Light Tunnel at Canyon Lights

One of the best times of the year to visit Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge is during Canyon Lights in the Christmas season. The lights are amazing!

The evening holiday illuminations are usually up between mid-November until late January.

Click Capilano Suspension Bridge for the event’s official website.

Christmas at Capilano Bridge

With close to 500,000 lights and decorations, the illuminations at Canyon Lights are stunning. The winter holiday decorations at Capilano Suspension Bridge are also tasteful, unique and exquisitely Christmas-y in so many ways.

In our opinion, Canyon Lights gets first prize as the most romantic place to take a date to see Christmas illuminations! It really is quite magical!

Canyon Lights Video

Below is a video about Canyon Lights at Christmas. It includes footage of the attraction from 2019, plus one or two scenes from the year before. There were a few updates added to the event in early 2023.

The video begins with the area at the park with First Nations totem poles. Next are scenes of live musicians and the area just outside the gift shop. This is followed by a walk along the Cliffwalk at around dusk, and then the crossing of the suspension bridge at night.

In the video, on the far side of the canyon, you can see people walking along the bridges high up in the air from tree to tree, and then a scene of the Christmas ornament-like light displays over the pond. The video finishes with a scene of the attraction at its entrance on Capilano Road.

As you’ll see from the video, the place looks magical during the Christmas season! Visiting the attraction at night in December is highly recommended!

Where is Canyon Lights?

Canyon Lights takes place at Capilano Suspension Bridge which is less than a five-minute drive from the Cleveland Dam and the base of Grouse Mountain. The venue’s address is 3735 Capilano Road in North Vancouver.

The attraction is on the west side of the street. Pay parking lots are across the street on the west side of Capilano Road. Parking costs about $5 for the duration of your stay. A limited amount of free off-street parking is also available on side streets a few blocks away.

When is Canyon Lights?

Canyon Lights runs from mid-November until later January. In 2022/2023, the event ran from November 19, 2022, to January 22, 2023. The park is open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm daily, with the lights and Christmas activities starting at around 4 pm.

Click Capilano Suspension Bridge for the event’s official website.

Canyon Lights Christmas Characters Display — A new display in 2021

Admission Rates at Canyon Lights

Tickets to Canyon Lights in the evening are typically the same as tickets to Capilano Suspension Bridge during the day. Both are good for all day and evening.

Online rates (excluding taxes) from the 2022/2023 season are listed below. Tickets at the gate cost about $3 more. Pricing for the 2023/2024 season are to be confirmed. Annual passes for residents of British Columbia are the same price as a single day ticket.

Adults (ages 18 to 64) – $62.95
Seniors (ages 65+) – $57.95
Students (ages 18+) – $49.95
Youth (ages 13 to 17) – $34.95
Children (ages 6 to 12) – $24.95
Little Kids (ages 5 & under) – Free

Canyon Lights admission prices are usually the regular rates for Capilano Suspension Bridge this time of year, and the tickets are valid all day, so having all the Christmas lights and festivities in the evening is a valuable bonus.

Note: Pay parking costs about $5 for the day. There is also a limited amount of free street parking in the area, including a block away on Capilano Crescent just off Ridgewood Drive a block down the hill from the attraction.

See the Capilano Suspension Bridge website for tickets and full details about the Christmas attraction.

What to See at Canyon Lights

There is a fair bit to do and see at Canyon Lights. There is a lot to enjoy at Capilano Suspension Bridge any time of the year, but especially at Christmas.

During Canyon Lights there are the site’s usual historical, geological and nature educational displays, beautiful First Nations totem pole art, and bridges throughout the trees. There is also the Cliffwalk, the fancy gift shop, places to buy hot chocolate, and of course the world-famous and very wobbly (but perfectly safe) suspension bridge.

Capilano Christmas Lights

What makes Capilano Suspension Bridge so special at Christmas time are all the magical lights and festive decorations. The light displays are done more tastefully and artistically than some of the Lower Mainland’s other Christmas light venues – there are fewer lights per square foot than at various other places, but they are equally impactful.

At Capilano Suspension Bridge, over the Christmas season at night, don’t forget to look down and admire the illuminated river in the canyon far below. The lights there are constantly changing colour. Also be sure to admire the waterfall.

What’s New at the Attraction?

Every year it seems there is something new at Canyon Lights. A couple of years ago it was an interactive dancing light display. In 2019 it was a really cool multi-coloured light tunnel on the Cliffwalk.

In 2021, the main suspension bridge had end-to-end multi-colour lighting that changed as you walked across it. This added a cool new element to experiencing the bridge and the surrounding area.

Canyon Lights at Capilano Bridge

Christmas Crafts

Most years at Canyon Lights there are a number of craft activities for children. During the 2022 event children made ornaments and greeting cards for which there was no additional charge. The ornaments included the choice of a Christmas bobble or a wooden tree (or at least that was the case the last time we checked). A gingerbread cookie could also be bought for a donation benefiting the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

Canyon Lights Owls

A fun addition to the park is the Snowy Owl Prowl, which first made its appearance in 2021/2022. There are light decorations in the shape of owls hidden around the property. Count them as you go, guess how many there are and then enter to win a prize.

In the past, the grand prize for winning the Snowy Owl Prowl has been a family getaway to the Canada Rockies, so it’s a sizeable prize! Most of the owls are easy to spot, but a few are more challenging.

See the Capilano Suspension Bridge website for tickets and full details about the Christmas attraction.

Raising Funds for the Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund

A number of Metro Vancouver Christmas attractions raise money for charities. Two venues with festive illuminations where admission is by donation to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund are Bright Nights at Stanley Park and the Holiday Hi-Light Festival in North Vancouver (both of which are just a 15-minute drive from Canyon Lights in good traffic).

Capilano Suspension Bridge also generously supports the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. Admission to Canyon Lights isn’t free as it normally is at the other two venues, but the attraction does collect donations and gives partial proceeds from admission sales at Christmas to the charity. As of 2022, in fact, Cap Bridge had donated over $410,000 to the Burn Fund over the years.

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and things to know to help you make the most out of your visit to Canyon Lights.

TIP #1: Consider going to Capilano Suspension Bridge in December in the later afternoon, before it gets dark, so you can see the sights while the sun is out and you can still see the river below. Then stick around for nightfall (around 5:30 pm or so) to see the place all lit up with Christmas lights and looking completely different.

TIP #2: Expect to spend between 1.5 and 2 hours at Canyon Lights, plus or minus depending on your interest level, the weather, the crowds and if all areas are open at the time of your visit. Take your time though and enjoy the amazing experience!

TIP #3: Canyon Lights gets especially busy on weekends and during the week just before Christmas. Be merry and have patience with the crowds, especially if relying on public transit or the free shuttle bus service when waiting to go home.

TIP #4: Many areas at Capilano Suspension Bridge are not wheelchair accessible. However, visitors in wheelchairs do usually receive free admission. Also, if on leash and under control, dogs can accompany their owners to the venue.

Tips about Annual Passes

TIP #1: For BC residents, an annual pass is about the same price as single admission, which then makes the cost a great deal.

TIP #2: If you purchase an annual pass in December, visit just after Christmas one year, come again in the summer, and then take in the lights one more time just before Christmas the following year. Do that and you’ll get more than your money’s worth!

TIP #3: Available at Christmas time are family memberships which make admission even more affordable (and which aren’t normally available at other times of the year).