Park and Tilford Gardens in Snow

The Holiday Hi-Light Festival at North Vancouver’s Park & Tilford Garden is the Lower Mainland’s best outdoor shopping mall display of Christmas lights.

The lights and decorations illuminate the gardens nightly from late November through New Year’s Eve each year. Admission to the attraction is by donation, and parking is free.

North Van Christmas Lights at Park & Tilford

Not many malls have their own gardens, but Park & Tilford in North Vancouver does and its holiday Christmas light displays are actually quite impressive. If you’re heading to or from the North Shore, then definitely check out the garden’s lights during the Christmas season.

In 2025, the Holiday Hi-Light Festival runs from Friday, November 28th, until Wednesday, December 31st. The festival includes an opening-night celebration and nightly illuminated displays throughout the season.

Holiday Hi-Light Festival Details

In 2025 the Holiday Hi-Light Festival runs each evening in December. It begins late November with an opening night on November 28th. The gardens are lit nightly from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm until December 31st, 2025.

Opening night traditionally features festive activities such as giveaways, treats, family entertainment, and holiday characters.

The event is located at 333 Brooksbank Avenue in North Vancouver. There is free parking at the event, and admission is by donation. In past years the charitable beneficiary was the BC Firefighters Burn Fund. Money raised in 2025, however, goes to the North Shore Women’s Centre, which is also a most worthwhile cause.

The most popular time to visit is typically the opening night. Opening night on November 28th, 2025, features appearances from Santa Claus, balloon art from Scruffles the Elf, and Sea Star Face Painting.

Although the Park & Tilford display isn’t the largest in the Lower Mainland, it is a lovely, low-cost family outing with modest crowds and a charming community feel. On regular nights, most visitors stay about 20 minutes before enjoying hot chocolate, dinner, or shopping at the surrounding mall.

Holiday Hi-Light Festival Christmas Lights

Entertainment Lineup

Special entertainment usually takes place on at least one designated night during the holiday season. Some years, the event also has Family Nights with more entertainment. However, Family Nights for 2025 have not yet been confirmed.

Opening Night Activities November 28th, 2025

This year’s Opening Night runs from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on November 28th, featuring the following entertainment.

Scruffles the Elf balloon art
Sea Star Face Painting
Santa Claus appearance
Hot chocolate and festive treats

About the Park & Tilford Gardens

The Park & Tilford Gardens were built in the late 1960s, when a distillery owned the property. The gardens are three acres big and include eight different themes. Over the Christmas season the venue is decorated with over 50,000 sparkling lights, which makes it especially pretty at night.

Until the mid-1980s, the distillery set up Christmas light displays in the gardens each December. When the distillery closed in 1984, however, that tradition ended. It wasn’t until more than 12 years later that Park & Tilford Mall restarted the decorations and began what is known today as the Holiday Hi-Light Festival.

The Park & Tilford Gardens are pretty anytime, but usually become an attraction really worth visiting on December evenings.

Park and Tilford Gate at Christmas