It’s my favourite time of the year… Halloween Season! It’s fun and easy going, and not much stress for the parents, unlike the upcoming Christmas season 😉 Here are a few ideas of what you can do around Victoria, costume ideas and where I like to go to have a “Spooky Good Time!”
Heritage Acres puts on an Amazing “Pumpkin Express”, where families can take a ride on their miniature train through some ‘haunted’ paths and ‘creepy’ woods. It runs October 19, 20 & 21 from 4:30- 8:30! I went with my kids a few years ago and we had a Blast! It wasn’t too scary, but it was well worth the drive out 😀
Galey Farms is a favourite amongst Victorians. It has an amazing pumpkin patch where you can go and make an afternoon of “picking out the perfect pumpkin”, where mom can also get a few great ‘photo op’ moments to put in her scrapbook 😉 Galey Farms also has lots of other attractions that are in full swing this time of year! It has a very fun corn maze to get lost in, and a train you can take a tour through the farm which also goes through its own “Haunted Town of Galey Farms”. They also have a tractor hay ride which you can take to the pumpkin patch which is a great ride, my kids and I love it! Galey Farms also puts on 2 haunted houses. One for the ‘faint of heart’ and one for the older kids who think they can handle a good scare 😀
Other Events around Town
Oak Bay Rec Center offers a family friendly Halloween swim/skate where there will be a “pumpkin toss & spider crawl”. This is happening on October 28th from 1-5. Family only is from 12:30-2:30 and 3:00-4:00, everyone is welcome 😀 There will also be a costume contest and fun games for kids to play. Being Halloween, there always has to be face painting which is always a great time for kids, and maybe some adults too.
Ghost Tours are also very popular here in Victoria. There are said to be countless places that are “Haunted!” (including the Rogers Chocolates Store right down town :O) How can you not want to go and have haunted chocolates. You can do a ghost tour by foot, or take your chances by strolling through various haunted alleys and streets of Victoria.
If the Galey Farms corn maze wasn’t big enough or challenging enough for you then you would most likely want to check out the Island’s biggest corn maze at Pendray Farms! There are over 10 kms of trails on this 14-acre land of corn! If you are intimidated by the vastness of this maze, they do offer a 1.1 km trail that you can walk for kids, or for people who aren’t up to the daunting challenge of the full maze itself. It’s open to explore until Oct 29, Fridays 5-8 and Saturdays and Sundays 10-8! Kids 0-2 years old are Free, Kids 3-12 years are $6, anyone who is 13 years + is $14 😀 This maze is extremely unique because it offers riddles and clues for you to solve while maneuvering your way through the maze.
One thing I have yet to experience but would love to check out is the “Short Canadian Horror Films.” This event is presented by CineVic Society. On October 13 there will be two screenings. One with short horror films that will lean on the more comedic, and lighter side, and a second screening which will be for a more mature audience with scarier shorts. They are hosting a costume contest during the intermission, so come dressed up and really get into the event!
Now if you’ve got a babysitter on speed dial this next one is for the adults only! There is an 80’s themed Halloween night which is happening October 12. First the night will start off with a bar and some “adult beverages”, followed by: good old 80’s style video games, ping pong, foosball and boardgames! This event is held at the “Victoria Event Center” and costs $8 at the door 😀
Now onto Costumes! It’s generally kinda brisk here in Vic when it hits late October. Now that the world has gone bananas over onesies, these are an amazing option to keep nice and warm! One year my son wanted to be a mummy so I found him a onesie that looked exactly like a ‘mummy,’ not only could he bundle up under it but the onesie itself kept him nice and toasty while walking the neighborhood! Other ideas could be being a character in a box, like a TV, or a fish tank and layering clothes under that 😛 One year my daughter was OBSESSED with being a ‘cheetah,’ so she put on her cheetah faux fur coat, cheetah toque and cheetah pants & she was all Set! Another fun idea I’ve seen is dressing up as a “ski bum,” and layering up in ALL your warm and cozy ski gear!
Now for the BEST part of Halloween… The Trick or Treating! I always enjoy taking my kids to Hillside Mall on Halloween. Vendors in the mall love to hand out treats for the kids, and Customer Service hands out Halloween Treat Bags. It’s a really nice, safe event for kids and families. Another event that I read about was that downtown Sidney will be closing off some of its roads to traffic so that they can cater towards a fun filled, safe and family friendly night of trick or treating for your kiddos! There will be various treat checkpoints as well as various merchants who will be handing out goodies for your “ghosts, goblins & witches!”. This is running from 4:30-6:00 on Oct 31st, and is FREE! I hope you enjoyed my blog post about the fun Halloween events that will be happening here in Victoria throughout the month of October 😀 Happy Trick or Treating!
