Vancouverites looking to enjoy the remainder of the holiday season have numerous options to enjoy in and around the city.
From breathtaking Christmas lights displays to an enchanting gingerbread lane, Christmas karaoke to magical holiday markets, festive plays to ice skating, there's so much to see and do. While many events are ticketed, there are also free Christmastime things to do in Vancouver.
Have a look at some of the top attractions to explore during the holiday season in Vancouver.
Soar with Santa
Flyover continues its festive offering featuring Jolly Old Saint Nicholas until Jan. 1, 2025.
Guests will soar from Eastern Canada across the country to the Rockies with Santa. Two elves, Pinecone and Chestnut, will accompany their journey, leading up to a visit to Santa's North Pole home.
When: Now through Jan. 1, 2025
Where: 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver
Cost: Adults $31-$46. Kids 13 and under are $10 off the adult price. Get tickets.
Hyatt Regency Vancouver Gingerbread Lane
The Hyatt Regency Vancouver transports visitors into a gingerbread wonderland with its 32nd annual fundraising display; upwards of 20,000 people visit the display each year.
This contest is a friendly, festive competition but also serves as a platform to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
When: Now through Dec. 28
Where: Hyatt Regency Vancouver - 655 Burrard St.
Cost: Free; donations support the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Bright Nights in Stanley Park
Bright Nights is a popular and lively holiday event featuring twinkling lights (including a light tunnel), live entertainment, photos with Santa, and onsite food vendors selling things like hot chocolate, churros, popcorn, and pretzels. Note, the train will not run for the remainder of the 2024 holiday season.
Admission to the Bright Nights event is by donation, with proceeds going to the BC Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund.
When: Now through Jan. 4, 2025, from 4-10 p.m. Closed Christmas Day (Dec. 25)
Where: Stanley Park Railway - 690 Pipeline Rd, Vancouver
Cost: Admission by donation
Vancouver Christmas Market
The Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza is the largest in the city, returning annually with a selection of artisan vendors, hearty eats and sweet sips.
This year's holiday event boasts over 90 huts, daily live performances, a carousel, magical light displays, a new walk-through Christmas tree, and a new lover's lane.
The Sky Curtain of Lights will also dazzle guests "with over 22,000 individual bulbs, lights up the Tannenbaum Terrace."
When: Now through Dec. 24
Where: Jack Poole Plaza - 1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver
Cost: Single-entry admission starting at $21.99.
Christmas at Canada Place
Christmas at Canada Place runs through the holidays until New Year's Day inviting guests of all ages to enjoy the seasonal displays at the free event along the Vancouver waterfront.
Visitors can stroll the Canadian Trail past 20 beautifully adorned holiday trees, taking in the historic Woodward’s Windows and their nostalgic animatronic Christmas displays. The site will be decorated with light sculptures including a new display at the North Point, and the iconic Sails of Light will be lit in holiday colours.
When: Now through Jan. 1, 2025, from 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Where: 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Capilano Canyon Lights
The Capilano Suspension Bridge has been decked out for the holidays with multi-coloured lights and festive decorating, "creating a breathtaking glow from end to end."
Guests can also explore the Cliffwalk walkway, which has a "stunning backdrop of lights along the granite cliff face." The trees in the Treetops Adventure area are also lit from top to bottom 110 feet above the forest floor.
Visitors can also sip rich hot chocolate, listen to live holiday music, or enjoy festive kids' activities.
When: Now through Jan. 19, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Where: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park - 3735 Capilano Rd, North Vancouver
Cost: Adult (18-64 years) $71.95; Senior (65 years+) $66.95; Student (18 years+) $59.95; Youth (13-17 years) $42.95; Child (6-12 years) $24.95.
Lights of Hope
A massive, dazzling Christmas lights display greets onlookers outside the downtown hospital.
Now in its 24th year, the annual fundraiser helps support the St. Paul's Foundation at St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard Street.
When: Now through Jan. 3, 2025.
Where: St. Paul's Hospital - 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Vancouver Christmas Karaoke Trolley Tour
Locals who want to belt out beloved holiday classics can enjoy participating in a Vancouver Christmas Karaoke Trolley Tour with the Great Canadian Trolley Co.
The buses are "equipped with a top-notch karaoke system," providing guests with the perfect stage to sing festive tunes such as “Let It Snow," “Jingle Bells,” "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and many others. The group will also enjoy playing some trivia.
The two-and-a-half-hour tour stops at key points and follows a route that passes top attractions across the city, including the Vancouver Christmas Market, Stanley Park Bright Nights, and St. Paul's twinkling Lights of Hope.
