Hit the Scarecrow Trail in Steveston!

On a recent sunny afternoon, we headed over and tracked down some of this year’s coolest scarecrow creations. Here are some of our favourites––but why not visit the village yourself and see how many others you can find and photograph?

Steveston is a little more crowded than usual this month. But the colourful locals hanging outside its bustling stores, hunkering in shady corners and watching you from across the street aren’t exactly lively. That’s because they’re one-of-a-kind scarecrows––and they’re busy being photographed by curious passersby.

The 2023 month-long Steveston Scarecrow Festival started on October 1, which means now is a great time to visit the historic waterfront village for a few hours of picture-perfect fall fun. In Steveston, you’ll find excellent museum attractions, boutique stores and tasty independent restaurants all waiting for you––and don’t forget to keep an eye out for highly creative scarecrows scattered around the village like quirky shopkeepers.

Location: Laara’s Vacuums, 3995 Moncton Street

This bright-painted little storefront on the corner of Moncton and No. 1 Road regularly participates in the annual Scarecrow Festival. And this year, you’ll have to peek through the window to see their 2023 creations: a pair of smiling, wide-eyed cylindrical vacuum cleaners dressed in fancy frocks with flowers in their hair. They look like they’d rather be partying than cleaning your carpets!

Location: Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, 12138 Fourth Avenue

Guarding the Cannery’s entrance, this slightly scarier creation––Halloween is just around the corner, remember––is fashioned from the kind of plastic waste items often sadly found in our oceans. Look carefully and you’ll spot plastic netting, synthetic string, packaging materials, pipe cleaners and more. This tiara-topped creation basically looks like the queen of pollution––and her wide-open mouth might be voicing a warning to us.

Location: Prickly Pair Garden Centre, 12311 No.1 Road

Pop inside the gated entrance at this verdant garden centre and you’ll find The Rat Brothers’ Pumpkin Farm. A detailed, photo-ready diorama of autumnal colour, it includes a winding rat staircase, mini pumpkin patch, toadstool-painted flower pots, a rat mailbox and, of course, the rodent siblings themselves––each sporting handsome bow ties and oversized birch-bark teeth.

Location: Sinfully the Best, 12251 No. 1 Road

Tucked into a back corner inside one of Richmond’s favourite confectionary stores, full-sized furry Muppet legends Count von Count and the Swedish Chef might be guarding Sinfully the Best’s tasty treats––although Chef looks somewhat distracted by the large spiders crawling around his neck. While you’re here, check out the brilliant handcrafted Halloween goodies (we especially like the chocolate witch fingers and the delicate foil-wrapped leaf-shaped treats).

Location: Steveston Tram, 4011 Moncton Street

You’ll be welcomed at the entrance of this popular heritage attraction––home of beautifully preserved Tramcar 1220––by Esther Smith, a straw-stuffed creation with a flowery hat and a voluminous black skirt. Representing the female passengers whose lives were improved by Steveston’s fledgling transit system more than a century ago, Esther is named after Judy Garland’s character in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis—where the real-life Tramcar 1220 was actually built!

Location: Anar, 12051 Third Avenue

Steveston’s delightful Persian and Mediterranean restaurant is housed in a wood-sided heritage building, and its small alfresco seating area is the perfect space for Halloween decorating. Alongside the model rats, ravens and skulls––plus police warning tape, abundant cobwebs and grinning clown ghosts––you’ll find the kind of traditional, sack-face scarecrow that might easily turn its head to you as you walk past!

Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Tourism Richmond