There are many places in Metro Vancouver to see sparkling Christmas lights, admire seasonal decorations and enjoy the festive winter holiday season.
This article contains information about most of the Lower Mainland’s main holiday attractions. First though, below is a summary of what’s still happening.
Top Holiday Season Activities
Below are some of the top places in Metro Vancouver to see Christmas lights, holiday decorations and get into the festive spirit (in our opinion).
(Note: Since a “best place” for one person is different from a “best place” for someone else, our list is not in order or any form of ranking. In addition to the top places, we also list a few extras at the bottom.)
1. Christmas Glow in Langley
This event takes place from November 18th to December 26th, 2026.
Christmas Glow is an attraction featuring hundreds of thousands of lights and numerous family-friendly activities to enjoy. There are Christmas light displays, activities for children and live music.
In 2026 the popular attraction runs from November 18th until Boxing Day. This year, the theme is “Christmas Treasures.”
To learn more click Christmas Glow Langley.
2. Merry & Bright at Martini Town
This event takes place between November 20th and December 31st in 2026.
Merry & Bright at Martini Town celebrates its fourth year in 2026. The venue’s address is 1123 272 Street (which is near Aldergrove). Merry & Bright features holiday decorations at an outdoor film studio set as well as live entertainment, food trucks and market vendors.
To learn more about the holiday attraction, see our article about Merry & Bright at Martini Town.
13. Lights by the Lake (at Harrison Hot Springs)
In 2026/27 the lights are up from November 21st until January 10th.
Lights by the Lake is an annual event at Harrison Hot Springs in the Fraser Valley. From late November until around the middle of January, the waterfront in the resort town gets lit up with holiday lights and illuminations.
Most years, there is also a small ice rink for people to skate on. There’s also a special lighting ceremony on the opening night of the event, and a couple themed “festive nights” where Santa shows up!
To learn more see our article about Lights by the Lake.
4. Canyon Lights at Capilano
This event runs from November 20th, 2026, until January 10th, 2027.
Canyon Lights at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver is amazing. Their Christmas lights win top prize for being tastefully displayed, and the bridges and unique walkways make this a one-of-a-kind Christmas experience.
The suspension bridge is always great attraction. But when it’s Christmas-time it’s even more must-see!
See our article about Canyon Lights for more information.
5. VanDusen Festival of LightsÂ
This festival takes place between November 27th, 2026 and January 3rd, 2027. Â
Interested in seeing amazing light displays in Vancouver’s finest botanical garden? This is a must-see attraction!
At the event there are hundreds of thousands of sparkling Christmas lights and other fun stuff! It’s one of our favourite places for getting into a festive Christmas spirit! In normal years, the attraction also offers carousel rides and visits with Santa.
In 2026/27, the Festival of Lights runs from November 27th to January 3rd. The garden is typically open from 4:00 to 10:00 pm, with last entry between 8:30 and 9:00 pm. The attraction is closed on December 25th.
Click VanDusen Festival of Lights for more information.
6. Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours
The Holiday History & Hot Chocolate Tour operates between November 15th, 2026 and January 8th, 2027.
Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours run throughout the year. The experiences in downtown Vancouver are full of storytelling and learning about the city’s past. During the Christmas season, the company offers a special Holiday History & Hot Chocolate Tour.
The holiday tour runs daily except for on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day from November 15th, 2026, until January 8th, 2027.
For more information about the tours, see our article about the Holiday History & Hot Chocolate Tours.
7. Noel Holiday Light Festival
The Noel Holiday Light Festival ran on select dates between November 28th and December 28th in 2025.
Having celebrated its second year in 2025, the Noel Holiday Light Festival is a massive Christmas celebration held at Surrey’s Cloverdale Fairgrounds. The event features tons of lights, a market, live entertainment and an LED Igloo Bar. There are also food trucks, a Ferris Wheel, photo opportunities with Santa, and so much more.
The event takes place at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. New for 2025, instead of happening at Stanley Park, Bright Nights happened as part of the Surrey event. 2026 details are to be confirmed.
To learn more see our article about the Noel Holiday Light Festival.
8. Christmas at Flyover
Soar With Santa shows from November 19th until December 31st, 2026
FlyOver is an exceptional multi-dimensional movie theatre attraction at Canada Place where you get to “fly over” Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and then up to the Arctic. The attraction adopts a wonderful winter holiday theme during the Christmas season.
In the Christmas version of the experience, guests are entertained by elves and get to follow Santa on his travels across the country.
This attraction is exceptional for several reasons. One is because the experience is both unique and really cool. It’s also entertaining and educational at the same time. The film is an indoor event, making it suitable regardless of the weather.
