Carol Ships Parade of Lights

A Christmas tradition is the annual Santa’s Christmas Ships which takes place over a number of December evenings in different parts of Metro Vancouver.

Santa’s Christmas Ships sail through the waters of Port Moody, Belcarra, Deep Cove, and part of North Vancouver. The boats are decorated with Christmas lights and make evening appearances in different waterfront neighbourhoods.

In 2025, the ships begin their outings on Saturday, November 29th and continue on Friday and Saturday nights through December 20th. Most sailings happen between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

There are also a few boat parties happening this winter. Vancouver Boat Parties, for example, hosts two New Year’s Eve parties on December 31st. One is the New Year’s Eve Boat Cruise on the Burrard Queen and the other is Hip Hop X Latin NYE Boat Party on the Magic Spirit Yacht. Vancouver Boat Parties also has its annual Christmas on the Waves boat cruise on December 13th.

FREE HOLIDAY BONFIRE EVENT IN DEEP COVE

To kick off the 2025 holiday season, the District of North Vancouver hosts a Community Bonfire Event at Panorama Park in Deep Cove. It’s a free event on December 6th with live music, crafts, hot chocolate and other activities (including a visit by the Christmas ships). For full details, see the nvrc.ca website.

Santa’s Christmas Ships in Vancouver

Santa’s Christmas Ships are small fleets of light-covered boats that cruise through Vancouver’s inlets and bays. The public gathers along the shoreline to watch them pass by in various locations, often cheering, flashing house lights, and waving at Santa and his crew.

The experience is casual, community-driven, and weather-dependent. Processions are fairly small and informal, but still nice to see.

Carol Ships Boat — Boat with Christmas lights in Deep Cove

2025 Schedule

The 2025 sailing schedule is listed below. Unless stated otherwise, cruises take place between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm. (Note: dates and times are subject to change on short notice due to weather conditions.)

Saturday, November 29th, 2025: This event is open to the public at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody for Holiday Cheer at the Pier. Santa appears in the park for photos starting around 5:00 pm. The Ships are expected at approximately 6:00 pm.
Friday, December 5th, 2025: Christmas Ships cruise by Cates Park, Dollarton and Belcarra Bay.
Saturday, December 6, 2025: This event is open to the public for the Christmas Ships Party, featuring a bonfire and live music at Panorama Park in Deep Cove.
Friday, December 12th, 2025: Ships cruise by Woodlands and Brighton Beach (water-access communities only).
Saturday, December 13th, 2025: The Christmas fleet cruises past the water-access communities of Belcarra and Dollarton.
Friday, December 19th, 2025: The route is yet to be announced. Visit Santa’s Christmas Ships Facebook page for the latest updates.
Saturday, December 20th, 2025: The final cruise passes by Bedwell Bay and Farrer Cove, which has water access only.

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most out of your Santa’s Christmas Ships experience.

TIP #1: Take binoculars if you have them. Sometimes the boats can be a fair way offshore.

TIP #2: Most of the boats participating in the event are commercial tour boats, so if you make reservations, you can experience the procession on board! Santa’s Christmas Ships can be a nice sight for people to see from shore, but they are often even more enjoyable for the folks out on the water.

TIP #3: With the above-mentioned events, the main activities are on land. The boats with their lights to see are pretty, and a nice element of the festivals onshore, but seeing them isn’t really a huge event in itself.

TIP #4: If the weather is poor, there will be fewer boats to see (so don’t get your hopes up too high). Also, the boats aren’t always the most reliable. Sometimes they arrive on time, and sometimes they don’t.

TIP #5: The skippers love it when waterfront homes light up their docks. It helps them to navigate more safely.