Wesbrook Village Holiday Market

Vancouver’s Wesbrook Village Winter Festival and Holiday Market at UBC are festive events featuring artisan vendors, music and more during the Christmas season.

The Wesbrook Village Holiday Market takes place on Fridays and weekends between late November and the Sunday just before Christmas at Norman MacKenzie Square at the University of British Columbia. The Wesbrook Village Winter Festival, meanwhile, happens along the street adjacent to the square on a weekend in mid-December.

The market features local artisan vendors and live music. The festival adds a bouncy castle, arcade-style game, Santa and other fun, family-friendly activities to the mix. Both are free to attend.

In this article you’ll find details about the festival and market and as well as a little bit of information about Wesbrook Village and its public square.

For information on the events’ official website, click Winter Festival at UBC and/or The Wesbrook Village Holiday Market.

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Click on any of the following topics to jump to specific information or continue reading for full details about the event.

Winter Festival at UBC | Holiday Market at UBC | Norman MacKenzie Square | Other Information

Winter Festival at UBC

2026 is the second year of the Winter Festival at UBC. It’s a bit smaller than last year’s edition, which stretched over three days. The festival is just a one-day event in 2026, happening on Saturday, December 12th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. It’s held at the Old Barn Community Centre at 6308 Thunderbird Boulevard.

The festival has all sorts of things to do. There are opportunities for photos with Santa, winter-themed games for all ages, and plenty of hot chocolate to drink. The festival’s venue is about a 20-minute walk from the Wesbrook Village Holiday Market at Norman Mackenzie Square. Admission for both events is free.

Visit liveatubc.ca for full details about the festival or see below for the schedule of what you might be able to expect.

Wesbrook Village Holiday Market

Schedule of Events

Below is the schedule of activities from last year’s festival. There won’t be quite as much live entertainment at the 2026 edition (because it’s just happening in one day), but there will likely be similar sorts of performers.

Friday, December 12th (2025)

5:00 to 8:00 pm – Live music with the Emily Chambers Duo

Saturday, December 13th (2025)

11:00 am to 2:00 pm – Live music with Adam Thomas
12:00 pm – the Choir Trio
12:00 & 2:00 pm – Stilt Performers
1:00 & 3:00 pm – Roaming Performers
4:00 pm – Live music with the Jim + NaRaio Duo

In addition to the above, the market runs from 12:00 until 7:00 pm and St. Nick is in Santa’s Grotto between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Sunday, December 14th (2025)

11:00 am to 2:00 pm – Live music with Ben Parker
12:00 pm – Choir Performance
12:00 & 2:00 pm – Stilt Performers
1:00 & 3:00 pm – Roaming Performers
4:00 pm – Live music with Olin Brix

In addition to the above, the market once again runs from 12:00 until 7:00 pm and St. Nick is in Santa’s Grotto between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Holiday Market at UBC

In 2026 the Wesbrook Village Holiday Market runs Fridays through to Sundays from November 20th until December 20th at Norman MacKenzie Square near UBC. On Fridays it’s open from 3:00 pm until 9:00 pm, and on weekends it runs from noon until 7:00 pm.

To kick off the season, the market has a tree-lighting ceremony on November 20th from 5:00 until 8:00 pm. At that event visitors are encouraged to grab a hot chocolate or an apple cider from one of the coffee shops nearby before browsing the market stalls. There’s also a choir performance by the Mastery School of Music.

Each day that the market is open there is live music for part of the day’s features. Fridays have music from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and weekends have music from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Santa also shows up from 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Sundays!

The market itself boasts handcrafted trinkets and tasty refreshments for purchase and browsing pleasure. New in 2026 are fire pits and increased seating options to make it easier to find a nice spot to relax and hang out at the market.

There is free parking nearby in the Save-On-Foods parking lot as well as along the street, but these have time limits. You may need to pay for parking if you intend to stay longer than a couple of hours.

To learn more about the market, check out the liveatubc.ca website.

Xmas Tree at Wesbrook Village Holiday Market

Norman MacKenzie Square in Wesbrook Village

Wesbrook Village is a cute little shopping district in the southwest corner of Vancouver’s main UBC campus. The neighbourhood is home to several festivals and other events throughout the year as well as quite a few cafes, eateries and other shops. In Wesbrook Village there is a community centre, a small park, and a Save-on-Foods grocery store. There is also a variety of free parking options in the area.

Norman MacKenzie Square is an outdoor public area in Wesbrook Village. Located between Wesbrook Mall and Shrum Lane, it’s where most of the neighbourhood’s outdoor events take place. The Square’s address is 3378 Wesbrook Mall.

To learn more about the neighbourhood, see our article about Wesbrook Village.

Other Information

For more information about the above events, check out Winter Festival at UBC and The Wesbrook Village Holiday Market.

For more information about the area, and other things to do on the UBC campus, see our articles about the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Wesbrook Village.

To learn about other parts of town, click City of Vancouver or visit our page about Metro Vancouver.

Check out any of the following for other similar holiday-themed events in the Lower Mainland.