Click Flyover at Christmas for details.
9. Christmas & New Year’s Eve Boat Parties
There were multiple boat parties in Vancouver in 2025
Popular holiday activities for young adults are boat parties out in the waters around the City of Vancouver. Vancouver Boat Parties hosted three events during the holiday season in 2025. There was the Christmas on the Waves boat cruise on December 13th and the Hip Hop X Latin New Year’s Eve Boat Party and New Year’s Eve Boat Cruise on December 31st.
The boat parties are like extra-special nightclub events. There is music, a bar and lots of people partying, but they take place on chartered yachts in the waters of English Bay and Burrard Inlet.
Visit the Vancouver Boat Parties website for more information about the above December cruises.
10. Shipyards Christmas Market
In 2026 the Shipyards Christmas Market returns from November 27th until December 21st.Â
The market runs from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday. It’s open until 10:00 on Friday and Saturday. The market is typically open for a little later closer to Christmas.
The Shipyards Christmas Market is a European-style holiday market at The Shipyards in North Vancouver. It features over 130 vendors. Plus, food and drinks to purchase, Santa visits, live entertainment, and numerous festive photo opportunities. Admission is free.
To learn more about the event, see our Shipyards Christmas Market article.
11. Wesbrook Village Holiday Market
There were market vendors and music at UBC on weekends from November 28th until December 21st in 2025.
The Wesbrook Village Holiday Market is a free event with artisan vendors and live entertainment on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the Christmas season. On the first day of the market there is usually the official lighting of the tree between 6:00 and 6:30 pm.
The market takes place at Norman MacKenzie Square at the University of British Columbia.
To learn more, visit the liveatubc.ca website.
12. Vancouver Christmas Market
In 2026 this event runs from November 16th until Christmas Eve.
The Vancouver Christmas Market is Vancouver’s original German-themed outdoor holiday market. It’s home to dozens of artisan vendors and food stalls selling a wide range of festive products. Located at Jack Poole Plaza beside the Convention Centre, it also features a carousel ride and live entertainment.
The market is interesting and of high quality, there’s a nice festive atmosphere to it, and the event is about as authentic a German Christmas market as you can get in a place like Vancouver.
If you are looking for an outdoor market with interesting knick-knacks to see while enjoying mulled wine or cider with friends, then this can be a great place to be.
TIP: Use the promo code VBP and you can save on general admission (just not for the already discounted $6.99 tickets.)
Visit vancouverchristmasmarket.com or see our article about the Vancouver Christmas Market for more information.
13. Timberline Country Christmas
The attraction runs on select dates between December 5th and 20th in 2026.
Timberline Country Christmas is an Old West-themed holiday attraction at Timberline Ranch which is a camp on an acreage in Maple Ridge. The event features hayrides, Christmas decorations, holiday music, a nativity scene and more.
For full details about the attraction, click Timberline Country Christmas or visit timberlinechristmas.ca.
14. Forest of Miracles & Dundarave Festival of Lights
This festival ran from November 29th, 2025, to January 8th, 2026.
The Dundarave Festival of Lights is an event that takes place at the waterfront in West Vancouver. It usually involves live entertainment and family-friendly activities on the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas. It also features decorated Christmas trees throughout December in the form of the Forest of Miracles.
West Vancouver’s waterfront at Dundarave is a beautiful spot. The seawall there, in fact, is one of our favourite places to walk on Vancouver’s North Shore. The area is beautiful any time of the year. In the late afternoon and evening in December, it’s especially pretty with all the Christmas lights.
The Christmas trees were up from November 29th, 2025, until 8th January, 2026. Special events with live entertainment also happened on the Saturdays of November 29th, December 6th, December 13th and December 20th. 2026 details should be similar.
To learn more see our article about the Dundarave Festival of Lights.
15. Christmas at Greendale Acres
Unfortunately, Christmas at Greendale Acres isn’t happening in 2026.
Greendale Acres in Chilliwack often hosts Christmas at Greendale Acres during the holiday season. The event features train rides with light displays, as well as a walking experience, a Christmas market, a scavenger hunt, and more.
For more details about the event, click Christmas at Greendale Acres.
16. Goh Ballet Nutcracker
Performances take place between December 17th and 20th in 2025.
Goh Ballet is a prestigious dance company that hosts an annual performance of The Nutcracker during the Christmas season. The shows take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.
The production is based on the original ballet and follows a character’s magical journey to the Kingdom of Sweets. The story features toys, children, heroes and evil mice. Expect to see over 200 dancers and performers take the stage. The music is also performed live by the Vancouver Opera Orchestra most years.
