Heritage Harbour is a marina that’s home to a number of beautiful vintage boats. It’s located in front of the Vancouver Maritime Museum at Vanier Park.
The marina is open to the public most days of the year. It doesn’t cost anything to walk along its docks. Heritage Harbour is a free outdoor exhibition hosted by the Vancouver Maritime Museum which itself is an exceptional place to visit.
This article features information about Heritage Harbour and its new Winter Market at Vanier Park, debuting on December 7th, 2025. The new event is replacing their past Christmas event, Light Up the Harbour.
For the attraction’s official website, visit vanmaritime.com.
Heritage Harbour at the Vancouver Maritime Museum
The dock area in front of the Vancouver Maritime Museum at Vancouver’s Vanier Park is Heritage Harbour. It’s free to explore year-round. At the marina, you’ll find some beautiful wooden vessels and other classic boats. The Vancouver Maritime Museum, meanwhile, is a terrific, family-friendly museum full of antiques, model ships and information about the maritime history of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Arctic.
The Vancouver Maritime Museum‘s address is 1905 Ogden Avenue. Heritage Harbour is at the water in front of the museum. Both the museum and harbour are in Vancouver’s Vanier Park. Also located in the park are the Museum of Vancouver, H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and Vancouver Academy of Music.
Visit the Vancouver Maritime Museum‘s official website for tickets and full details about the attraction.
SAVE 25% ON TICKETS TO THE MUSEUM
If you use the promo code BESTVANCOUVER when paying for museum admission online, you can save 25%! The discount is even valid on family day passes, which is a great deal!
Winter Market at Vanier Park in 2025
Instead of hosting its annual Light Up the Harbour event, in 2025 the museum has its new Winter Market at Vanier Park. The Vancouver Maritime Museum now collaborates with the Museum of Vancouver and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre to host a festive seaside market.
The festive market takes place on December 7th from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Featuring many local artisans and vendors to explore. It’s an excellent opportunity to find Christmas gifts.
Highlights at the Winter Market include Bard on the Beach’s costume corner. Visitors can try on theatrical outfits and take photos. Food and drinks are available on-site, along with family-friendly entertainment scheduled throughout the day. Expect a festive atmosphere full of holiday cheer.
Whether you’re looking for Christmas gifts or a festive winter outing, the Winter Market offers both, set against a beautiful Vancouver backdrop in a lovely area to wander.
Admission by Donation — December 7th, 2025
A major perk for visitors on December 7th is that, alongside the Winter Market, guests can also explore all three museums and attractions by donation.
Vancouver Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre are offering Pay-What-You-Can admission. Making these venues more accessible to all.
Light Up the Harbour
Light Up the Harbour was a free Christmas event hosted by the Vancouver Maritime Museum with vintage boats, holiday lights and entertainment at Heritage Harbour. It ran for a couple of years and featured vintage boats decorated with holiday lights, choirs and family-friendly entertainment at Heritage Harbour. The event is no longer happening.
Instead, the museum now partners with the Museum of Vancouver and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre to present the new Winter Market at Vanier Park.
To learn about the Christmas event, click Winter Market at Vanier Park. To learn about the museum and its events and programs, visit the vanmaritime.com website.
Light Up the Harbour Video
For an idea of what the Christmas events have looked like in previous years, check out this video of the Light Up the Harbour event, below. It was recorded in the event’s first year. There were vintage boats to admire along with holiday illuminations, hot chocolate and choir performances.
Heritage Harbour Video
Below is a video showing what Heritage Harbour looks like during the day, outside the Christmas season. When the gate is open, you can wander down and explore the docks.
The video begins with a scene of one of the False Creek Ferry boats leaving the docks in front of the museum. The ferries take passengers to and from the harbour and stop at various other points of interest along False Creek.
As you’ll see in the video, there’s a nice selection of vintage sailboats and fishing vessels at the marina. Many of them are made out of wood. All are beautiful, and some are quite impressive. If you like boats, especially older ones, you’ll love Heritage Harbour!
Other Information
For more information about the marina and museum, visit the Vancouver Maritime Museum website. To learn more about the museum in general, you can also see our article about the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
To learn more about the Christmas event visit Winter Market at Vanier Park.
Other articles that might be of interest include:
- Vancouver’s Best Christmas Activities
- Best Places for History and Culture
- Vancouver On a Budget
- Vancouver’s Calendar of Events
