Formerly called Glow Maple Ridge, Illuminate Maple Ridge is a series of Christmas light displays in downtown Maple Ridge during the winter holiday season.
The event runs from late November until the beginning of January. In 2023 the light displays are up between November 24th and January 5th, 2024.
Christmas Light Displays in Maple Ridge
Maple Ridge celebrates the start of the holiday season with its annual Christmas Festival and Santa Claus Parade. That’s a one day event with a community festival in the park and a parade in the streets.
Glow Maple Ridge used to then be the continuation of the lights and illuminations throughout the rest of November and December. However, as of 2023, Glow Maple Ridge has a new name. It’s now called Illuminate Maple Ridge. It’s similar to previous years, but with some different things to do as well.
What to Expect at Illuminate Maple Ridge
Lots of communities and shopping streets put up holiday lights and illuminations across Canada during the Christmas season. Maple Ridge is no exception.
If you drive down 224th Street between the Lougheed Highway and Dewdney Trunk Road, you’ll find the four or so blocks of the street lined with telephone poles adorned with candy cane-style decorations and Christmas lights most years.
Local businesses also participate by putting up their own decorations. In 2023, there’s a Candy Cane Tour with an online map. It’s a fun way to explore the city and support local businesses in the community. Prizes can be won by posting photos of the storefront displays on social media. Use the hashtag #illuminatemapleridge and tag @yourmapleridge for a chance to win.
New for 2023, the City Hall office tower, which is six-storeys tall, transforms into a brightly lit structure with strings of light wrapped around it, floodlights and vibrant colour displays. Memorial Peace Park had special interactive light installations in previous years. Trees are still decorated in the park this year, but there aren’t any big installations anymore.
Other Things to Do in the Area
Illuminate Maple Ridge isn’t an attraction you might travel across the Lower Mainland to see and then turn around and go home, like you might with an event such as Glow Christmas in Langley. Rather, it’s something that everyone in Maple Ridge can go to and admire over the holiday season. It’s also recommended for people passing through Maple Ridge after dark and wanting a quick look and a stretch, or good to check it out after getting a bite to eat in one of the area’s restaurants.
If coming from Vancouver, we recommend visiting Illuminate Maple Ridge after visiting one of the various beautiful parks in and around Maple Ridge. These include places like Kanata Creek and Golden Ears Provincial Park. Explore one of the parks during the afternoon (being sure to leave before dusk), and then drop by downtown Maple Ridge for dinner and a look around.
Other Christmas Lights to Check Out
Downtown Maple Ridge looks beautiful and festive during the winter holiday season. Other Lower Mainland places that look especially pretty at Christmas include neighbourhoods like Robson Street and Gastown in Vancouver.
Similar to Maple Ridge, Vancouver’s West End, at the corner of Denman and Davie Street, by English Bay, has a small number of light sculptures on display in December (left over from the Lumiere Festival in November). The Lower Lonsdale and Shipyards District in North Vancouver also have beautiful lights and decorations.
Two of our absolute favourite places for holiday lights in the Lower Mainland are Granville Island and Harrison Hot Springs. The same as Maple Ridge, both of these neighbourhoods and their decorations are free to explore and admire.
Vancouver’s Granville Island looks especially magical around Christmas time. It’s also a top place to do holiday shopping. Harrison Hot Springs, meanwhile, has an impressive selection of light displays along the waterfront each year, running from late November until around mid-January.
Other Information
To learn about other things to do in the region around Illuminate Maple Ridge, see our article about Maple Ridge.
For the event’s official website, click City of Maple Ridge.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Christmas Lights at Granville Island
- Shopping Opportunities at Granville Island
- Lights by the Lake in Harrison Hot Springs
- Vancouver’s Best Christmas Activities
- Top Things to do at Christmas in Vancouver
- Vancouver’s November, December and January Calendars