Toys Thru the Decades at Britannia Mine

Photos With Santa is the Christmas-themed event at the Britannia Mine Museum. It takes place at the historic site on a couple of weekends in December.

In 2025 the winter holiday event at the museum was called Toys Through the Decades and happened on the weekends of December 6th and 7th and 13th and 14th. It was similar to the Christmas event at the museum in previous years, except that this past year instead of getting a professional photo taken for a fee, you could take them on your phone for FREE. There were also displays of vintage toys to enjoy. Whether this holiday event is themed the same in 2026 is to be determined.

In past years, with Photos With Santa, you could pay just for the Photos With Santa experience (which also included access to exhibits in the lower level of the museum, including the gold panning). If you paid for regular admission to the entire site, however, like you would on a regular day, the photos were included at no extra charge. In 2025, however, to celebrate the museum’s 50th anniversary, photos with Santa Claus were FREE, as was access to the lower level of the museum. This likely will not be the case again in 2026, though exact details are to be confirmed.

Visit the Britannia Mine Museum website for details about the event.

Photos With Santa at Britannia Mine

In December each year one of the buildings at the Britannia Mine Museum gets decorated with Christmas displays. There are beautiful Christmas trees and other decor to admire. Inside the building is also where visitors can visit Santa Claus and get their photos taken.

Last year’s event happened on the Saturdays and Sundays of December 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th. New in 2025, as part of the museum’s 50th anniversary, there was no admission fee to see Santa or to take photos of him on your phone. You couldn’t get full access to the upper levels of the mine without paying for general admission, including access to the underground mine tour or Boom! exhibit. You could, however, get access to the museum’s lower level exhibits, and for free. You could also get a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and a cookie.

Click Britannia Mine Museum for the attraction’s official website.

Where is Britannia Mine?

The museum’s address is 150 Copper Drive in Britannia Beach. It’s about 40 minutes north of West Vancouver and 15 minutes south of Squamish.

The Photos With Santa activities typically take place in the Machine Shop building which is located not far from the outdoor gold-panning area.

How Much Does it Cost?

When Santa was on-site in past years, admission to Britannia Mine cost either regular admission or around $35 for a family. Last Christmas it was either free (for the photos and limited access to the museum’s grounds) or full general admission (for access to everything).

Note: Although free, with the Toys Through The Decades: Capture Santa On Your Phone event, donations are greatly appreciated.

If you don’t want to do the underground mine tour and see Boom!, the Photos With Santa experience is free. We highly recommend the guided tour and Boom! if you’ve never been to the museum before. To do these, however, you need to pay full admission. See below for the rates.

Click Britannia Mine Museum for tickets and the attraction’s official website.

Photos with Santa at Britannia Mine

Museum Admission Rates

Regular admission to the museum (as of December, 2025) is the following:

Adult (ages 18+) – $41.95
Senior (ages 65+) and Students – $36.95
Youth (ages 13 to 17) – $31.95
Child (ages 5 to 12) – $23.95
Family (two adults and three children or youth) – $147

Children ages 4 and under enter for free. Parking is also free.

Annual passes to the museum (as of December, 2025) cost the following:

Adult (ages 18+) – $98
Senior (ages 65+) and Students – $75
Youth (ages 13 to 17) and Child (ages 5 to 12) – $70
Family (two adults and three children or youth) – $240

Machine Shop at Britannia Mine Museum — The Machine Shop

When Is Photos With Santa?

Santa Claus is usually on-site at the Britannia Mine Museum between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm on the first two weekends in December. The museum itself is open seven days a week from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm.

What to Expect at Christmas

Don’t expect to see Christmas decorations and lights all over the grounds of the museum. It’s a huge place and decorating the entire venue isn’t practical. Instead, Britannia Mine typically decorates one of its buildings – the Machine Shop. Inside you’ll find Christmas trees, holiday lights and various Christmas type displays. This is also where you’ll find Santa.

Visit Britannia Mine‘s official website to learn about this and other events at the museum.

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions and extra information to help you make the most of your Christmas experience at the Britannia Mine Museum.

Things to Know about the Christmas Activities

TIP #1: If you go to Britannia Mine in December, and you have young children, then go when the Photos With Santa event is happening if you can. The mine is worth visiting any day of the year. It’s not every day, though, you get to see Santa and receive the extra perks for free, though this may not be the case in 2026.

TIP #2: If just seeing Santa and exploring the grounds, expect to stay for between about 30 and 60 minutes at the museum. If doing everything, expect to stay for between about 90 minutes and two-and-a-half hours.

An Underground Mine Tour at Britannia Mine

Things to Know about the Museum in General

TIP #1: If you get the chance, visit the museum. It’s highly recommended any time of the year. It’s a great museum. Both the underground tour of the mine and the Boom! exhibit are exceptional.

TIP #2: Go on the underground tour and see Boom! if you can. The tour is very informative. On it you’ll go down into the mine and learn all about the mine, its history and mining in general. It’s a fascinating experience! Boom!, meanwhile, is both educational and entertaining. With it you also get to go inside the massive Mill No. 3 building which itself is pretty incredible.

TIP #3: If you don’t want to do the underground tour in December, it’s good to know that you still get access to a lot of the sights at the museum with the free admission on the first two weekends in December. After visiting the big guy in red, you can go into a number of buildings and see the exhibits. You can also watch a short film and try panning for gold. The main things you can’t do with the free admission are go on the tour, go into the mine itself, go into the Mill No. 3 building or see Boom!

TIP #4: Britannia Mine is worth the drive from Vancouver just to see the museum. It’s also a great place to stop when travelling between Vancouver and Squamish or Vancouver and Whistler. Visit the website WhatToDoInWhistler.ca to learn about things to do in Whistler.