Metro Vancouver events to check out on the last weekend before Halloween

A woman rides a bicycle through a crowd of people gathered to photograph fall foliage on a street in Vancouver on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

It’s the final weekend before Halloween and there are lots of spooky and not-so-spooky events scheduled around Metro Vancouver.

Many of the seasonal festivities – like Fright Nights at the PNE and Pumpkins After Dark in Burnaby – have been ongoing for most of the month, and have been included on this list in previous weeks.

This weekend also brings some kid-friendly one-offs, plus home and baby shows, the culmination of the Vancouver Writers Festival and some big games at Rogers Arena and B.C. Place. Here’s what’s happening.

Vancouver Writers Festival

The 38th annual Vancouver Writers Festival began Monday, but there are dozens of events scheduled through this weekend, including interviews with fiction and non-fiction authors, readings and an afternoon tea.

• Read more: Vancouver Writers Festival returns for 38th year

Schedule and ticket information can be found on the Vancouver Writers Festival website.

Home and baby shows

The Vancouver Fall Home Show is on from Thursday through Sunday at the Vancouver Convention Centre, bringing together “hundreds of industry professionals and experts” in the fields of home design, renovation, cooking and more, according to organizers.

The show runs until 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 6 p.m. on Sunday in the convention centre’s west building.

Next door, at the convention centre’s east building at Canada Place, the Vancouver Baby Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, featuring all things pregnancy, baby and toddler under one roof, according to organizers.

Haunted Village in Burnaby

The Burnaby Village Museum in Deer Lake Park has been transformed into a Haunted Village nightly from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. since Wednesday, and the haunting will continue through Sunday night.

The event features a daily dance party, circus performers, roving characters, Indigenous storytelling and more, and it’s not the only Burnaby Halloween Festival event taking place this weekend.

The annual Central Spark fireworks display and Halloween party is taking place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday in Central Park.

Halloween Spooktacular

Kids Market on Granville Island is also hosting Halloween festivities this weekend.

"Halloween Spooktacular" takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, with trick-or-treating at the market’s stores from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and face-painting, live music and photo opportunities throughout the day.

Whitecaps begin playoffs, Canucks come home

It’s another busy sports weekend, with the Vancouver Whitecaps opening their MLS playoff campaign at B.C. Place against FC Dallas on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

The Vancouver Canucks have two home games this weekend, first against Montreal on Saturday at 4 p.m., then on Sunday against Edmonton at 7 p.m.

Elsewhere, the Vancouver Giants are hosting the Portland Winterhawks at the Langley Events Centre on Friday, and farther into the Fraser Valley, the Abbotsford Canucks are hosting the Ontario Reign. The puck drops at 7 p.m. for both of those games.

There are also two significant races happening in Metro Vancouver this weekend. RunVan’s Great Trek takes place at UBC on Saturday morning. Then, on Sunday, it’s the Monster Dash 5K at Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby.

VSO presents: Hocus Pocus in Concert

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will bring the classic Halloween film Hocus Pocus to life with a live score this Friday and Saturday.

The performances begin at 7 p.m. each night and are scheduled to last two hours with an intermission. Guests are encouraged to come in costume for a chance to win tickets to an upcoming VSO concert. More information is available on the orchestra’s website.

Spooky Postcard Show

One More Life Gallery on Main Street in Vancouver is debuting its "Spooky Postcard Show 2" this weekend, featuring postcard-sized artwork from more than 50 artists, all depicting things that have been haunting them.

An opening reception is planned from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, and on Saturday there will be an artist market from noon to 5 p.m., featuring artists from the show. A free, drop-in postcard art workshop for kids will also be on offer from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last.

With files from MOVE 103.5’s Leanne McLaren