Sunday Musings: Halloween in Vancouver a Trip Down Memory Lane

Next Saturday is October 31st and for many this is the time of the year where they let their creativity shine. This year I’ll be going as a Bumble Bee at the various Halloween parties around town. I’ll be making the costume from scratch so hopefully I get it done in time. As a back up plan I am going as a vampire. Yes Nosferatu, I feel that women seem to be diggin vamps these days so why not.

Vancouver has a unique vibe when it comes to Halloween. Sure most cities have club nights and house parties. No different here, except we have a high ratio of pretty women in comparison to other cities. However, what set it apart from other cities were the sounds of firecrackers. I had a cousin over from Edmonton during Halloween back in the late 90’s and he was amazed by how “crazy” it was out here this time of the year. Later on there was the procession that marched down the streets of Commercial Drive known as the parade of lost souls.
Sadly, as we first told Vancouverites, it was canceled this year due to funding cuts and a shortfall in the Public Dreams Society’s coffers. However, Mr. Buzz told me quite a few gathered last night anyways. He’ll have more on that later. No doubt though Vancouverites find creative ways to celebrate the dead.

As a kid I always loved Halloween, being born and raised in East Van this time of the year is usually inundated with firecrackers (yes they are illegal) and fireworks (legal). My buddies and I would spend hundreds of dollars on firecrackers and set them off the whole week leading up to Halloween and every year we’d spend way too much and swear next year to spend less. However, when next year came the same scenario would repeat itself. These days it doesn’t sound like Halloween as firecrackers have become way too expensive and fireworks are only now on sale (remember to get your permit). Perhaps the tightened security at the borders has something to do with it, who knows. All I know is Halloween isn’t the same without the sounds of Crackling Balls, Mighty Mights, Dixie Whistlers (3 whistle) and Jumping Jacks.