Spooky Season! How to Celebrate Halloween in Vancouver WA 2020
This year is unique since some of the bigger celebrations in the area have had to modify or cancel their plans in accordance with Washington state mandates. There are still tons of ways to celebrate Halloween in Vancouver though! From haunted houses to DIY projects at home, there is plenty to do this year to have a spooktacular Halloween close to home.
Haunted Houses
There’s something so exhilarating about haunted houses! Vancouver has paused theirs, but just across the Columbia River, Portland has a good collection of haunted house attractions in the area. We’ve rounded up our top three favorites for you in this quick list. There is excitement and anticipation around every corner, and the costumes and decor are always a sight to behold in person!
Located at Oaks Amusement Park, these guys have adapted to the current situation with a drive-thru take on the classic haunted house experience. Spooky scenery in the forest surrounding the park with spine tingling audio, video, and special effects! It’s also 100% contactless. Oaks Amusement Park is 30 minutes away.
Fear PDX is the largest Halloween event in the Portland/Vancouver area! They offer a variety of attractions with different themes and levels of scariness, including an all new Nightmares “Extreme Haunt” set in their massive building in Portland. It’s definitely the scariest haunted house in Portland! Their other themed haunts include Dark Carnival, The Creatures, The Doll Factory, and The Mansion. The sets are incredible and the actors are committed. You can’t go wrong with any of these haunts!
Portland’s newest haunted house attraction has an awesome location at Rossi Farms about 15 minutes away, that will take you back to Old Parkrose and the Wild West. They’re open for a limited time, October 18-19 and October 25-26 from 7pm to 9:30pm.
Halloweentown!
If you’re a 90s kid or you had a TV in the early 2000s, you’ve probably heard of Halloweentown. This Disney Channel original movie was set in the real town of St. Helens, and every year they hold a Spirit of Halloweentown month long celebration. See the iconic Big Pumpkin in the town plaza, and spooky merchants lining the streets! Buy tickets ahead of time, click here. It’s a 45-50 minute drive from Vancouver, but completely worth it!
DIY Projects for Kids
If you are looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for the holiday weekend, try some fun Halloween inspired DIY projects at home. You can make costumes, Halloween decorations, wreaths, decorate pumpkins, and more. Find a whole list of fantastic ideas here.
Movie Night
Opt for a lowkey Halloween at home with a fun movie night! Put on your favorite costume or coziest pajamas, make some yummy snacks like caramel apples, and put on a Halloween movie. To help you out, here’s a quick list of some of our favorite Halloween movies and shows that you can find on Netflix and Disney Plus!
- Halloweentown (of course!)
- Frankenweenie
- The Corpse Bride
- The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- Stranger Things
- The Haunting of Bly House
- The Addams Family
- Penny Dreadful
- Scream
- Hubie Halloween
