime ban, in place since October 5, is causing trip cancellations and delays on conventional service. Check alerts.bctransit.com/victoria before you leave.
Is Oak Bay's Trick or Treat on the Avenue happening?
It's an annual Halloween event. Merchants from Foul Bay Road to Monterey Avenue hand out treats, and participating shops show a pumpkin poster. Last year it ran 2–5pm on October 31. The Oak Bay BIA posts the merchant list about a week ahead.
What free Halloween events are there in Victoria on Saturday?
Halloween on the Boolevard (11am–6pm, trick-or-treating 3–5), the WITCHCRAFTED market at Prospect Lake Hall (10am–4pm), Mayfair's costume contest (2pm) and by-donation activities at Swan Lake Nature House (11am–3pm).
Where can I smash my pumpkin after Halloween?
On Sunday, November 1, Campbell River drops pumpkins from a 101-foot tower truck at the Sportsplex (10am–2pm, by donation), and Parksville holds its pumpkin smash in Memorial Plaza at 1pm.

Where to go

Everything on this Halloween (6 events)

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