Vancouver's hottest places to trick-or-treat revealed

Some people in Metro Vancouver had hundreds of trick-or-treaters stampede their doors and were out of candy by 8 p.m.

Others loaded up on sweets and didn't get a single person.

The difference seemed to be how decked out the houses were, according to the results of the CBC Vancouver and SFU City Program trick-or-treat count survey. 

Houses that reported decorations in the order of "Spooktacular" or "You can see it from space" were much more likely to report more than 300 trick-or-treaters. 

Here are the most popular neighbourhoods to trick-or-treat, according to what you told us Tuesday night.

The 1,000-plus club

Douglas Park, near Cambie Street and King Edward Avenue in Vancouver, reported the highest numbers of trick-or-treaters. Some households said more than 1,200 children came knocking.

Trinity Street in East Vancouver, known for its Halloween and Christmas festivities, was another hot spot, with several houses reporting more than 1,000 trick-or treaters.

In Surrey's Clayton community, several houses near Fraser Highway and 188th Street also reported more than 1,000 trick-or-treaters.

The high hundreds

Some people in New Westminster's Queen's Park were stormed by the zombie hordes early in the night and ran out of candy. Houses in this popular area typically got between 600 and 800 trick-or-treaters.

Several houses in Langley's Yorkson Willoughby neighbourhood, especially around 83rd Avenue, reported more than 300 trick-or-treaters.

Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University's City Program, who started Vancouver's trick or treat map six years ago, said it's encouraging to see the number of houses attracting hundreds of candy hunters.

"It shows a certain generousity of spirit in the city that at times I think we often forget," he said.

City of Vancouver

In Vancouver, Yan said he was struck by the stark discrepancies between neighbourhoods that are next to each other.

Kerrisdale and Shaghnessy, he noted, were "black holes," but Dunbar and Douglas Park, on either sides of those neighbourhoods, were crawling with candy hunters.

Meanwhile, downtown Vancouver had only six submissions, but four of them reported 300 or more trick-or-treaters, Yan noted. This may suggest the area is not a bad area to trick or treat, despite the fact that it's mostly condominiums. 

The money spots

Places that reported handing out full-size candy bars and received fewer than 25 trick-or-treaters included:

• Joffre Avenue, Burnaby.
• Ash Street, New Westminster.
• Fairview slope, Vancouver.
• Edgedale Avenue, Maple Ridge.
• Someone in Parksville.

Commuting for candy

We asked people with children whether they stayed in their own neighbourhood or went elsewhere. About three-quarters of respondents said they stuck close to home.

For those who did not, the most common reason was that they were meeting family or friends in another part of the city.

Some of the survey responses conveyed a sense of sadness at not receiving any trick-or-treaters.

"Never had a kid in 12 years," wrote someone who gave a Railtown address. "It's spooky at the best of times."