Halloween weekend: bonfires, haunted houses, late nights and Sunday's pumpkin smashes

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means the whole weekend gets to be about it. Here is what is on around Greater Victoria, sorted by the kind of night you want. Every time and price was checked on the organiser's own page on October 29, and each name links to our listing with the address and a map.

Bonfires and fireworks, Saturday night

The fire departments on the Peninsula and the West Shore do this best, and most of them are timed so you can trick-or-treat first and walk over after.

North Saanich Halloween Bonfire and Fireworks, Wain Road Fire Hall, 986 Wain Road. Hot dogs from 6:15 p.m., fireworks at about 7:15. Hot dogs by donation, and the money goes to CFAX Santas Anonymous. The earliest fireworks we know of, so it suits small kids with a bedtime.

Central Saanich Halloween Bonfire and Fireworks, Centennial Park. Bonfire at 7:30 p.m., fireworks at 8, done by 9. The Lions Club has hot dogs, hot chocolate and popcorn. The District does not list a price. Finish trick-or-treating in Saanichton and walk over.

Colwood Firefighters Halloween Bonfire, Colwood Fire Hall, 3215 Metchosin Road, 6 to 8:30 p.m. A bonfire, hot dogs, hot chocolate and candy. The City lists no fireworks, and it does not say whether the food is free, so bring a little cash. An easy half-hour stop on the trick-or-treat loop.

Halloween Night at Camp Barnard, 3202 Young Lake Road, Otter Point. Bonfire at 6:30 p.m., fireworks over Young Lake at 7:30, and a candy bag for every kid. No price listed. Fireworks reflected in a lake are worth the drive past Sooke. Dress warm.

East Sooke Halloween Fireworks, Copper Mine Park. Time TBA: East Sooke Fire Rescue has not posted a start time yet, and no price is listed. It will be after dark. We will add the time to the listing as soon as it is out.

For families and kids

Halloween Spooktacular at Victoria Butterfly Gardens, 1461 Benvenuto Avenue, Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free face painting, an insect discovery table and a scavenger hunt, all included with regular admission: $20 adults, $16 seniors and teens, $9.50 for ages 5 to 12, free under 5. Warm and dry, which counts for a lot on October 31.

Halloween at Swan Lake, Nature House, 3873 Swan Lake Road, Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a break from noon to 12:30. Free or by donation. Kids get to handle real bones and skulls with a nature educator, which is the best kind of spooky. Costumes welcome. A grown-up stays, and under-13s need an adult.

Treat Street in Sidney, Beacon Avenue, Saturday 4:30 to 6 p.m. Free. The street closes to cars and the shops hand out candy, so little ones can trick-or-treat on foot in the light. Rain or shine.

Esquimalt Halloween Spooktacular, Archie Browning Sports Centre, 1151 Esquimalt Road, Saturday 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Treats and family activities, with a Lions Club barbecue dinner by donation. The Township does not list an entry price. A good warm-up stop in the middle of the route.

Daytime trick-or-treating

For little ones who will be asleep by the time the porch lights come on, the shopping centres and shopping streets hand out candy on Halloween afternoon. All of these are on Saturday unless we say otherwise.

Trick or Treating at the Parliament Buildings, 501 Belleville Street, Friday, October 30, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Free, and no need to register. Treats and Halloween activities at the Legislature the day before, which makes it a good costume test run.

Halloween Trail at Hillside Centre, 1644 Hillside Avenue, 1 to 4:30 p.m., with a few shops starting at 10 a.m. Free. About thirty stores take part, and it is all indoors. Hillside does not allow costume masks inside, so go with face paint.

Treat Accessibly Halloween Village at Mayfair, parking lot in front of H Mart, 3147 Douglas Street, 2 to 5 p.m. Free. Set up so kids of every ability can trick-or-treat, with a DJ, a pet costume contest, and free hot chocolate and coffee.

Trick or Treat on the Avenue, Oak Bay Avenue from Foul Bay Road to Monterey Avenue. Free. Shops with a pumpkin poster in the window hand out treats, and so does the Municipal Hall. The District has not posted this year's hours, so check its page before you go.

Trick-or-Treat on the Boolevard at Uptown, Uptown Boulevard, Saanich, 3 to 5 p.m. Participating shops hand out treats along the Boulevard. Uptown does not list a price.

