What's on in Vancouver this week: Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026

Fall is here in earnest this week. The farmers markets are into their last month, the pumpkin patches open for the season midweek, and VIFF starts Thursday. Six of the nine picks below land between Friday and Sunday, so the weekend alone covers most of the list.

Wednesday, September 30, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and the City of Vancouver's page for the day is a good place to start if you'd like to learn more.

Thursday to Saturday: film and a live score downtown

• VIFF 2026 · Thu Oct 1 – Sun Oct 11 · VIFF Centre, 1181 Seymour St, plus venues around the city · The festival's 45th edition, with more than 160 features plus a slate of shorts. Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut opens it at an invitation-only gala on Thursday, and single tickets for regular screenings start at $22. · viff.org
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert · Fri Oct 2 at 7pm, Sat Oct 3 at 2pm · Orpheum Theatre · The film plays on the big screen while the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams' score live, conducted by Norman Huynh, with the Vancouver Bach Choir. Tickets are sold through the VSO's site. · vancouversymphony.ca

If you're taking kids to the Saturday matinee, the 2pm start leaves time for an early dinner nearby before anyone gets tired. The Friday show suits a date night better.

Saturday and Sunday: the farmers markets

Both markets are in their final weeks of the season, with the fall harvest on the tables.

• Trout Lake Farmers Market · Sat Oct 3, 9am–2pm · Lakewood Dr & E 13th Ave, East Van · More than 60 farms and producers, plus food and coffee trucks. The season runs every Saturday through October 31. · eatlocal.org
• Kitsilano Farmers Market · Sun Oct 4, 10am–2pm · Larch St & W 10th Ave, Kitsilano · More than 50 farms and producers, every Sunday through November 1. · eatlocal.org

Sunday: museums by donation and tap under the trees

• Pay What You Can Day in Vanier Park · Sun Oct 4, 10am–5pm · Vancouver Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Ave · The Maritime Museum suggests a donation of $5–$20, and the Museum of Vancouver and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre are pay-what-you-can the same day. · vanmaritime.com
• Tap Amongst the Trees · Sun Oct 4, 2pm and 3pm · Gateway Grove, outside Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Rd, Richmond · A free beginner tap class outdoors, led by Jennifer Bishop with The Rhythm Room, as part of BC Culture Days. Both sessions were full with a waitlist when we checked on September 24, so join the waitlist if you're keen. · gatewaytheatre.com

The three Vanier Park museums sit within a short walk of each other, so it's easy to make a day of it: ships in the morning, city history after lunch, and the Space Centre once the little ones need a change of scene.

All week: pumpkin patches and Harvest Days

Pumpkin season gets going this week, and the two patches below are open on weekdays too, which is handy if your weekend is already spoken for.

• Richmond Country Farms Pumpkin Patch · Daily from Wed Sep 30 to the end of October; weekdays 9am–4pm, weekends 10am–4:30pm · 12900 Steveston Hwy, Richmond · A tractor-drawn wagon ride, a corn maze, farm animals and live music on weekends. Admission is $15 plus tax on weekdays and $20 plus tax on weekends, with one pumpkin included. · richmondcountryfarms.com
• Rondriso Farms Pumpkin Patch · Opens Wed Sep 30; weekdays 3–6pm, weekends 10am–6pm · 8390 172 St, Surrey · U-pick and pre-picked pumpkins, mini pumpkins and gourds, and a hayride out to the field. There's a small per-person admission with the hayride extra, paid by cash or Interac on site; check the farm's page for current pricing before you drive out. · rondrisofarms.ca
• Harvest Days at VanDusen Botanical Garden · Sat Oct 3 and Sun Oct 4, 10:30am–4:30pm (the series runs weekends until Oct 18) · 5251 Oak St · Live music, face painting, lawn games, crafts, food trucks and a Discovery Tent, all among the fall colour. It's included with regular garden admission; the City's page has the latest details. · vancouver.ca

If you've got younger kids, the weekday 3–6pm hours at Rondriso work as an after-school outing, and you'll be heading home around dinnertime. Richmond Country Farms suits a longer morning, since the maze and the animals can easily fill a couple of hours.

Planning something of your own?

Maybe the market run turns into a long lunch with friends, or the pumpkin patch reminds you there's a birthday coming up in November and nothing's sorted yet. Fall is a good stretch for smaller gatherings in Vancouver, and they're a lot easier to pull together when you give yourself a few weeks' runway.

Photos by elvira Butler, Lumin Osity, David Wirzba, Brigitte Elsner and Greg @greegorey on Unsplash.