Old-Fashioned Fright

Want a taste (literally) of the good old days? Then trick-or-treat on the sweet streets of Burnaby Village Museum, our Savvy pick for young families looking for Halloween fun. 

How fun? Lots of fun—with a few chills thrown in. The heritage village is staging “The Great Candy Train Robbery”, and everyone is invited to take part in solving the mystery of who hijacked the trainload of sweets. Along the way, children will be peering in windows, knocking on doors, collecting clues as well as candy, and interacting with the costumed creatures of Goblin’s Village. They’ll also encounter stilt walkers and other street performers from the Public Dreams Society. 

The event will be a treat for moms and dads, and we’re not tricking you. If you’re juggling babies and big kids (all in the dark!), you can relax a little, knowing you’re in a safe, traffic-free place where a wandering youngster isn’t likely to come to harm. You’ll also love the fact that you can duck out of the cold if you need to, whether it’s to have a hot chocolate at the ice cream parlour, take in some family-friendly ‘fright flicks’ at the little movie theatre, or create a Halloween craft with your artsy offspring. 

Kids will love the chance to get in character and roar about in the dark with ‘torches’. (Halloween costumes and flashlights encouraged!) Each child will be given a trick-or-treating bag and a ‘candy ration’ card that will lead them through the various village locales and steer them to solve the great candy caper.

Another highlight for all will be the free rides on the beautifully refurbished 1912 carousel, which has a steed or a seat for all ages and sizes (hence its original name, a ‘carry-us-all’). Big band music is provided by a restored 1925 Wurlitzer Military Band band organ, the same model as that which accompanied carousel rides at Playland for decades. 

You can cap off your evening of old-fashioned fun with a fire show that will light up the night, and all the little faces in the audience. 

At SavvyMom, we know the latest is not always the greatest. This Halloween, enjoy a blast from the past. 

Burnaby’s Haunted Village is open from 6 to 9 pm on October 24, 25, 26 and 30. Adults are $15; children two to 12 are $10 each. 

Burnaby Village Museum
www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca
(604) 293-6500
Deer Lake Avenue off Canada Way

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