Trick or Treat Trail at Royal Bay, The Commons Retail Village, 345 Latoria Boulevard, Colwood, 3 to 6 p.m. Follow the balloons to the shops with candy. For kids 14 and under, with an adult. No price listed. It finishes in time to head home for the neighbourhood rounds.

Haunted houses and a good scare

Halloween at the View Royal Public Safety Building, 333 Island Highway, Saturday 6 to 9 p.m. Free hot dogs, hot chocolate and treats from the firefighters, plus a haunted house for anyone brave enough. The friendliest haunted house on this list.

Festival of Fear and The Asylum at Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road, Saturday night. Festival of Fear starts at 6 p.m. with the corn maze and train after dark. The Asylum is a 6,000-square-foot haunted house, 7 to 10 p.m., and the farm recommends it for 13 and up. Tickets are sold by date on the farm's booking page, which is where the prices are. This is the one to pick if you actually want to scream.

Legends of Halloween at Haunted Manor, 711 Yates Street, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. both days, last day Sunday. Eighteen holes of indoor haunted mini golf downtown. Book a time on its booking page, where the prices are. Works for a rainy family afternoon or a late round after dinner.

Pumpkins

Pumpkinfest at Galey Farms, 4150 Blenkinsop Road, Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The daytime version: corn maze, train, wagon ride and the pumpkin patch. Ticketed by date, free for 2 and under, and Sunday is the last day of the season, with ten percent off.

PumpkinFest at Lohbrunner Community Farm, 1152 Lippincott Road, Langford, Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free, and well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome. Warty pumpkins, giant pumpkins and a farm stand. A low-key patch if Galey's crowds are not your thing.

For grown-ups, Saturday night

All of these are 19 and over.

Victoria's Haunted Hop, starting at CRAFT Beer Market, 450 Swift Street, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. One wristband gets you into four or more Victoria bars with no cover, with a host and a live map. Tickets run $15 to $65 depending on tier, and wristbands have to be picked up by 10 p.m. The easy way to see a lot of costumes.

Nightmares on Tap, CRAFT Beer Market, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. DJs, a dance floor and a costume contest. Tickets $5 to $25, going up as tiers sell out. If you would rather stay in one place all night.

Black and Gold Masquerade, Artemis Whiskey Bar, 560 Johnson Street, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., doors at 8. $25. Funk, soul and deep house from DJ Skyla J and DJ Oz. Dress in black and gold. A dressier option than a costume party.

Groove Kitchen Halloween Dance Party, Upstairs Lounge, Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee Street, 7:30 p.m., doors at 6 for dinner. No price posted. A live funk, Latin and soul band, for people who would rather dance to a band than a DJ and be home by midnight.

Sunday, November 1

Smash your jack-o'-lantern before it slumps on the step. Three fire departments will drop it from a great height, and each one is raising money for something good.

Westshore Town Centre Charity Pumpkin Smash, Cineplex parking lot, 2945 Jacklin Road, Langford, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. By donation, cash only, for Flourish! School Food Society. Langford Fire Rescue drops pumpkins off a 100-foot ladder.

View Royal FireSmart Pumpkin Smash, Public Safety Building, 333 Island Highway, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations welcome, for the BC Professional Fire Fighters' Association Burn Fund. Pumpkins go off the four-storey training tower.

Colwood Pumpkin Smash, Colwood City Hall, 3300 Wishart Road, 2 to 4 p.m. No price listed, and the City is collecting for the Goldstream Food Bank. Pick this one if you sleep in. Smashing pumpkins here also keeps them off the roadsides, where they draw bears.

Or let it glow one last time. Spooky Pumpkin Walk, Pineridge Park, Sooke (6600 block of Rhodonite Drive, or Pineridge Place off Eakin Drive). Drop your pumpkin off any time after 1 p.m., and the walk through the lit-up forest starts at 5. Free. Friends of Sooke Parks composts the pumpkins afterwards, which keeps them away from the bears.

Fungi Fest at the Royal BC Museum, Clifford Carl Hall, 675 Belleville Street, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Hundreds of identified mushrooms and the experts who identified them. Bring the strange thing you found on a walk.

Coastal Collector's Market, Big Fall Bash, Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Over a hundred tables of trading cards, LEGO, vinyl and comics, for the kid who just traded their Halloween candy for Pokémon cards.

Wherever you end up, have a happy and safe Halloween. And if we missed your event, tell us about it for next year.