Take an amusement park that’s over 100 years old, add in a Halloween theme, host seven haunted houses and fifteen rides, add in a Halloween theme and you’ve got Fright Nights at Playland, Western Canada’s scariest Halloween event. Open select dates between October 9th and November 1st, tickets are now on sale online (and will be available at the gate) for this popular – and frightening – activity.

Fright Nights at Playland

For the first time ever, visitors will be able to ride Canada’s most extreme pendulum ride during the Halloween season, as The Beast makes its Fright Nights debut. With a terrifying pendulum arm, guests will be swung 120 degrees in either direction while sitting in seats that spin 360 degrees, reaching speeds of more than 90 km/hr and heights of over 125 feet.

Beloved haunted houses like Darkness and Keeper’s Doll Factory will leave you with nightmares for days, while debuting for the first time at Fright Nights is Radiant Heat Fire Troupe, whose spectacular fire shows will leave you breathless with amazement.

In addition, cringe worthy entertainment will return to Playland as the Monsters of Schlock return to put on an incredible old style freak show.

Dates, Times, Prices

Fright Nights will also remain open for November 1st, from 7:00pm to 12:00am (Gate $32, online $29).

Passes and Tickets

Guests will again be able to save $3 purchasing tickets at participating 7-Eleven locations or online. You also have the option of purchasing a Rapid Pass, which offers the same access as a regular gate pass PLUS access to an expedited line for each Haunted House and rides on The Beast, Wooden Roller Coaster, Music Express, Atmosfear and Hellevator.

Due to the overwhelming demand and to ensure a quality guest experience, Fright Nights is putting a cap on the number of tickets sold per day. Tickets must be purchased for a specific date. Event nights have limited availability and may sell out.

Win Passes

I’m giving away a 4-pack of tickets to Fright Nights at Playland! Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment with something that would scare you in a haunted house (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow Playland on Twitter and Facebook for more information about Fright Nights. I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 12:00pm.

Fright Nights is absolutely NOT recommended for ages 12 and under, seniors 65+, people with sensitivity to strobe lighting, people with high blood pressure, heart conditions, pregnant women or scaredy cats. NO guest costumes allowed.

Admission includes unlimited access to all seven haunted houses, shows and 15 rides. (There is an additional charge for the Revelation.) Parking is not included.

Update The winner is Jen R!

There’s quite the demand for Thanksgiving Weekend events and activity information this year since the weather is so lovely and the fall colours are just popping all over the place, painting the region in warm yellows and reds.

Things to do in Vancouver Thanksgiving Long Weekend

Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green below.

Check out these Parks for Fall Colours, these Halloween Activities for Groups, and these 5 Farms for Family Fun.

Friday, October 9, 2015
VIFF Wrap Closing Night Party
Candlelight Paint Night, Surrey
Vancouverite: A Comedy Show
Walking Tours: Art Deco Downtown
Pacific Theatre: Smoke on the Mountain
Geek Fashion Weekend
Fright Nights at Playland
Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train
Bear Creek Park Train
Vancouver International Improv Festival
Vancouver Police Museum: Sins of the City Tour
Harvest Haus
Firehall Arts Centre Presents: Love Bomb
Studio 58/Langara College presents Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Other Desert Cities, New Westminster

Saturday, October 10, 2015
Fort Langley Cranberry Festival
Harvest Festival at the West End Farmers Market
MakerStore Opening Showcase
Enigmas w/ Special Guests Wasted Strays and Making Strangers
Kids Gallery at Surrey Museum Grand Opening
Kids Can Paint
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: The Great Symphony
Valkyrie Western Martial Arts Grand Opening
MADD Metro Vancouver’s Strides for Change Event
Annual Premium Sake Tasting Night with Silent Auction
Vancouver Police Museum: Movies at the Morgue
Hershe Bar – Where The Girls Are
Burnaby Farmers Market
Trout Lake Farmers Market
West End Farmers Market
Kerrisdale Farmers Market
Vancouver Film Festival Repeat Screenings
Geek Fashion Weekend
A Doll’s House, at Jericho Arts Centre
Vancouver International Improv Festival
Vancouver Police Museum: Sins of the City Tour
Harvest Haus
Firehall Arts Centre Presents: Love Bomb
Studio 58/Langara College presents Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Other Desert Cities, New Westminster
Pacific Theatre: Smoke on the Mountain
Fright Nights at Playland
Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train
Bear Creek Park Train

Sunday, October 11, 2015
Thanksgiving Orphans’ Dinner at Belgard Kitchen
Thanksgiving Dinner at Boulevard
Mountain View Cemetery Walking Tour: Noted Francophones
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Sock Drive
Pavel Haas Quartet
Roedde House Museum Second Sunday Concert Series
Granville Island Turkey Trot Kids Run and Preschooler Dash
Ambleside Farmers Market
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
Vancouver Film Festival Repeat Screenings
Geek Fashion Weekend
A Doll’s House, at Jericho Arts Centre
Studio 58/Langara College presents Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Other Desert Cities, New Westminster
Pacific Theatre: Smoke on the Mountain
Fright Nights at Playland
Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train
Bear Creek Park Train

