A multi-faceted winter celebration, Destination Downtown features light installations, a Ferris Wheel and plenty of live entertainment in downtown Vancouver.

Note: This event is related to Liven Up Coal Harbour which took place last year (in 2023). In 2024, instead of Liven Up Coal Harbour, the event has a new name and covers a larger area. It’s also presented by StayVancouverHotels.com which offers competitive rates and bonus perks when people book downtown Vancouver hotels through their website.

TIP: Much of the Destination Downtown light displays and entertainment take place along the Coal Harbour Seawall. While in the area, other attractions to check out include the Vancouver Christmas Market and Soar With Santa at FlyOver at Canada Place. For a magical dining experience, there is also Winterlust at the Westin Bayshore Hotel.

Destination Downtown Festival in Vancouver

Destination Downtown is an event that encompasses large swathes of downtown Vancouver. The main part of the 2024 festival is from November 28th to December 22nd, although there are light installations along the Coal Harbour Seawall that will stay up until February.

Along with the intricate lighting displays, there’s plenty of live entertainment in Coal Harbour throughout December. There’s also a Ferris Wheel next to the giant Christmas tree outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, and a series of Taylor Swift-themed installations across downtown that are part of a contest to win tickets to one of the Eras Tour concerts.

The festival is presented by StayVancouverHotels which is a great website if you’re looking to book a hotel in downtown Vancouver. StayVancouverHotels partners directly with around three dozen hotels and offers deals and promotions that you won’t find on other travel websites. It’s great for those from out of town as well as for those who want a staycation closer to home.

Below are details on all the different parts of Destination Downtown. There’s plenty to explore!

Westin Bayshore at Christmas at Night — Light Displays by the Westin Bayshore Hotel

Coal Harbour Light Installations

The longest-lasting part of Destination Downtown are the light installations along the Coal Harbour Seawall. The displays light up every night from November 28th, 2024, until sometime in February of 2025.

Over 100 trees are lit up along the seawall, providing constant illumination on the popular walking path in the evening. The lights change between three different themes depending on the day and time.

Five large animal installations are placed at different spots in the area. There’s a whale at Canada Place, a grizzly bear outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, and three animals (a beaver, heron and squirrel) in Cardero Park.

Ferris Wheel at the Vancouver Art Gallery

The Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting is an annual event that takes place outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery in downtown. The 76-foot tall tree lights up for the first time on November 29th in 2024, accompanied by live music and hot chocolate.

From December 1st to 24th, the north plaza then becomes the site of the Destination Downtown Ferris Wheel. It costs $7 to take a ride. Hours of operation for the attraction are as follows:

Tuesdays to Thursdays: 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Fridays: 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Saturdays: Noon to 10:00 pm
Sundays: Noon to 8:00 pm
Mondays: Closed

Taylor Swift Ticket Contest

One of the biggest things happening in December this year is Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour concerts from December 6th to 8th at BC Place. Multiple Taylor Swift-themed Events take place around the city in early December.

Destination Downtown is one of them, as there are a series of Taylor Swift light installations placed around downtown Vancouver. There are 13 in total, including ones at Canada Place, Science World, Granville Island and English Bay. Check out the Destination Downtown website for the full map.

Each of the locations has a display with a different Taylor Swift song lyric. By visiting them, you can enter into a contest to win a pair of tickets to one of the Eras Tour concerts. The contest ends a few hours before the first concert on December 6th.

The installations change to display holiday-themed messages (rather than Taylor Swift ones) after December 11th.

Live Entertainment

There is live entertainment at a number of different spots in Coal Harbour during the festival. The performers are active Thursdays to Sundays from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm. There are musicians, visual artists, fire performers and many other entertainers.

Three of the eight designated performance spots are around Jack Poole Plaza where the Vancouver Christmas Market is. There are also four spots along different areas of the seawall near Harbour Green Park and the Coal Harbour Community Centre, and one in Cardero Park.

Click Destination Downtown for the weekly entertainment schedule.