by Megan Jones
Warm lattes in cozy locations. Halloween celebrations. Brightly coloured trees and crisp ocean air. There’s a plethora of good reasons to visit Vancouver in the fall. From film festivals to fright nights to turkey trots, here are some of our favourite autumn activities happening in 2017. [Photo credit: iStock.com/Maxvis]
Easily one of Vancouver’s more heartwarming sporting events, the annual Granville Island Turkey Trot happens on Thanksgiving Monday of each year, welcoming walkers, runners and their children. A beautiful way to work off all that turkey, the 10-kilometre route stretches from Granville Island around False Creek, across the iconic Burrard Street Bridge and back for a scenic finish. The best part? Skip the babysitter and enroll your little ones in the 1.1-kilometre kids run, which includes healthy snacks, water and post-race activities.
The Vancouver International Film Festival will host screenings of acclaimed fiction and documentary films in intimate theatres across the city from September 28th to October 13th. This year’s lineup of directors includes heavyweights such as Ai Weiwei and plenty of local rising stars – plus exhibitions, workshops, lectures and Q&A sessions to discuss and dissect the global film landscape right here in Vancouver.
From October 6th to 31st, this spooky celebration takes over Vancouver’s largest amusement park to scare, entertain and exhilarate you as you explore deranged insane asylums, horrific Hollywood scenes, dark corridors and much, much more. This year’s captivating performances include The Monsters of Schlock, during which comedians will enact awe-inspiring, downright freaky stunts.
With picturesque murals, eclectic boutiques and off-the-beaten-track artist studios, Mount Pleasant is a must-stop on any tour of Vancouver. In fall, the neighbourhood’s X-factor is its unique coffee culture, which includes cutting-edge cafés for sipping lattes on a blustery day. We recommend Kafka, Gene Coffeebar and Elysian for cerebral sippers, 49th Parallel for decadent doughnuts and Le Marche St. George for eclectic, European-inspired surroundings.
This annual festival of literature brings together 17,000 spectators and 100+ authors in 90+ events that explore a world of books and ideas in venues all over Granville Island. This year, headliners include literary superstars Barbara Reid and Margaret Atwood (if you can believe it). We suggest you attend a few shows, but save room for all the art viewing, dining and shopping that Granville has to offer. It all goes down October 16th to 22nd.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away – so a festival featuring more than 50 different varieties will surely keep the doctor away ’til at least Christmas, right? Now in its 26th year, the UBC Botanical Garden’s annual Apple Festival teaches visitors about one of B.C.’s favourite fruits, and features free tastings and workshops. Food trucks mingle with kids’ crafts in this quaint farm setting (complete with scarecrows). An affordable $5 gets you in for the day on either Saturday October 14th or Sunday October 15th.
What would fall be without beer, and what would Vancouver be without Harvest Haus? A spin on Germany’s Oktoberfest, this annual event celebrating the harvest takes place next to Sole Street Farms (adjacent to B.C. Place) from October 5th to 14th. Choose from one of seven events, and enjoy European harvest foods (pretzels, bratwurst, sauerkraut and more), plus lots and lots of beer – from Heineken and Erdinger imports to Vancouver’s own Parallel 49 Brewing. Just don’t forget your lederhosen!
Tick off your Christmas shopping list early – and have fun while doing it – on Vancouver’s premier shopping street (think: New York’s Fifth Avenue, just slightly less expensive). Highlights include Vancouver-grown clothing labels Lululemon and Artizia, luxury department store Nordstrom, lingerie mecca Victoria’s Secret, and multiple Starbucks locations (for your pumpkin spice latte fix).
Vancouver may be gorgeous in summertime, but, as you can see, fall is also an ideal time to visit the city by the sea – especially if you plan your trip around one of these autumn activities.