Monday, October 12, 2015
Granville Island Turkey Trot 10KM Run / Walk / Stroll
Thanksgiving Dinner at Boulevard
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Sock Drive
Try Girls Ice Hockey for Free
Vancouver Film Festival Repeat Screenings
Studio 58/Langara College presents Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
Other Desert Cities, New Westminster
Pacific Theatre: Smoke on the Mountain
Fright Nights at Playland

Check out the full October event listings here and if you have an event to include, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.

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It’s the kind of event where I can browse jewelry, household items, and shop for local artisan products with my mother, and/or sip a glass of wine, watch a fashion show, and get my nails done, with friends. There’s something for everyone at Western Canada’s largest women’s show, which is celebrating 15 years this month — and you’re invited to join in the fun!

The West Coast Women’s Show is the ultimate girls night out, girls weekend, and all-in-one experience for you and your friends. Shop in the brand new Artisan Marketplace, browse over 400 exhibitor booths, sip a martini while watching live music (or the Hall of Flame Calendar firefighters show), get fashion and beauty tips, and much more.

West Coast Women’s Show

• When: Friday October 16, 2015 from 1:00pm to 10:00pm; Saturday October 17, 2015 from 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday October 18, 2015 from 11:00am to 5:30pm.
• Where: TRADEX in Abbotsford (1190 Cornell Street)
• Tickets: At the door: Adults $12; Seniors (65+) $9; Seniors (65+) Friday from 1:00 to 5:00pm $7 (no coupon required); Youth (13 – 17) $9; Children (6 – 12) $4; Children (5 & under) are free. Save $2 online and in store at London Drugs!

This year there will be 5 stages of entertainment including celebrity speakers, fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, wellness & beauty secrets, a community entertainment showcase, calendar firefighters. Special celebrity appearance by Joshua Morrow (from Young and Restless) and live performance by Bif Naked!

IF you’re into healthy living, fashion and style, home and interior decor, natural and organic products, and travel, there will be something for you. Shoppers can look forward to over 100 Red Tag Show Specials. Many exhibitor are featuring exclusive deals, special offers, giveaways and incredible prizes all weekend long. Along with the 400 exhibitors, the all new Artisan’s Marketplace will feature unique, handmade products and gourmet foods. Get a head start on holiday shopping or treat yourself!

If you’ve almost shopped til you’ve dropped, recharge at one of the 5 stages: Main Stage, Health and Wellness, Kitchen Theatre, Beauty and Cosmetics, and The Cheese Counter.

Theme Days This Year

Friday and Saturday are Girls Night Out martini nights at the Main Stage Lounge on Friday and Saturday featuring the Hall of Flame Calendar Firefighters Fashion Show. Sunday is Mother & Daughter Day where the first 500 visitors to the show will receive a free gift pack from Pretty Things.

Win Tickets and a Makeover!

I have 4 tickets to give away to the West Coast Women’s show (single day admission tickets) AND a makeover session that includes a photo session for two valued at $175 from Maggi Woo Photography. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

Follow the West Coast Women’s Show on Facebook and Twitter for more information. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2015. Winner must be able to attend the show to claim the tickets and the makeover/photo session.

Update The winner is Jen Victor!

Spend time with your family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend with good food, good fun, and a good workout! The 18th Granville Island Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day is a 10km run, walk, or stroll and this year they have added a Kids Fun Run the day before.

Granville Island Turkey Trot

• When:
  Sunday, October 11, 2015
  Kids Fun Run (4:00pm) and Preschoolers Dash (3:30pm)
  Monday, October 12, 2015 Thanksgiving Monday
  Turkey Trot 10km race (8:30am)
• Where: Granville Island in front of Performance Works at 1218 Cartwright St
• Registration: Register for the Turkey Trot (on October 12th) for $49 until October 8th. Preschoolers and Kids can run for $5 and $10, respectively (on October 11th). Finisher’s ribbon and face painting included. On site registration will be available (from $10 to $55 depending on the event).

Photo courtesy of the Granville Island Turkey Trot

This race around one of Vancouver’s most beloved attractions and neighbourhoods is open to just 2,000 runners for the 10km circuit and 200 children for the Kids Run (ages 5-12) and the Preschoolers Dash (ages 4 and under). It’s a flat and friendly course that’s even stroller friendly for all 10km of the main event on Monday. Participants will be able to enjoy a free expo with food, drinks, yoga, music, awards and more on Granville Island where the run starts and finishes.

