weekend worship: halloween and the parade of lost souls

Vancouver loves Halloween! Since today is the actual day, the weekend has been full of amazing parties, great costume sightings and extreme candy eating leading up to the trick or treat festivities tonight (and a special Guilty Pleasure Movie Club Halloween wild card night!). Last night I went to the Parade of Lost Souls near Commercial Drive in East Van. I've been to the end point of this incredible event once before when I lived in Vancouver in 2002, but this was the first time I went on the full walk. Below are some pics that I took along the way. They aren't the best because it was rainy and very crowded with over-sized costumes and many, many umbrellas, but I think they still capture the spirit of the event...no pun intended. Basically, local artists, musicians, and all around creative types plan a walk through part of an East Vancouver neighbourhood. Along the way you encounter spooky tuba bands playing the dirge version of "You Are My Sunshine", Thriller dancers, puppets, stilt walkers, and residents who have fun inventing their own ways to participate. Music and mayhem everywhere, all good natured, creative, and totally inspiring. It was so nice to have a reminder about why I love Vancouver so much: really awesome people live here, and they're willing to put a lot of effort into making others have a great time. Click on the pictures below for more details! Hope you've had a great weekend.