Halloween may be the Day of the Dead, but it doesn’t have to be scary.
Enchanted Halloween is a celebration for the whole family, and for the second year it will be held at the turn-of-the-century village and grounds at Heritage Acres. This event will again showcase the best of Halloween-related cultural traditions and activities.
“We were convinced there are a lot of people who love to celebrate Halloween, but are put off by the ‘shock and gore’ that has become over-represented in present-day Halloween culture,” said Alice Bacon, creative director for Shine*ola Communications and Events and co-producer for Enchanted.
Last year’s event attracted more than 4,000 people, encouraging the organization to make this an annual event.
There is a wide variety of activities planned for all ages. These include a pumpkin trail with interactive, costumed characters handing out treats, a ‘Wicked’ tableau and other themed displays such as the Mexican-flavoured “Day of the Dead”, kids crafts, magicians, stilt-walkers, performers, storytellers and much more.
Intrepid Theatre, producers of the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival and Uno Fest, are co-producing Enchanted Halloween, bringing with them many volunteers and performers.
“As Halloween is arguably the most theatrical of all holidays, we think this is going to be great fun,” said Janet Munsil, Intrepid’s artistic director. “Enchanted presents a unique opportunity for some of our performers to create small-scale “pocket” performances, which people will chance across as they wander through the village.”
A major change this year is that there will be no on-site parking at Heritage Acres. Event-goers are asked to assemble at Gateway Park in the Keating Industrial area and ride the shuttle bus to the Heritage Acres site. Only vehicles displaying valid disabled parking permits will be allowed to park at Heritage Acres.
A shuttle bus will run every eight minutes from the 500-space parking area. Munsil said there will be a story-teller on each bus to keep event-goers entertained and informed during the short trip.
Costumes are encouraged, but organizers warn the weather could be inclement, so please dress appropriately and bring a flashlight.
Enchanted runs Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 30 from noon until 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for children and seniors, $15 for adults. Please purchase tickets in advance at TicketRocket.org, by calling 250-590-6291, or in person at the TicketRocket box office at 1609 Blanshard Street. There is a family rate of $40 for two adults and two children.
Further details are available at EnchantedHalloween.com and on Facebook at Enchanted Halloween at Heritage Acres.