Other run perks include: For the adults, a complimentary Stanley Park Beer redeemable at any Mahony & Sons locations; a $20 gift card from Rackets & Runners redeemable on New Balance product; a $200 e-coupon from BikeHike Adventures included with your registration; a free drop-in yoga class at Ocean Breath Yoga on Granville Island; and the chance to win free flights for two from YVR to Tokyo courtesy of Japan Airlines.

Giving Back on Thanksgiving

The best part about the Granville Island Turkey Trot, aside from the amazingly good times for the family in the beautiful autumn air on a long weekend, is that it supports the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and Granville Island’s Arts Umbrella.

New Balance and Rackets & Runners will be donating a pound of food to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for every participant in the Preschooler Dash, Kid’s Fun Run, and for each $20 Gift Card redeemed at the Expo or at Rackets & Runners until November 30th. This is all in the spirit of thanksgiving, showing gratitude for the sport, and a commitment to supporting others.

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to over 28,000 people weekly through 14 food locations and close to 100 community agencies. Their partnership in the Granville Island Turkey Trot helps bring awareness to the importance of helping others while pro-actively working to help end hunger.

Arts Umbrella, a non-profit arts training centre, helps students ages 2-19 cultivate creativity through performing and visual arts. The community’s support will also help raise funds for Arts Umbrella so that more children can access free, high-quality arts programs.

Register today! For more information, follow the Granville Island Turkey Trot on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and follow the tag #runvan on social media.

The Granville Island Turkey Trot is organized by the Vancouver International Marathon Society, a local non-profit promoting healthy, active lifestyles.

Photo courtesy of the Granville Island Turkey Trot

Solve crime, survive zombies, complete an undercover mission in an asylum, and have a smashing good time with your friends this month! If you’re looking for all of the above, there are several places around the Lower Mainland where you can use your brains and brawn to get active and have some frightening fun as a group:

5 Adrenaline-Pumping Team Activities This Halloween

Solve a Mystery on the Streets of Vancouver

What: Crime in Downtown, Competition Nights
When: Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays until October 31st
Where: A top-secret location in downtown Vancouver, only a few minutes’ walk from Waterfront Station (you’ll be informed of the meeting location upon booking)
Details: “Terminal City Police Department is recruiting new detectives—you got what it takes? Solve a murder mystery with clues, puzzles, brain-teasers, twists and turns scattered across Vancouver’s historic Gastown. We’re putting you on one of Terminal City PD’s toughest cases—the murder of journalist Jimmy Capello. Work in squads of two to five people to crack the case and compete against other teams for the top score, bonus points with the police chief and, hopefully, a promotion to detective!”

Survive Zombies

What: Alien Contagion: Rise of the Zombie Syndrome
Where: Secret Rendezvous Revealed Day Before Mission
When: Tuesdays to Sundays, October 6th to November 1st, 2015
Details: In Alien Contagion: Rise of the Zombie Syndrome, audience members can look forward to a fresh storyline involving the addition of a brand new terrifying monster – Aliens, as well as surprising sites that are fun, dynamic, spooky and full of flesh-eating zombies. This highly-interactive theatrical scavenger-hunt also features elements requiring audiences to use smartphones to navigate through the show and crack clues in their epic quest.

Escape Rooms

What: Tixe, Freeing Canada, Time Escape or SmartyPantz
Where: Various locations (Richmond and Gastown)
Details: Bridging gaming and problem-solving adventure, these escape room locations all have unique mysteries, locations, and details in their various room options where you have to beat the clock and solve puzzles to earn your freedom.

Navigate a Maze at Night

What: Chainsaw Massacre Corn Maze
Where: Maan Farms (790 McKenzie Road, Abbotsford)
When: October 1st-3rd, October 8th–31st, 2015
Details: It’s not the hay ride or the flashlight nighttime corn maze, this is Maan Farms’ Chainsaw Massacre Corn Maze! Leatherface and his 2 accomplices are making a stand defending the last remaining piece of their territory. Try to survive this terrifying cannibal infested corn maze, taking along your weaker friends to sacrifice if the going gets tough. Be warned! Nothing is what it seems when your heart is racing and are running away from hungry zombies!

Survive the Fearmongers Haunted House

What: Fearmongers Haunted House: Myths and Monsters
Where: 14211 Burrows Road, Richmond
When: October 23rd to November 22nd, 2015
Details: Vancouver’s first fully immersive haunted house will take you through the horrors of Greek Mythology. The ancient gods are finished with mankind so you must travel through fourteen mythology themed rooms with traps, monsters, obstacles and more than an hour of haunting in order to evade their wrath. This interactive haunt will test your every limit by uncovering your most visceral fears. There’s even a VIP lounge sponsored by Granville Island Brewing. So for those guests looking for a little extra bit of scare, this is for you.

Click on the links above for the most accurate times and admission prices for each attraction and activity. Many of these are not suitable for families with young children, check ahead before booking your activity.