Hi friends!
October weekends like this don't come around often.
Most Octobers, planning a Saturday means hunting for anything with a roof. This week, I got to plan for sunshine.
Pumpkins in t-shirt weather, fire trucks up close, and witches paddling out of Kits Beach.
The Weather: ☀️ Sunny and 19°C Saturday and Sunday, dipping to about 10°C overnight. Friday's cloudy, 18°C. Green light on everything outdoors.
Your weekend:
Friday: 🎃 Pumpkins at Southlands, 3–7 PM (open all weekend too)
Saturday: 🚒 Fire trucks up close in New West + 🧹 witches on paddleboards at Kits
Sunday: 🎬 Movie music with the VSO + 🚂 the mini trains' second-last weekend
🏆 Option 1: The Main Event
The Gist: A small working farm in southwest Vancouver runs a pumpkin festival from late September to Halloween. There's a scavenger hunt, games and animals to visit, and your ticket includes a pumpkin to take home. A pumpkin patch without leaving Vancouver.
Why It Wins
No Highway 1. No Fraser Valley traffic. The pumpkin is included, so you're not paying twice. It's a real farm, with goats, chickens and more than 20 horses and ponies. Pumpkin patches are best on a dry weekend, and this is one. On Sunday afternoon there are pony rides too.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: Southlands Heritage Farm, 3208 W 51st Ave, at Balaclava St
⏰ When: Friday 3–7 PM. Saturday and Sunday 9:30 AM–5 PM. Pony rides Sunday 2:45–4:45 PM. Runs until October 31.
👶 Ages: Best for 2 to 8. The farm's pony rides are for ages 2 to 7. Some of the farm is rough going for wheels, so a carrier beats a stroller.
🚽 Potty: Okay. There are two washrooms, one by the Balaclava entrance and one on the deck by the office. The deck one is wheelchair accessible.
💸 Cost: $15 a person ages 3 and up, pumpkin included. Under 3 is free, with no pumpkin. Pony rides are $10 a ride on top. Two adults and two children ages 3 and up come to $60 before ponies.
🅿️ Parking: The farm doesn't post parking info. It's a residential area, so plan on street parking nearby.
The Move: Go Friday after school. The 3 to 7 PM weekday window is the quiet one. If it has to be the weekend, go Sunday after lunch and book the pony ride online first. Tickets are sold online or at the gate.
Want a bigger patch? Our free Pumpkin Patch Playbook covers 13 farms, with drive times and potty ratings.
🪶 Option 2: The "Low Drag" Play
The Gist: Every first Saturday in October, paddleboarders dressed as witches and warlocks push off from Kits Beach toward Granville Island. This is the sixth year. You don't need a board. You just need a spot on the sand.
Why It Wins:
It's free, and it fits into a morning. A beach full of witches climbing onto paddleboards is not a normal Saturday. Once the boards push off, the city's largest accessible playground is a short walk away. Bring a can of food for SHARE and you've done a good deed before lunch.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: Kitsilano Beach, in front of the main washroom building
⏰ When: Saturday, October 3. Launch around 11:30 AM; arrive by 11 AM.
👶 Ages: All ages on the sand. Want to paddle? It's for experienced paddlers only, with a PFD and leash. There are no lifeguards.
🚽 Potty: Okay. There are public washrooms in the main beach building, which is the meeting spot.
💸 Cost: Free. Organizers ask everyone to bring packaged, non-perishable food or cash for SHARE Family & Community Services. Canned goods, whole-grain rice, legumes and baby formula are suggested donations.
🅿️ Parking: There's a pay lot off Arbutus St by the tennis courts. Get there early or get dropped off.
The Move: Be on the sand by 11 so you catch the launch, not the back of a pointy hat. Let the children hand over the can for SHARE. Then head to the playground.
🎪 Option 3: The Wildcard
The Gist: New Westminster's main fire hall opens its doors on Saturday. Expect live demos, equipment up close and fire safety booths. Sparky the Fire Dog will be there, and the firefighters run a charity BBQ by donation.
Why It Wins:
Yes, it's a drive. For anyone in the fire-truck years, it's worth it. It's free, and it runs four hours, so nobody has to rush. The BBQ takes care of lunch, and the money goes to the firefighters' charity. This year's theme is charging lithium-ion batteries safely. That's your chance to ask a firefighter about the e-bike charging by your front door.
The Parent Specs:
📍 Where: Glenbrook Fire Hall, 1 East Sixth Ave, New Westminster, near Queen's Park
⏰ When: Saturday, 10 AM–2 PM
👶 Ages: All ages. The sweet spot is roughly 2 to 7.
🚽 Potty: Unknown. The City doesn't say if the hall's washrooms are open. Queen's Park, where you'll park, has public washrooms.
💸 Cost: Free. The BBQ is by donation.
🅿️ Parking: There's none at the fire hall. The fire department suggests parking by the arena in Queen's Park, or walking, biking or taking transit.
The Move: Park by the Queen's Park arena, like the fire department suggests, and walk over. Do the trucks first and the BBQ second. Walk back through Queen's Park and hit the playground. The drive home will be a quiet one.
✨Bonus: Sunday at the Symphony
The VSO's Kids Concerts season opens Sunday with a 50-minute show about how music makes movies work. Shauna Johannesen hosts and David Bui conducts.
The program includes music by BC composers Caleb and Brian Chan. Their credits include Angry Birds: Summer Madness and Fairly OddParents: A New Wish.
📍 Where: The Orpheum, 601 Smithe St. Take the Canada Line to Vancouver City Centre, then it's about a 5-minute walk.
⏰ When: Sunday at 2 PM, about 50 minutes. The VSO School of Music Playzone runs in the lobby before the show.
👶 Ages: Made for young audiences, roughly 4 to 11.
🚽 Potty: Easy. It's a theatre.
💸 Cost: $20 to $36 a ticket.
The Move: Get there by 1:15 for the Playzone, where they can try real instruments before anyone has to sit still. Sit on an aisle.
Also Worth Knowing
🚂 Last call: Burnaby Central Railway
The mini trains close for the season on Thanksgiving Monday, October 12. That leaves this weekend and Thanksgiving weekend, Monday included.
It's a 10-minute ride on a two-mile track through the woods, over bridges and through tunnels. Trains run Saturdays and Sundays from 11 AM to 5 PM, and the station has accessible washrooms with change tables.
Rides are $5, and under-3s ride free. The 10-ride pass is $45 and never expires, so leftover rides carry into next spring. Tickets are in person only, and sales stop at 4:30.
It's at 120 N Willingdon Ave, Burnaby. Park free on the north side of the Eileen Dailly pool, two blocks away.
Got a friend about to sit in Highway 1 traffic for a pumpkin? Forward this to them. There's a patch inside city limits, and the pumpkin's included.
We’ve got this!
Saba Yazdani
The Cambie Memo