When: Dec. 20-23, with tours starting at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Starts and ends at Canada Place - 999 Canada Pl, Vancouver
Cost: Prices with entrance to Festival of Lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden: Adults from $76.55; Seniors from $67.55; Children from $47.55. Get tickets.
VanDusen Festival of Lights
Over a million twinkling lights will illuminate the 15 acres of Vancouver's famous gardens again this holiday season as the Festival of Lights returns to VanDusen Botanical Garden for a dazzling 40th anniversary season.
The awe-inspiring family-friendly event will feature returning favourite features, like the Dancing Lights (a display set to music running every 20 minutes each evening), themed areas, and food trucks.
When: Now through Jan. 5, 2025 (closed December 25) from 4-10 p.m.
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden - 5251 Oak St, Vancouver
Cost: Adults (19 to 64 years): $28; Seniors (65+) and Youth (13 to 18 years): $18; Garden (VBGA) members with valid card: $17; Children (5 to 12 years): $11; Children (4 years and under): Free (ticket reservation required). Prices do not include GST and service fees. Group discounts for 50 or more tickets are available.
Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol
This uplifting musical is set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, where Ebenezer Scrooge is reimagined as the greedy owner of a mining company town. Blind to the true spirit of Christmas, his deceased business partner and three ghosts guide him to find a new direction in life in Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic.
When: Now through Dec. 24
Where: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage - 2750 Granville St, Vancouver
Cost: From $39. Buy tickets.
Holiday Splash at the Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium has decked the tanks with boughs of holly to welcome guests into a festive marine wonderland for the holiday season. Enjoy over a million twinkling lights and a "larger-than-life globe" for Instagram-worthy snaps.
The annual tradition sees Scuba Claus dive into a tank with his jolly attire, and this year visitors can see Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in a new festive 4D theatrical experience. They can also discover over 65,000 ocean and land critters during their visit.
When: Now through Jan. 5
Where: Vancouver Aquarium - 845 Avison Way, Vancouver
Cost: Adult prices start at $40. Get tickets.
Miracle on 34th Street
A beloved holiday classic comes to life in Granville Island. A Miracle on 34th Street tells the story of a young girl and many adults who doubt the legitimacy of a Kris Kringle working at Macy's department store who claims to be the real Santa.
When: Now through Dec. 29
Where: Granville Island Stage - 1585 Johnston St, Vancouver
Cost: From $39. Get tickets.
Holidaze Pop-up Market
Browse for last-minute holiday gifts from 45 local vendors. On Saturday, the first 25 shoppers in the doors get market money to spend at any vendor booth.
When: Saturday, Dec. 21 and Sunday, Dec. 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Heritage Hall - 3102 Main St.
Cost: Free
Elf in Concert
Movie Nights has partnered with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to host a showing of Elf on a big screen to be accompanied by a live orchestra.
"Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler, and raised among Santa’s elves. This holiday season Buddy travels to New York," describes the show listing.
When: Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21, shows at 7 p.m.
Where: Orpheum - 601 Smithe St, Vancouver
Cost: $49.50-$110. Get tickets.
Christmas Glow
Glow Langley has returned to Metro Vancouver with its annual holiday offering with over a million twinkling lights, food trucks, live entertainment, and other festive delights.
The event draws thousands of visitors annually to its intricate, breathtaking seasonal displays. In addition to typical festive arrangements such as Santa Claus with his elves and reindeer, Glow also showcases other, less expected arrangements, such as a dazzling pair of horses pulling a twinkling carriage, a sparkling unicorn, and other interesting illuminated creatures.
When: Now through Dec. 28, 4-10 p.m., closed Christmas Day
Where: Glow Gardens - 6690 216 St, Langley
Cost: Adult (Age 13+) +$4.00 fees $19.99; Child (Age 4-12) +$3.50 fees $14.99; Senior (Age 65+) +$3.50 fees $14.99; Family Bundle ( 2 Adults + 3 Child/Senior) +$9.50 fees $69.99. Buy tickets.
PNE Winter Fair
The annual fair at the PNE fills the site with holiday cheer, Christmas lights, and lots of activities including ice bumper cars, a skating rink, rides, and figure skating shows at the Pacific Coliseum.
There's also the PNE's train, which is done up for the holidays, and a marketplace.
When: Now through Dec. 23
Where: PNE - 2901 E Hastings St, Vancouver
Cost: Ticket prices vary.
With files from Brendan Kergin and Lindsay William-Ross.
