Take a tour by lamp + professional actor through the cobblestone streets of Gastown.
Walking tours, pumpkin carving and spooky improv directed by an evil cat are a few of the Halloween-themed happenings in Vancouver in the days leading up to Oct. 31. See below for more details on these and other events.
Spooktober at Vancouver TheatreSports (Oct 22-31, Improv Centre, 1502 Duranleau St., Granville Island)—Halloween-themed shows include Monster Matches, Cult Fiction—Everyone Laugh Together, and Kreepy Kitty. In Monster Matches, teams of monsters compete for laughs. In Cult Fiction, the players take audience suggestions to craft a tale about a cult. And in Kreepy Kitty, an evil kitty directs the show from its window perch. VTS is also holding a special Halloween Howl event on Oct. 26. It features costumed performers in two TheatreSports matches, as well as a DJ and other treats. (Tickets: starting at $10.75 at vtsl.com)
Cult Fiction is one of three Halloween-themed improv games as part of Vancouver TheatreSports’ Spooktober festivities.
Story Story Lie: Tales of Terror (Oct. 23 at 7 p.m., Rio Theatre, 1660 E. Broadway)—Six storytellers tell tales, one of which isn’t true. During the show audience members get to question the contestants in an attempt to reveal the liar. The first audience member to guess who the liar is wins a prize. (Tickets: $12 at riotheatre.ca, $14 at the door)
Jack-O-Lantern Carving (Oct. 27, starting at 1 p.m., Strange Fellows, 1345 Clark Dr.)— East Side brewery Strange Fellows hosts a pumpkin carving contest. There’s also a Halloween party (Oct. 25, 7-1o p.m.) and a Spooky Movie Night (Oct. 31, 7-10 p.m.).
Halloween Adventure in Gastown (until Oct. 31, nr. Waterfront Station, 601 W. Cordova St.)—Teams compete in a murder-mystery game. Each team receives a detective kit, and the game begins near Waterfront station. The team with the highest score will also win a gift card to Revel Room (238 Abbott St.) (Tickets: $32/player at vancouvermysteries.com)
The Lost Souls of Gastown Tour (until Nov. 2)—Take a trip through the streets and alleyways of Gastown and into Vancouver’s earliest and most gruesome history. Guests follow a bobbing lantern as their storyteller leads them through the cobblestone streets and alleyways to share stories about the Great Fire of 1886, the smallpox outbreaks in the 1890s, and the murder of gold prospector John Bray in 1898. (Tickets: $28/$25 for students and seniors at ForbiddenVancouver.ca)
