Home Christmas Events Vancouver’s North Shore Christmas Events and Activities

Vancouver’s North Shore Christmas Events and Activities

November 14, 2015

Some of Metro Vancouver’s best Christmas attractions are on the North Shore including at Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge and the Shipyards.

This article contains information about the following topics:

Click any of the above links to jump to specific information or continue reading to learn about all of the North Shore’s main Christmas attractions and events.

Christmas Attractions in North and West Vancouver

There are some amazing Christmas attractions over the holiday season in the Lower Mainland most years. See below for some of the best.

Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge

At the Capilano Suspension Bridge there is Canyon Lights which features amazing Christmas decorations and illuminations, as well as lit up bridges above the canyon and through the trees. It’s one of Vancouver’s top attractions and especially amazing during the winter holiday season.

This year Canyon Lights runs from November 19, 2022, until January 22, 2023. It’s open every day except for Christmas Day.

Click Canyon Lights or see the official Capilano Bridge website for further details.

Canyon Lights Video

The following video is of the Cliff Walk at the Capilano Suspension Bridge attraction during the Canyon Lights Christmas season. The Cliff Walk is just one of many areas lit up at night between late November and January each year.

To learn about all the other things to see and do at the attraction during the winter holiday season, see our article about Canyon Lights. In that article is a video showing all the many other beautiful Christmas-y scenes.

Holiday Hi-Light Festival

In the Gardens at Park and Tilford Mall there is usually the free Holiday Hi-Light Festival with holiday decorations and thousands of lights, plus family nights every Friday in December prior to Christmas Day.

Admission is by donation with proceeds benefiting the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

Note: The Christmas lights and decorations were up last year, but there wasn’t any live entertainment or family-friendly activities. In 2022 there was live entertainment on one of the first days of the season.

Click Holiday Hi-Light Festival for more information.

Christmas in Lower Lonsdale

North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood usually celebrates the holiday season with the Shipyards Christmas Festival which is a wonderful family-friendly (and free) event.

In 2022 the festival took place on December 3 and the lights stayed up to admire throughout the holiday season.

See our article about the Shipyards Christmas Festival to learn more.

Dundarave Festival Wassail Bonfire — Dundarave Festival of Lights Bonfire

Dundarave Festival of Lights

West Vancouver celebrates the Christmas season with its Festival of Lights event at Dundarave Beach.

During the event area businesses and community organizations decorate Christmas trees which are then on display for the month of December. The decorations are pretty to see at night, and on the three Saturdays leading up to Christmas there is usually live entertainment and other family-friendly activities at the beach.

In 2022 the festival takes place on the Saturdays of December 3, 10 and 17.

Click Dundarave Festival of Lights for more information.

Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain

At Grouse Mountain there is the Peak of Christmas which includes outdoor skating and more. Most years there are also sleigh rides, gingerbread house displays and holiday movies. And that’s not including all the great skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing that take place up on Grouse Mountain all winter long.

This year the Peak of Christmas started on November 25 and runs until January 2.

Click Peak of Christmas for more information.

Grouse Mountain Skating Rink at Night — Skating Rink at the Peak of Christmas

Carol Ships Shoreline Celebration

The Carol Ships Shoreline Celebration usually takes place on a Saturday evening in December. It’s a free event that features a massive bonfire, live music, kid-friendly activities and a procession of boats decorated with Christmas lights at Panorama Park in Deep Cove.

The event didn’t happen in 2020 and probably didn’t happen in 2021 either. It did though on December 3 in 2022.

North Shore Christmas Craft Markets

November and December are usually “Christmas craft fair season” in the Lower Mainland. The North Shore offers some of the best places to find products made by both local and international artisans.

Christmas craft markets feature all kinds of handmade products. They are fabulous places to buy unique and quality gifts. Products that you’ll typically find at a holiday market include fancy candles, handmade jewellery, exotic soaps, knitted products, greeting cards, homemade preserves, glass work and a wide range of other products that make ideal gifts.

Some of the best craft markets that usually take place on the North Shore are below.

Made in the 604 Holiday Markets

Made in the 604 Pop-Up Markets take place in the Pipe Shop at the Shipyards at various times over the course of the year including during the Christmas shopping season. In 2022 markets happen on the weekends of December 3 & 4 and 17 & 18 (the first Saturday of which is the same day as the Shipyards Christmas Festival this year.

Admission to the markets is free!

Shipyards Christmas Market

The Shipyards Christmas Artisan Market is a great market that features dozens of local artisan vendors. In 2022 the market runs on the weekend of December 10 and 11. It’s open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm on the Saturday and from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on the Sunday. It happens at the Pipe Shop (which is a heritage building at Shipbuilders’ Square). The address of the venue is 115 Victory Ship Way.

Admission to the market is usually free on both days. They gratefully accept donations at the door, however, and give whatever they collect to the North Shore Neighbourhood House (which is a very worthwhile cause).