See our article about Goh Ballet Nutcracker for more information.
17. Big Elf Run at Stanley Park
The running event happens on December 12th in 2026.
The Big Elf Run is a fun running race held in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Unlike many other runs, this event isn’t super competitive. Instead, it’s a fun social event where people walk, jog or run in Christmas-themed costumes. There are various distances to choose from, ranging from 1 to 15 km. All participants simply need to complete their run within two hours.
The 2026 event takes place on Saturday, December 12th.
Click Big Elf Run for more information about the event.
18. Bright Nights (formerly at Stanley Park)
This event happened between November 28th and December 28th in 2025, but at a new venue. Bright Lights took place at the Noel Holiday Light Festival in Surrey.
Vancouver’s Stanley Park typically hosts one of the most amazing presentations of child-friendly Christmas lights and festive-themed displays in the Lower Mainland, with over three million sparkling lights viewed by gazillions of people in normal years.
When it happens at Stanley Park, admission to Bright Nights is by donation, with the proceeds going to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. The attraction also includes train rides when possible.
Unfortunately, the holiday attraction at Stanley Park got cancelled this Christmas season. Instead, the park hosted the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience event starting on November 7th, 2025. That being said, the good news is that Bright Nights still happened, but at a totally different location. Last year’s Bright Nights took place as part of the Noel Holiday Light Festival at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey.
19. Christmas Craft Fairs
November and December are the months for Christmas crafts fairs, and there are usually lots of them in Metro Vancouver. For a list of craft fairs click Lower Mainland Christmas Craft Fairs.
20. Christmas Music
The Christmas season is usually a great time of year for music and the performing arts. There are choirs and orchestras performing throughout the Lower Mainland.
Some of our favourite music any time of the year is offered by the following groups:
- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (the city’s world-famous orchestra)
- Chor Leoni Men’s Choir (an exceptional group made up of largely professional singers).
- Vancouver Oratorio Choir (a 90 or so member choir of Christian vocalists and musicians).
- Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir (an excellent male voice choir).
- Pacific Baroque Orchestra (which is part of Early Music Vancouver).
- Goh Ballet (which presents the Nutcracker each year).
- United Voices Choir (who host a holiday singalong concert).
- Music on Main (which hosts a number of concerts including a Winter Solstice).
- The Singing Christmas Tree (a series of free concerts at Vancouver’s Broadway Church).
- Vancouver Chamber Choir (a professional ensemble with multiple Christmas concerts).
- Vancouver Christmas Market (home to a series of concerts throughout the season).
- Songs Strings & Steps (an annual event featuring the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra).
Click Christmas Concerts for a sample list of performances and dates in the Lower Mainland.
21. Photos with Santa (at Britannia Mine Museum)
The event happens on a couple of weekends in December.
Photos with Santa is a special event at the Britannia Mine Museum between West Vancouver and Squamish. In 2025 it ran on December 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th, from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. Admission to the lower site is free for this event and no booking is required.
To learn more click Britannia Mine at Christmas.
22. North Pole Express (at the Railway Museum)
The event takes place on select dates between November 28th and December 21st in 2026.
The West Coast Railway Museum in Squamish hosts their popular North Pole Express event during the holiday season each year. Based on the film The Polar Express, the magical train ride features hot chocolate, cookies, chefs, and live entertainment. Pajamas are encouraged for kids!
In 2026 the train operates on November 28th and 29th as well as on December 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th and 21st.
For more information see our North Pole Express article.
23. WinterFest at MOS
This event took place from November 22nd to December 21st in 2025.
The Museum of Surrey hosts its annual WinterFest event throughout the holiday season. It features beautifully decorated trees, scavenger hunts, and more. Admission is free, making it a great budget-friendly outing for families.
There are also usually a couple of special themed days. The stɑl’əw̓ Craft Fair took place on December 6th last year from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and showcased a variety of Indigenous vendors and locally made goods. On December 13th and 14th, the Merry Makers activities ran from 1:00 until 4:00 pm with holiday crafts, a search for Santa and his elves.
To learn more about the event, see our article about WinterFest at MOS.
24. Christmas Lights at Williams Park
This event took place from Saturday, December 13th, until Sunday, December 28th in 2025.
Christmas Lights at Williams Park is a drive-thru holiday light attraction at a park in Langley. A group of volunteers formerly ran it, but in recent years, the event has been operated by the Township of Langley.
In 2025 the lights were on nightly from 5:00 until 9:00 pm. The timing in 2026 should be similar. Admission is free, but advance registration is required. The event takes place at Williams Park, near 68th Avenue and 238th Street.
25. Lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam
The lights are up from November 27th, 2026 until sometime in February.Â
Lights at Lafarge is a Christmas attraction that features holiday lights and illuminations around the lake at Town Centre Park in Coquitlam.
The decorations are beautiful, the walk around the lake is most pleasant, the scenery is wonderful and the attraction is completely free! The venue is also conveniently located near the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain Station. If you live in the area or have never been, we highly recommend it.
For more information, click Lights at Lafarge.
26. Holiday Hi-Light Festival
In 2025 the event took place daily from November 29th to December 31st.Â
If you plan to be in North Vancouver and want to see some good free Christmas lights, then check out the displays at Park and Tilford mall when they’re up. Admission is by donation, with funds raised going to the City and District of North Vancouver Fire Fighter Societies.
The Holiday Hi-Light Festival illuminations might not be as impressive as the lights at Stanley Park, or at more exotic places like VanDusen Garden or Capilano Suspension Bridge. Considering that they’re free, though, they are actually quite impressive and well worth checking out, especially during Family Nights.
Opening night and a Family Friday in mid-December usually feature extra entertainment, face painting and visits from Santa, although exact details for 2026 are still to be confirmed.
Click Park and Tilford Holiday Hi-Light Festival for more information.
27. Peak of Christmas at Grouse
The Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain ran from November 21st until Christmas Eve in 2025.Â
Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver offers some of the best Christmas-time activities in the Lower Mainland.
At the Peak of Christmas in typical years, there are holiday movies in the theatre, visits with Santa and illuminations on display. There are also ice skating opportunities, trails for snowshoeing, fine dining and of course the great ski slopes with their amazing views of Vancouver below.
The Peak of Christmas isn’t cheap. However, admission is included with a ski ticket, which suddenly makes all the attractions at the resort a pretty good deal (especially for people with season ski passes).
Click Peak of Christmas at Grouse Mountain for more information.
28. Heritage Christmas in Burnaby
Last year’s event ran from November 22nd, 2025, until January 2nd, 2026.
Burnaby Village’s Heritage Christmas is one of the best holiday festive deals in Metro Vancouver – not only is it a great place to get into the Christmas mood, but it’s also free! It doesn’t have the best or largest displays of Christmas lights and decorations, but for the price they charge, it’s still impressive, plus you get interesting pieces of history thrown in for good measure.
Click Heritage Christmas at Burnaby Village for more information.
29. Langley Christmas Village
The event runs from November 25th until December 24th in 2026.
New for 2026, the Langley Christmas Village is a month-long Christmas market with a European theme. The event includes a number of vendors as well as live entertainment in Langley City. It’s completely free to attend and organized by the same people behind the Shipyards Christmas Market.
To learn more about the market, see our Langley Christmas Village article.
30. Christmas at Canada Place
These decorations are usually up from late November until the beginning of January. It didn’t happen in 2025, however.
If you plan to be in downtown Vancouver in December, then most years you check out The Canadian Trail along Canada Place‘s West Promenade. It’s just a few blocks from Waterfront Station, next door to the new Vancouver Convention Centre building, and only a few blocks from Gastown and the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre.
Note: Due to construction in the area, the lights and window displays did not happen in 2025. The event’s status for 2026 is TBC.
Click Christmas at Canada Place for more details.
31. Hyatt Gingerbread Lane
The event takes place from December 3rd to 28th in 2026.
For one of the best displays of gingerbread houses in Vancouver, check out Gingerbread Lane downtown at the Hyatt Regency on Burrard Street near Georgia. The hotel’s foyer becomes home to dozens of beautiful and delicious-looking gingerbread creations. It’s not necessarily a destination of its own, but if you are in the area it’s worth a visit.
For more information, click Gingerbread Lane at the Hyatt Regency.
32. PNE Winter Fair
This event did not happen in 2025.
Two years ago the PNE Winter Fair was open on December 6th, 7th and 8th, and then again every day between December 12th and 23rd. The event featured Christmas decorations, ice skating, live entertainment, artisan vendors and more.
After running for a number of years, this event was not held in 2025. It might not happen in 2026 either. Whether it does again or not in the future is to be confirmed.
To learn more, see our article about PNE Winter Fair or click pne.ca.
Other Information
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver’s December Calendar
- Vancouver’s November and January Calendars
- Best Christmas Activities
- Lower Mainland Christmas Craft Fairs
- Vancouver Theatre in December
- Vancouver Christmas Concerts
- Lower Mainland Santa Claus Parades
- Vancouver Winter Activities
- Lower Mainland Ski Hills
- Vancouver Rainy Day Activities
Other websites that might also be of interest include the following:
