EXCURSION
You don't have to wait until Halloween for a close encounter with the ghosts and goblins that reportedly abound here.
Over the next two weeks, the Ghosts of Victoria Festival will remind us why Victoria is known as B.C.'s most haunted city.
Highlights include ghostly walks exploring the haunted alleys and courtyards of Victoria's Old Town, Thursday at 7: 30 p.m., and Friday to Oct. 31 hourly from 6: 30 p.m. to 9: 30 p.m.
Meet in the lobby of the Bedford Regency Hotel (1140 Government St.).
The cost is $14 for adults, $8 for kids 6-11, or $35 for families with kids under 16.
If you don't feel like walking, try historian John Adams's two-hour haunted bus tours for the Old Cemeteries Society, starting Saturday at 9 p.m.
The cost is $37, and the tours are for those 12 and up. Tours start from the Oak Bay Marina parking lot. Go to ticketrocket.org/ ghost-bus-tours for tickets. The Cemeteries Society also hosts tours of Ross Bay Cemetery Sundays at 2 p.m.
The Maritime Museum - one of Victoria's most haunted locations, where "hanging judge" Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie once presided in the former courtroom - hosts its own ghost tours from Friday to Sunday at 6 p.m. Call 250-385-4222, ext. 113 for reservations.
The Maritime Museum also hosts a paranormal investigation - a real ghost hunt conducted by a team of mediums - Saturday from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The cost is $55.
Go to beyondbelief paranormalevents.com for tickets.
On Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Voices from the Past explores life, death and unexplained phenomena at St. Ann's Academy, a 153-year-old former convent school.
Call 250-953-8828 for more information.
For more on the Ghosts of Victoria Festival, check Go event listings, call Tourism Victoria at 250953-2033, visit tourism victoria.com or drop by the Visitor Information Centre at the corner of Government and Wharf streets.
FESTIVAL OF FEAR TAKES OVER FARM
There are plenty of frights and sights on display at Galey Farms, whose annual Halloween extravaganza is open daily and nightly until Oct. 31.
The farm on Blenkin-sop Road has transformed its corn maze, market and railway into a spooktacular fortress of fun for the whole family.
During each weekend in October, Pumpkinfest offerings such as the kid-friendly Ghost Town and haunted house and graveyard are open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The family offerings are available Saturday and Sunday, and Oct. 27 and 28.
The Festival of Fear - with activities such as the Cornfield of Horror, Carnevil, Madame Isabella's Seance and Crazy Train - gets spookier starting at 6 p.m.
Festival of Fear runs nightly until 10 through Halloween night. Some Festival of Fear events are suitable only for those 13 years and up.
All Pumpkinfest and Festival of Fear events cost $10 per adult and $7 per child for first venue. All other venues cost an additional $5 each
Galey Farms is located at 4150 Blenkinsop Rd.
For more information, go to galeyfarms.net.
NATURE'S SPOOKY SIDE
CRD Regional Parks naturalists are at your service in time for Halloween, from Friday to Monday. Drop by the Francis/King Nature Centre off Munn Road anytime between 11 a.m. and 2: 30 p.m.
At 11: 15 a.m. and 1: 15 p.m., naturalists will guide walks and point out spooky treasures from the natural world to fill your cauldron. Displays, Halloween crafts and a "ghoulish brew" also await. Costumed participants are eligible to win a prize. The centre is wheelchair-accessible.
FEST CELEBRATES INTUITIVE ARTS
Unlock the mysteries of your soul and explore your true potential at the fourth annual Intuitive Arts Festival this weekend.
This two-day grassroots community festival celebrates holistic health, alternative medicine and metaphysics.
Attend workshops on holistic health or visit some of the 33 exhibitors expected to attend. There will be psychic readings and energy healing, while shamanism, spiritual gifts and alternative medicine will also be explored.
The $10 entry fee includes admission to all the workshops. The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. at the James Bay Community Centre, 140 Oswego St. For more information, go to redgatehealingstudio.com or call 778-0433-7334.
