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Family fun for the spooky season

From Ghostly Walks to harvest season activities, October is full of fall festivities!
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Sidney BIA’s annual Halloween Spooktacular welcome trick-or-treaters to celebrate the season. Black Press Media file photo

Autumn is upon us, meaning it’s time for harvest activities and spooky season celebrations. Here on the Island, we find both in abundance!

A must for many each October is Discover the Past’s legendary Ghostly Walks, an hour of hauntingly good ghost stories and gruesome tales of true crime from the city. Visit discoverthepast.com/ghostly-walks for details and ticket information.

Get into the Halloween spirit at the Little Fernwood Halloween Market Oct. 6. Discover unique costumes and handmade crafts, and enjoy a sip n’ shop experience with music and a festive atmosphere. Free entry. Learn more at nightshiftvictoria.com

At the Victoria Bug Zoo, the guests of honour might not really be scary, but a series of October events promise seasonal fun for all ages, including a craft market, Oct. 13, workshops featuring insects (Oct. 11) and vampire bats (Oct. 13) and a “spooky evening at the zoo” Oct. 27. Learn more at victoriabugzoo.ca

Join the Vic Theatre Oct. 20 for a 19+  Retromania Fright Fest featuring the Wes Craven classic Scream. Next up, from Oct. 25 to 31, it’s time to do the Time Warp and settle in for the 1975 cult classic, the Rocky Horror Picture Show (19+). Get tickets at victoriafilmfestival.com

In Oak Bay, Trick or Treat on the Avenue returns Oct. 31, an afternoon of Halloween festivities in the Village. In addition to sweet treats, expect lots of entertainment, costume contests (for kids and pets), and more from 2 and 5 p.m. See visitoakbayvillage.ca for more information.

On Oct. 31, Esquimalt Recreation and the Esquimalt Firefighters welcome families for the Halloween Firehall Spooktacular – a night of Halloween fun, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Esquimalt Fire Hall. Esquimalt Lions will have the concession open for hot dogs, chips, and other food for purchase. Learn more at esquimalt.ca

In Saanich, the long-running fall festivities at Galey Farms return this month.

Weekends through October, Pumpkinfest offers fun for the whole family, including hay rides to the pumpkin patch, u-pick pumpkins, train rides, corn maze and more.

Galey’s signature event, the Festival of Fear, opens Oct. 10 with two main venues – the Corn Maze of Horror featuring a Haunted House for kids in the Old West Town, and the Crazy Train. Family-friendly by day, the festival turns much spookier at night. And for the truly brave, Carnevil is a 6,000-square-foot, PG-13 haunted house of terror. Enter if you dare!

Learn more and purchase tickets at galeyfarms.ca

Head to the Saanich Peninsula for the inaugural season of Silver Rill Farm’s Corn Maze, featuring a two-acre plot of twists, turns and dead-ends amid 14-foot-tall corn. Learn more at silverrillcorn.com

Take in Spooktacular Displays in Downtown Sidney Oct. 15 to 31, including a dazzling jack-o-lantern display. And Treat Street returns Oct. 31 from 4:30 to 6 p.m., when little ghosts, goblins and princesses are invited to enjoy a family trick-or-treat event! Visit exploresidney.ca/halloween

The Sidney Museum hosts an Historical Halloween Hunt Oct. 1 to 31, with some 16 Jack-O-Lantern pictures, each representing a different Halloween tradition, hidden around the museum. Find all 16 and learn about the history of Halloween! Learn more at sidneymuseum.ca.

And at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea on Oct. 26, explore the “a-scare-ium” of the Salish Sea – ghouls, ghosts, vampires, superheroes, fairies and others can trick-or-treat under the sea while supporting two local causes – The New Marine Centre Society and 1000X5 Peninsula. Entry is by donation: (suggested $5/per person. Learn more at salishseacentre.org

In the Cowichan Valley, Oct. 31 brings the annual Halloween Night at Youbou Hall, a free night full of fun and festivities, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., including hot dogs, a haunted house from 6 to 8 p.m., and costume contest at 7 p.m. followed by fireworks to end the night! Visit cvrd.ca to learn more.

At Nanaimo Museum, Dr. Frankenstein has been experimenting in the Museum’s coal mine, and seems to be up to something strange. From Oct. 3 to 31, catch glimpses of his lab in a themed I Spy! Visit on Saturdays for extra activities.

On Thursdays to Saturdays, Oct. 4 to 26, join the museum’s Crime & Punishment Lantern Tour, downtown walking tours featuring stories about some of Nanaimo’s most notorious outlaws and daring heists. And on the Haunted Nanaimo Lantern Tour, hear tales of unexplained phenomena, mysterious apparitions and spooktacular stories about the darker side of Nanaimo’s history, while visiting local landmarks. Learn more about the museum’s events at nanaimomuseum.ca

A little farther up Island, the Parksville Qualicum area hosts several seasonally inspired events, including Harvest Season on the Farm at Arbutus Meadows Farm in Nanoose Bay. The kid-friendly event, open Fridays through Oct. 25 from 4 to 8pm, features local vendors, live entertainment and a Pumpkin Walk of Lights. Plan your visit at arbutusmeadows.com

And at Paradise Acres Ranch, the Pumpkin Patch Festival brings live performances, pony rides and carving booths, plus local food trucks and delicious curried pumpkin soup. Visit from Oct. 4 to 6 and 11 to 13. Learn more at paradiseacresranch.ca

And at Milner Gardens & Woodland from Oct. 25 to 27, the Scarecrow Spectacular features charming Halloween-themed festivities amid the changing colours of the autumn garden. Be sure to vote for the most striking scarecrow! Visit milnergardens.viu.ca

In Coombs, the Arrowsmith Community Recreation Association hosts the 55th annual Candy Walk Oct. 31, a safe, well-lit space for little ones to trick-or-treat for chocolate bars, lollipops and more at Coombs Fairgrounds. See arrowsmithrecreation.ca for more details.

Also Oct. 31, the Spooktacular Treat Trail fills the streets of downtown Parksville with Halloween activities for families from 3 to 5 p.m. Learn more at parksvilledowntown.ca