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Vancouver’s Christmas Displays at Canada Place

Canada Place at Night at Christmas

Christmas at Canada Place in Vancouver includes holiday illuminations, displays and activities along the Canadian Trail on the Promenade Deck in December.

Last holiday season, the lights and displays were up from December 1st, 2023, until January 2nd, 2024. The dates this year will likely be similar.

The attraction features its Woodward’s Windows and Avenue of Christmas Trees. There are also the usual Christmas-y light displays on the building’s landmark sails and light sculptures along the promenade.

 

Christmas at Canada Place

Over the Christmas season at Canada Place there is an avenue of decorated trees, historic Woodward’s Christmas displays and colourful lights. It’s all fairly festive, mostly outdoors and free!

 

Hours & Location

Canada Place is at the north end of Howe Street at 999 Canada Place. Its Christmas activities happen mostly along the western side of the Promenade Deck on the Canadian Trail.

Christmas at Canada Place runs throughout the month of December. Hours of operation are usually from 8:00 am until 10:00 pm every day (including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day).

 

Canada Place Xmas Activities

Things to see and do at Christmas at Canada Place include admiring the decorated Christmas trees and handcrafted Woodward’s displays.

 

Avenue of Christmas Trees

Spread out along the Promenade Deck at Canada Place is one of Vancouver’s best collections of decorated Christmas trees. They are put together by different businesses and organizations in the community.

There are usually over a dozen sponsors that put together the trees. Some of the sponsors typically include the Port of Vancouver, BC Ferries and Canada Post.

 

Canada Place at Christmas
Canada Place at Night in December

 

Historic Woodward’s Displays

Woodward’s was a large iconic department store in Vancouver for many years, until it went bankrupt and closed. While open, every year starting in the 1960s, the store showcased an impressive selection of Christmas displays in its windows each December. People came from far and wide to admire them.

Sadly, when Woodward’s closed in the early 1990s, the Vancouver tradition of seeing the displays came to an end. Fortunately, Canada Place purchased the displays and has been featuring them in its own Christmas exhibits annually for more than 20 years. The handcrafted displays include Santa’s Workshop and a Candlestick Factory, among other exhibits.

 

FlyOver Canada Entrance at Christmas
FlyOver Canada at Canada Place

 

Other Canada Place Activities

Since 2017, the North Point at Canada Place gets lit up with thousands of LED bulbs each Christmas. The highlight of the display is Chrismoose, a 15-foot tall moose made out of lights.

Not free and part of the official Christmas at Canada Place activities, but also very interesting, festive and highly recommended, is the Christmas at FlyOver Canada attraction located right at Canada Place.

 

Soar With Santa at FlyOver Canada

 

Other Attractions in the Area

In addition to festive things to see at Canada Place in December there are other magical Christmas-y things to do in the area too. The Vancouver Christmas Market is just on the other side of the Vancouver Convention Centre from Canada Place. It runs from mid or late November until December 24th each year.

Just a few blocks away from Canada Place, at the Hyatt Hotel at 655 Burrard Street, there is often Gingerbread Lane where you can admire dozens of amazing gingerbread houses until around December 31st.

 

Top December Things to Do

 

Other Information

For more information about Christmas at Canada Place, see the Canada Place website.

For more ideas on places to see Christmas decorations in the Lower Mainland, check out Top Things to do at Christmas. As you’ll see, other winter holiday events take place nearby include Gingerbread Lane at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Soar with Santa at FlyOver Canada. There is also the Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza.

And for a list of more fun festive things to do on specific days in December, check out Vancouver’s December Calendar.