Halloween fun gets in high gear
Halloween has already begun in Oak Bay.
Pumpkins have been set up along Oak Bay Avenue in advance of the Pumpkin Art on the Avenue display, back for a seventh year from Friday through Halloween.
The display will be behind Oak Bay Municipal Hall and will include more than 500 pumpkins carved into cartoon characters, Halloween figures and much more. Oak Bay High School students will be taking part for the first time by carving pumpkins to add to the array.
The attraction is open from 5 to 9 p.m. except for Halloween, when it stays open until 10 p.m.
Trick-or-treaters are welcome from 2 to 5 p.m. on Halloween at stores in the Oak Bay Village, while the annual Oak Bay bonfire will be lit at 6 p.m. at Fireman’s Park.
Downtown Sidney also has a trick-or-treating event, known as Treat Street, that runs from 4 to 6 p.m.
A mainstay of Halloween in the region is back with the Galey Farms Festival of Fear, which runs 6 to 10 p.m. through Halloween at 4150 Blenkinsop Rd. Go to galeyfarms.net for details.
Halloween lovers can also mark the occasion in advance on Saturday at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre’s Pumpkin Swim, set for 1-3 p.m. Pumpkins will be given out, with a limit of one per family, and Halloween-themed games will be part of the occasion. Regular admission applies. Fun in the water is also the theme at the 15th annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving event Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Colwood’s Esquimalt Lagoon, where scuba divers will work their carving magic below the surface. Participants must bring their own pumpkins.
Participants are asked to pay $10-$15, with money raised going to the SPCA’s Wild ARC animalrehabilitation facility . Wilson Diving is the organizer, and will be hosting a barbecue for participants after the dive. Contact wilsondiving@telus.net.
More pumpkin carving awaits Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at Fairfield Community Place, 1335 Thurlow Rd., along with crafts and treats, courtesy of the Fairfield Gonzales Community Association. Cost is $20 per family or $10 for a caregiver and child, with proceeds going to the association’s Fairfield Food Forest, which produces food for area residents.
Panorama Recreation has scheduled two events — Halloween in the Pool at the Panorama Recreation Centre on Saturday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and the Cute Little Spooks Kindergym Party on Halloween at the Greenglade Community Centre from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Check the Go calendar listings for more Halloween activities.