City of Vancouver shuts down All Souls event at cemetery, citing ‘financial pressures’

A Halloween tradition has come to an end after the City of Vancouver cancelled its annual All Souls event at Mountain View Cemetery.

A Vancouver Halloween tradition has come to an end, and not by choice, according to organizers.

“Night for All Souls” began at the city-run Mountain View Cemetery in 2005. A message posted on the event’s website this week says the cemetery, at the behest of the city, “has decided to end its relationship with All Souls and the founding artists.”

“This ending has not been our decision,” reads the statement from event founders Marina Szijarto and Paula Jardine.

“We are sad and disappointed, specifically on behalf of the many people for whom All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery has been a cornerstone in their personal grief journey.”

The city told CTV News no one was available for an interview about the cancellation, but provided a statement describing it as the result of a review that began in 2023 “with the goal of ensuring fair access to programming and partnerships that reflect Vancouver’s diverse communities.”

“Rising costs also prompted a broader evaluation to help reduce financial pressures,” the statement reads. “Following this review, and after notifying organizers of the changes, MVC will no longer fund programming at the cemetery, including All Souls, in the manner it has in previous years.”

Over its two decades, All Souls grew to incorporate a variety of “offerings” in memory of the dead.

Described by its founders as a “non-denominational sacred event,” All Souls invited people to remember, mourn and celebrate the dead, whether or not they were interred at Mountain View Cemetery.

Both the city and the organizers stressed in their statements that the cemetery remains open and encouraged people to continue the All Souls tradition.

“We sincerely hope that people for whom it has become an important annual ceremony will keep their traditions alive in their own way, and continue to visit the cemetery, especially at this time of year, to remember their beloved dead,” the founders said.

“We hope the cemetery will be responsive to future initiatives from artists and members of the public who value the importance of ceremony in our daily lives.”

The city also left the door open to a privately funded revival of the event in the future.

“All Souls is a significant day of commemoration for many and MVC welcomes the opportunity to speak with organizations who wish to propose future self-funded, or grant funded, All Souls programming,” the city’s statement concludes.