A Christmas tradition is the annual Santa’s Christmas Ships which takes place over a number of December evenings in different parts of Metro Vancouver.

Santa’s Christmas Ships runs on select dates between November 30th and December 21st in 2024.

There are also a few boat parties happening this winter. Taylor Swift-themed cruises happen on the Burrard Queen from December 5th to 8th. The events feature Taylor Swift songs, friendship bracelet stations, lots of the dancing and other activities.

Vancouver Boat Parties also hosts two New Year’s Eve parties on December 31st. One is A Night on the Waves on the Burrard Queen and the other is Hip Hop X Latin on the Magic Spirit Yacht.

Santa’s Christmas Ships in Vancouver

Santa’s Christmas Ships is a tradition of boats getting decked out in holiday lights and parading around Vancouver’s waterways. Boats sail to and from various locations, and the public is welcome to see the floating light displays.

The event takes place over several days in December most years. Processions are fairly small and informal, but still nice to see. Continue reading for details about this year’s event.

Carol Ships Boat — Boat with Christmas lights in Deep Cove

2024 Tentative Schedule

As of late November in 2024, the hope is that boats can be seen on the following evenings. Unless stated otherwise, cruises happen between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Exact details are subject to change.

Saturday, November 30th, 2024 – at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody for Holiday Cheer at the Pier from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is the only location that Santa visits this year.
Friday, December 6th, 2024 – in Deep Cove with a band, bonfire and more.
Saturday, December 7th, 2024 – open cruise with no set destination.
Friday, December 13th, 2024 – Farrer Cove and Bedwell Bay.
Saturday, December 14th, 2024 – Belcarra and Dollarton in North Vancouver.
Friday, December 20th, 2024 – Belcarra, Ravenwoods, Deep Cove, Dollarton and Cates Park.
Saturday, December 21st, 2024 – open cruise with no set destination.

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most out of your Santa’s Christmas Ships experience.

TIP #1: Take binoculars if you have them as the boats can be a fair ways off shore.

TIP #2: Most of the boats participating in the event are commercial tour boats, so if you make reservations you can experience the procession on board. Santa’s Christmas Ships can be nice for people to see from shore, but often even more enjoyable for the folks out on the water.

TIP #3: With the above-mentioned events, the main activities are on land. The boats with their lights to see are pretty, and a nice element of the festivals onshore, but seeing them isn’t really a huge event in itself.

TIP #4: If the weather is poor there will be fewer boats to see (so don’t get your hopes up too high). Also, the boats aren’t always the most reliable. Sometimes they arrive on time according to schedule, and sometimes they don’t.