Fall weather is here and it’s nearly pumpkin patch time! I’m a bit of a holiday addict (ok, a lot), and I love finding fun things to do with my girls to celebrate holidays and special events. Growing up, Halloween was my parents favourite holiday, so we were those people with the decked out house, dressed up parents, and “spooky” music. 😉 I guess I come by it honestly!
Here is a quick guide to some local Fall & Halloween fun for families in the Okanagan!
Farm & Orchard Fun
The two Okanagan pumpkin patches and farms most often recommended are Davison Orchard (Vernon) and McMillan Farms (Kelowna). Both places offer lots of fun activities for kids and a hay or tractor ride; Davison also offers a u-pick option. New to the mix this year is Don-O-Ray farms, offering a ton of activities for the kids, a haunted (family friendly) maze, and tons of pumpkins!
Davison Orchards
Location: 3111 Davison Road, Vernon, BC
Take a ride on the Johnny Popper Orchard Train to pick your own pumpkin! Kids can check out the Crazy Cow Kids Corral (a 1 acre farm themed play area), visit Pumpkin Princess in her pumpkin castle, and get up close to see the farm animals (all for free!). There is a gift shop, fresh produce, and a cafe on site to purchase food and drink. On Sunday September 30 they are offering free, professional family photos from 10am -2:30pm.
Tuesday Harvest Tours
When: Every Tuesday in September is u-pick apples, and every Tuesday in October is u-pick pumpkins. Tours run at 10am and 11am.
Cost: Apples: $7/per child, includes approx 2lb of apples; Adults $12, includes 10lb bag of apples, or $6 (ride only). Pumpkins: $9/person (includes ride and any sized pumpkin from the patch); $6/person (ride only).
Friday U-Pick Tours
When: Every Friday in September and October from 12pm – 4pm
Cost: Pricing as per above
Family Apple Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Festival
When: Every weekend in September and October from 10am -4pm
Cost: Apples: Children $7 (includes 2lb bag of apples) Adults $12 (approx 10lb of apples); Pumpkins:$9/person (includes ride and any sized pumpkin from the patch); $6/person (ride only)
McMillan Farms
Enjoy a tractor hay ride showcasing the 110 acre farm, Mission Creek, and farm and wild animals. More paid activities include the 3 acre corn maze (the largest in Kelowna), a unique hay maze for kids of all ages, and a giant sling shot to shoot gourds or apples through and try to hit the target. The petting farm (visit for free!) includes pigs, pygmy goats, rabbits, horses, donkeys, a llama and more. There is an onsite concession with drinks and snacks for purchase.
When: September 29th from 10 am – 6pm is opening day! Regular hours: Sunday – Wednesday 10 am – 5pm and Thursday – Saturday 10 am – 6pm for the month of October.
Cost: $30 (family pass for 5) includes hayride, slingshot, and corn maze. Pumpkin prices vary based on size.
Don-O-Ray Farms
Pumpkin Patches
If you are looking for a simple pumpkin patch experience, two highly recommended farms are The Pumpkin Patch (St. Anne’s, Armstrong) and Bilga Farms (Kelowna). Tip: buy your pumpkins early and store them outside (in garage or cold room) until closer to Halloween. Then you will get pick of the crop (and it will last until Halloween)!
Bilga Farms
You can’t miss this place when driving down Rutland Road. Also home to strawberry sales in the summer time, this is a popular Kelowna pumpkin patch!
Location: 1900 Rutland Rd. North, Kelowna, BC
When: TBA- Opening Soon!
The Pumpkin Patch (St. Anne’s)
This place has thousands of pumpkins, in addition to gourds, ornamental corn, and a variety of squash. Pick your own pumpkin and take some fall pictures on the hay wagon (no rides). There is also a small play area for the kids to enjoy! This is on our list to visit and has been recommended by lots of Moms!
Location: 642 St. Anne’s Road Armstrong. Follow the pumpkins past O’Keefe Ranch!
When: Dawn til Dusk, October 1-31.
Family Halloween Events
Family Daze in the Corn Maze
Date: October 6 – 28 (weekends) 11am – 4pm
Location: O’Keefe Ranch Vernon
What: family friendly corn maze, pony rides, tractor rides, art activities and a giant spider web so climb. Food trucks will be on site for food and beverages purchases. $10 per person or $30 per family (2 adults, 3 kids).
Kelowna Corn Maze
Date: October 1-31
Location: 575 Valley Road, Kelowna
What: A 3 acre corn maze you can explore day or night, a bonfire and concession selling hot drinks to warm up, and a large selection of pumpkins. This popular maze and pumpkin patch is located in the Glenmore area and highly recommended by fellow Moms! Pricing details and hours of operation coming soon!
10th Annual Rutland Scarecrow festival
Date: October 14, 12 – 4pm
Location: Rutland Lions Park (205 Grey Road)
What: family activities, kids games and crafts, food trucks, vendor market, and scarecrow displays and competition. This event does not have admission.
Hallowe’en Nightwings
Date: October 19, 10 am – 1pm
Location: Okanagan Heritage Museums (470 Queensway Avenue)
What: Get up close to some friendly and feathered night fliers and learn about what they get up to in the dark! You never know what you will uncover at this fun-filled Hallowe’en event. Suggested donation: $10 per family.
Halloween Spooktacular (Peachland)
Date: October 27, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Peachland Community Centre
What: Bouncy castle, carnival games, photo booth, face painting, haunted house, pumpkin carving, crafts, story time, entertainment and a family dance party. $7 per child or $20 per family, pre-registration is recommended.
Halloween Spooktacular (YMCA Kelowna)
Date: October 27, 1-4pm
Location: 375 Hartman Road, Kelowna
What: Pumpkin carving, games, face painting, crafts, and more! Free for members; $5 per person or $15 per family for non-members.
Halloween Drop In at OCG
Date: Saturday October 27th,, 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Location: Okanagan Gymnastics Centre (365 Hartman Road)
What: Dress up, play gymnastics, and have a spooky time. There will be a haunted house set up, games and prizes! $10/person.
East Kelowna Community Frosted Pumpkin Market
Date: Sunday October 28th, 10 am – 2:30 pm
Location: East Kelowna Hall (2704 East Kelowna Road)
What: This is last fall market at East Kelowna Hall. Join us for our last fall season market. Some surprising guests, music, magic and a bit of mayhem! Free pumpkins and apples!
Family Monster Bash
Date: October 28, 1-4pm
Location: Capital News Centre
What: Tons of free family fun including: cookie decorating, face painting, bouncy castle, obstacle course, skating, and soccer!
Spooktacular Pumpkin Walk
Date: October 28, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (pumpkin drop off and carving); 5:00 – 8:00 pm (pumpkin walk)
Location: Mission Creek Regional Park
What: Dress in your Halloween costume, bring a flashlight as the park will be dark, and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. walk the paths lit by pumpkins. Cast your vote for the best pumpkin in the categories of funniest, scariest, and most original jack-o-lantern.
Rutland Jack-O Lantern Event
Date: October 29th, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Location: Ben Lee Park (900 Houghton Road Kelowna)
What: Put on your costume and bring your best carved pumpkins to Ben Lee park! Pumpkins will be lined up along the pathway making a spooky display of jack-o-lanterns. From 6:30 – 7:30 everyone will vote for their favourite jack-o-lanterns! There will be hot dogs, hot chocolate, and a variety of Halloween games for children of all ages to enjoy.
The Haunting at Safari Ridge
Date: October 29th – 31st, 5pm – 9pm
Location: Safari Ridge Adventure Park (2216 Horizon Drive Kelowna)
What: Two haunted areas to explore; a dance on the 29th with costume prizes; goodie bags; and food trucks on-site. Minimum $5 donation per person; funds raised go to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Note- none of Safari Ridge’s regular activities are open during this event.
Donations
If you are looking for places to donate pumpkins after Halloween, consider taking them to the Warren Peace Bunny Sanctuary for their animals. On Saturday November 3rd they will host a drop-off event with a bonfire and hot chocolate to enjoy while you drop off your pumpkins! Please make sure you are taking quality pumpkins (nothing rotten, painted, or wax filled please) for the animals to enjoy.
Please note that many of the events listed above will accept Food Bank donations, so be sure to bring along some non-perishable food items!
Do you know of more local events? Add them in the comments below and I’ll update this list so that everyone can enjoy them!
Happy Halloween! xo
I love fall. So many events to go to, have fun x
Thanks Marina! Me too- fall is my fave!
What a great list!! Pumpkin patches and fall festivals are some of my favorite memories growing up. I still like to go each year!
Thanks Cathy! I love Fall, it is by far my favourite season. We can’t wait to check these out!
This post is soooo useful. I wish someone would make one for my area because I’ve not done any of these festivities. Now that my twins are 4 I’m really wanting to!
Thanks Jackie! Hoping that lots of families in our area can make good use of this! Halloween activities are so fun with four year olds, enjoy! (Oh, and twin costumes must be so fun!!!)
This is my favorite time of year because of all the outdoor activities that you can do with the family!
We love the fall because Halloween is one of our favorite holidays, we are so excited!
This is a great local guide! I’ll have to look one up for my area.
Great local guide! I love that Fall brings about these fun activities that the entire family can do. Especially the outdoors one.
Me too Rhonda! We love enjoying Fall weather as a family! Thanks for checking it out!
Looks like so much fun. This is my favorite time of year!
I love doing everything in fall! I wish we lived closer to all of these fun places! We’ll probably end up going to a few of our favorite apple orchards this year.
That’s awesome!! and I like the photos you took!
Fall is my favourite season and for all the reasons above!!! In what other season can we spend a day at the orchard or at a farm without sweating or freezing ourselves to death?! There is nothing better than the crispness to the air and then coming home with a bushel of apples for some crisps, pies and cookies!
I love fall and all the activities that come with it! This looks like a great list of wonderful things to do.
All of the fun autumn activities are some of my favorites! We loooove orchard visits. 🙂
I love reading about fall and Halloween activities in other parts of the country. We have a pumpkin patches and the like in Miami, but nothing like orchards and corn mazes.
Such a great post idea! I wish I could find one this detailed for my city.