It’s a busy fall weekend in Metro Vancouver. Municipal election day is Saturday, early voting for the provincial election is getting under way, and—most importantly, for some—Bruno Mars is in town. Here are some other events to check out between doing your civic duty and/or getting Romantic at B.C. Place. Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival Horror films have taken over the Cineplex at International Village in Vancouver this weekend for the annual Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival. Screenings, filmmaker talks and industry events began Wednesday and will run through Sunday, highlighting “the very best in independent horror cinema,” according to organizers. Ticket and schedule information can be found on the festival’s website. Home and baby shows at Vancouver Convention Centre Head to the Vancouver Convention Centre this weekend for a pair of trade shows dedicated to home and family. The Vancouver Fall Home Show is taking place at the convention centre’s west building from Thursday through Sunday, creating “a vibrant marketplace” for home-related products and services and showcasing “stunning displays” and “informative presentations” sure to inspire home renovation projects, according to organizers. Next door in the convention centre’s east building, The Baby Show Vancouver will highlight all things parenting on Saturday and Sunday. “The Baby Show features workshops, seminars and demos from Canada’s leading parenting experts,” according to its website. “Shop products from top brands as well as local and handmade products. Find services to help guide you through your pregnancy, life with a new baby and parenting in those first few years.” Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival returns to the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Yaletown this Friday through Sunday. The annual event highlights the work of visual artists and performers who operate “outside of mainstream art institutions.” Organizers say the show strives to provide these artists with a platform “to share their unique perspectives and artistic visions with the community.” The festival begins with an opening celebration Friday night, and performing arts events are scheduled for Saturday. All events are free and open to the public. 35th annual Apple Festival at UBC Botanical Garden The UBC Botanical Garden is hosting its 35th annual Apple Festival this Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. More than 50 varieties of apple trees will be for sale, along with an even longer list of apple and pear varieties for sale as fruit. There will also be dozens of vendors, multiple stages of live entertainment, cooking demonstrations and more. The event serves as a fundraiser for the garden. Ticket information can be found online. Yupi! Latin American Arts Family Festival North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre will host three days of performances, workshops and family friendly activities celebrating Latin American culture this weekend. The Yupi! Latin American Arts Family Festival runs Friday through Sunday and features a variety of music, dance and theatre performances aimed at children ages three through 12, and their families. Tickets are available on a sliding scale, and workshops are offered for free with the purchase of a ticket to a main stage show. More information can be found on the theatre’s website. Vancouver Writers Festival The 39th annual Vancouver Writers Festival takes place next week, running Sunday through Oct. 25. Most of the 90-plus events featuring more than 150 local and international authors will take place during the week and next weekend, but the first event—Barbara Kingsolver in Conversation at the Orpheum Theatre—takes place Sunday. Ticket and schedule information can be found on the festival’s website. For the sports fans The Canucks, Whitecaps and Lions are all out of town this weekend, but Vancouver FC is pushing for a Canadian Premier League playoff spot with a home match against Halifax on Friday night at 7 p.m. at Langley Events Centre. Farther into the Fraser Valley, the Abbotsford Canucks are hosting the Coachella Valley Firebirds in a back-to-back this weekend. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Saturday and at 4 p.m. Sunday. Saturday’s game is the AHL club’s home opener for the season. With files from MOVE 103.5’s Leanne McLaren
