The short version
- October 23 to 31 is the busy stretch. The Haunted Village at Burnaby Village Museum runs October 23–25 and 30–31, 2026, 4 to 9pm, so the season starts a full week before Halloween night itself.
- The City's own showcase is Central Spark. Friday, October 30, 6 to 8pm at Central Park — free, with a drone show at 7:15 and fireworks at 7:30.
- The City runs a dozen Halloween events. Skates, swims, a walking tour and a Pumpkin Parade on November 1, all on the City's Halloween page.
- Fireworks rules are specific. No sales in Burnaby; low-hazard fireworks only on October 31, on private property, by an adult.
Burnaby runs a full Halloween season, with a museum haunted village, a City-run park showcase and a long list of recreation events. It is also a city where the season does not all pile onto one night: the Haunted Village opens on October 23, a full week before Halloween, so families have a window rather than a single evening to get through it.
Central Spark Is the City's Own Showcase
The City of Burnaby runs Central Spark on Friday, October 30, 6 to 8pm at Central Park, and lists it among its signature events. Entry is free, with a drone show at 7:15pm and fireworks at 7:30pm. It runs after dark, so dress for a cold evening in the park rather than for the afternoon.
Two more City events land the weekend before. Bonsor's Big Boo is on Friday, October 23, 6 to 8:30pm at Bonsor Recreation Complex ($2, cash), and the Spooky Bash swim at Edmonds is on Saturday, October 24, 2 to 4pm — the indoor, daytime option for younger children.
Costumes That Do Not Need a Costume Shop
The best Halloween costumes are usually the ones that come together from what is already in the closet, plus one or two things from a dollar store or a thrift shop. That is not a compromise. It is how most families actually dress four children in four different directions without spending eighty dollars on each of them.
- Group costumes: pick a theme everyone can interpret loosely — a deck of cards, a box of crayons, a bag of jellybeans — rather than matching outfits. Loose interpretation works across mixed ages and mixed budgets, which exact matching never does.
- Layer for the weather: late October evenings are cold and often wet. Build the costume around a warm base layer and a jacket that is part of the look, instead of fighting the costume to add one afterwards.
- Face paint over masks: masks limit peripheral vision and breathing, which matters more when children are crossing streets after dark. Face paint, or a costume with an open, unrestricted mask, is the safer choice for trick-or-treating.
- Light it up: a strip of battery-powered LED lights clipped or sewn onto a costume does double duty as a design element and as visibility for drivers, which is the cheapest safety improvement available.
The Museum Haunted Village Runs a Full Week Before Halloween
Burnaby Village Museum's Haunted Village, at 6501 Deer Lake Avenue, runs October 23–25 and 30–31, 2026, from 4 to 9pm. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for ages 2 to 12; on the day they are $15 and $10. Trick-or-treating is on October 31 only.
The museum setting does real work here. A reconstructed village street, old timber buildings and displays in low light are the sort of atmosphere a purpose-built haunted house has to manufacture. It is also the option that works for a mixed-age group, because the scare level is a walk-through rather than a corridor of actors in your face.
The village itself is closed from the 26th to the 29th, but the museum fills part of the gap with a Haunted History Walking Tour on October 26 to 28, 7:30 to 9:30pm, for ages 16 and up with registration required.
Halloween on the Heights
Merchants in the Hastings Street shopping district run Halloween on the Heights, a community trick-or-treat stroll through the Heights. Last year it ran on Halloween afternoon, 3:30 to 5pm; the 2026 details had not been posted at the time of writing, so check the Heights business association's listing before you go. This is a neighborhood event rather than a City recreation program, with its own schedule and its own crowd.
More City Events, All on the City's Own Calendar
The City's Halloween events page lists 12 events, each with its own 2026 dates and times. Beyond the ones above:
- Teen Toonie Skate (October 24) and a Costume Skate (October 25).
- Ghouls & Goblins Skate — Sunday, October 25, 11:30am to 1:45pm, Kensington.
- Monster Mash — Thursday, October 29, 7:30 to 9:30pm, Eileen Dailly Pool.
- Tiny Tikes drop-in — Saturday, October 31, 8:45 to 10:15am, at Christine Sinclair Community Centre, for ages 1 to 5 ($1.90 plus tax per adult). Come in costume for trick-or-treats.
- Halloween Spooktacular — Saturday, October 31, 2 to 4pm, Temporary Cameron Community Centre, $2 with registration.
- Pumpkin Parade — Sunday, November 1, 5:30 to 8pm, Eileen Dailly, free. Bring your carved pumpkin.
Tourism Burnaby also runs a Burnaby Halloween Festival page, with a neighborhood decorating contest (entries closed on October 20), Halloweeks at The Amazing Brentwood and a Halloween Hunt at City of Lougheed.
Trick-or-Treating Safety, Which Is Mostly About Being Seen
Halloween falls on the same date every year, but the basics are worth repeating each fall, because the thing that actually goes wrong is almost never the trick-or-treating itself.
- It gets dark early. Sunset on October 31 is around 5:51pm in Burnaby, so trick-or-treating happens almost entirely in the dark.
- Be seen. Reflective tape, a flashlight or glow stick, and light-colored costume elements all make a real difference to drivers.
- Walk, don’t dart. Cross at corners and crosswalks rather than between parked cars, and treat every driveway as if a car might be pulling out.
- Go in a group. An adult or older sibling with younger trick-or-treaters, and a plan for where to meet up if a group splits, covers most of what can go wrong.
- Check the treats before eating. Look for anything unwrapped, torn, or unfamiliar before kids dig in, especially for children with allergies.
- Drivers: slow right down. Residential streets fill with excited kids who aren’t always watching for cars.
Fireworks Rules
Fireworks cannot be sold in Burnaby. Low-hazard fireworks may only be set off on October 31, on private property with the owner's consent, by someone 18 or older; firecrackers are banned, and anything on public property needs a permit from the Fire Chief. The details are in the City's Fire Services Bylaw.
At-Home Halloween Ideas for the Daylight Hours
Most families have a few daylight hours before anyone goes out, and they are the easiest part of the day to fill well.
- Pumpkin carving or painting: painting is the mess-free option and works for younger children who find a knife genuinely difficult.
- Roast the seeds: pumpkin seeds roasted with salt or a spice mix turn the carving into a snack rather than a chore.
- A movie night: something age-appropriate, with the leftover candy, is a completely reasonable rainy-evening plan.
- Decorate the porch early: a jack-o’-lantern and a bowl left out for callers when you’re out go a long way for very little money.
Your Burnaby Halloween at a Glance
Friday October 23. Bonsor's Big Boo, 6 to 8:30pm, and the first night of the Haunted Village, 4 to 9pm.
Saturday October 24 and Sunday October 25. The Haunted Village continues; Spooky Bash at Edmonds on the 24th and skates on both days.
Monday October 26 to Wednesday October 28. Haunted History Walking Tour at the museum, 16 and up, registration required.
Friday October 30. Central Spark at Central Park, 6 to 8pm, with fireworks at 7:30 — plus the Haunted Village's final weekend.
Saturday October 31. Halloween itself: trick-or-treating at the Haunted Village, Tiny Tikes drop-in in the morning, the Halloween Spooktacular in the afternoon, and Halloween on the Heights if the merchants run it again.
Sunday November 1. The Pumpkin Parade at Eileen Dailly, 5:30 to 8pm — free, and a good use for your jack-o'-lantern.
What Is Not Happening in Burnaby This Halloween
Burnaby does not publish a city-wide trick-or-treat hour or an official safe route, and if you have seen one quoted elsewhere, treat it with suspicion. What the City publishes is its own events program; door-to-door trick-or-treating is left to neighborhoods.
That is not a gap so much as a shape. A city with a museum haunted village, a City-run park showcase and a full recreation calendar has plenty to do without a municipal curfew, but it also means there is no single answer to "what time is trick-or-treating in Burnaby" — because each organizer sets its own.
Where a source gives you a specific time, check it against the organizer's own page before you set out. Dates on recycled listicles are the most common reason people arrive somewhere closed on the one night it was shut.
Questions Often Asked
When is the Haunted Village at Burnaby Village Museum?
October 23–25 and 30–31, 2026, 4 to 9pm, with trick-or-treating on October 31 only. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for ages 2 to 12.
Is there a pumpkin patch or corn maze in Burnaby?
Not a farm-style u-pick patch or corn maze that we could confirm. The Burnaby Village Museum Haunted Village is a walkthrough, and Central Spark is a park event. If picking a pumpkin is the point, that means driving out to a farm, and confirming it has a 2026 season listed first.
Does Burnaby publish trick-or-treat hours or a safe route?
No. The City's Halloween page covers its own events, including trick-or-treating at the Haunted Village on October 31. Halloween on the Heights has its own listing and its own hours, separate from anything the City runs.
Can I set off fireworks in Burnaby on Halloween?
Only low-hazard fireworks, only on October 31, on private property with the owner's consent, and only if you are 18 or older. Fireworks cannot be sold in Burnaby, and firecrackers are banned.
Is it cold on Halloween night in Burnaby?
Colder than people expect. Sunset on October 31 is around 5:51pm, so essentially all of trick-or-treating happens in the dark. Plan for a warm layer under the costume rather than over it.
