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Vancouver Experiential Christmas Gift Ideas

December 1, 2023

Looking for special and unique Christmas gift ideas? Treat your friends and family to Vancouver and Lower Mainland experiences they won’t forget!

Gift certificates and tickets to area attractions make exceptional gifts for a variety of reasons. They create memorable experiences and help support the local economy. Gift certificates are also easy to purchase online (so you don’t have to drive in the snow and fight for parking to buy them). And what’s more, if you want, you can go with the gift recipient and enjoy the experience together!

In this article we list a number of Christmas gift ideas we think you and your gift recipients might really enjoy! In our lists we include winter holiday attractions, upcoming events, performing arts shows, attractions with annual passes, outdoor adventure ideas, and other fun and unique activities.

Most of the ideas are with local companies. A few though are for companies from out of town that have events in Vancouver.

Gift Certificates for Vancouver Events and Attractions

There are lots of amazing attractions and activities in the Lower Mainland. A gift certificate or annual membership to some of them make awesome Christmas gifts. Below are some really good ones to consider.

Christmas Events & Attractions

Treat your friends and family to any of the following Christmas attractions and events. The first few end before December 25th, so they’ll have to be early Christmas presents!

Vancouver Christmas Market – this is a great place to treat someone to admission, a hot drink and some tasty food. While there, you’ll find extra things to buy for your guest, other friends of family (or even for yourself). The place is full of wonderful, handmade and unique artisan products! Last day of the season is December 24th.
PNE Winter Fair (& Playland Season Passes) – in 2024 the PNE’s Christmas-season event runs from December 6th until the 23rd. It includes shows, decorations, ice skating and family-friendly fun! 2025 season passes to Playland should also be available to purchase in December.
Photos With Santa – the holiday event at Britannia Mine includes a visit with Santa Claus, photos and complimentary cookies. In 2024 it’s on the weekends of December 7th & 8th, and 14th & 15th. You can pay just for the Photos With Santa experience, or you can enjoy it for free with regular admission to the museum. Annual passes to the museum also make great presents.
Squamish at Dusk – a winter holiday lights attraction on select evenings in Squamish up until December 14th.
Noel Holiday Light Festival & Market – a new Christmas attraction in Surrey until December 23rd.

Below are more Christmas attractions that make fabulous gifts and that continue until after Christmas Day.

Other Christmas Attractions to Treat Friends to

The following Christmas attractions continue until the end of December, and some even until later in January. With a couple, the venues offer annual passes which also make exceptional Christmas gifts.

VanDusen Garden’s Festival of Lights – the garden has its Christmas attraction running until January 5th, 2025. The Festival of Lights is an amazing place to take someone. An annual membership at VanDusen Botanical Garden can also make a great gift (and lets its owner in year-round on regular days with discounts for special events, like the Festival of Lights).
Canyon Lights at Capilano Bridge – the lights at this amazing attraction are up until January 19th in 2025. An annual pass costs the same amount as regular admission for residents of BC (and if you get it for someone now they’ll be able to use it not only for part of this holiday season but part of next year’s too)!
Glow Christmas – this Christmas attraction in Langley is beautiful, and it’s only open until December 28th in 2024. It’s partly indoors and partly outdoors.
Soar With Santa at FlyOver – the Christmas film at the multidimensional theatre at Canada Place runs until January 1st in 2025. You can’t buy annual passes at FlyOver Canada, but you can buy gift certificates for future shows.
Martini Town Merry & Bright – this is a relatively new Christmas attraction at a film studio in Langley. It runs from December 4th, 2024, to January 5th, 2025.

New Year’s Eve Events

In addition to the above, there are also New Year’s Eve nightclub-style events with Vancouver Boat Parties. In 2024, there are two events on December 31st. The first is the Hip Hop X Latin Party at 9:00 pm, followed by the Night on the Waves Party at 9:30 pm.

To learn about other events happening on the last day of 2024, see our article about Vancouver New Year’s Eve Events.

Upcoming Events and Attractions

Do any of your friends like dance and theatre productions, art exhibitions, or music? Then why not buy them tickets to one of the following events which take place in the first few months of 2025.

Shen Yun – the New York-based Chinese performing arts company brings its spectacular production to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from April 9th to 13th in 2025. Tickets to that make fabulous presents!
Vancouver International Wine Festival – one of North America’s biggest and most prestigious wine shows takes place in Vancouver between February 22nd and March 2nd in 2025. Wine enthusiasts will love to be treated to some of its events!
PuSh Festival – the performing arts shows take place at various venues in Vancouver between January 23rd and February 9th in 2025. Your theatre-loving friends will no doubt appreciate a ticket or multi-show pass to this festival!
Art Vancouver – the international art fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre takes place from April 24th to 27th in 2025. Early-bird tickets are available until January 6th!
Vancouver Fan Expo – have any friends or family members who like cosplay, superheroes, anime and other forms of pop culture? Bet they’ll like tickets to this event when it’s in town on the weekend of February 21st to 23rd, 2025.
Fort Langley Jazz Festival – the popular music and arts festival takes place on the weekend of July 24th to 27th in 2025. (TIP: During the month of December, tickets for some special events like the Cool Blues Show are sometimes on sale. See the Fort Langley Jazz Festival website for tickets and details.)

Give the Gift of Music & Theatre

Gift certificates or IOUs (I owe you) for concerts and theatrical shows with local performing arts groups make awesome Christmas presents. Support a local arts group and treat your friends and family to something special from one of the following organizations.

Choir & Symphony Organizations

Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir – the popular men’s choir has regular concerts from January through to the end of spring. The choir also has Christmas concerts in the first half of December in 2024.
Chor Leoni – the choir puts on performances at the Rio Theatre on March 7th, 8th and 9th in 2025. Tickets cost between $20 and $75. The vocalists also have Christmas concerts in 2024 on December 19th, 20th and 21st.
VAM Symphony Orchestra – the Vancouver Academy of Music has concerts in early 2025. There is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 on February 16th and The Planets on May 25th)
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra – the symphony’s end-of-year Christmas concerts are always fun and beautiful, and tickets to them make great presents!

Theatre and Opera Gift Ideas

Vancouver Opera – Flight takes place in mid-February of 2025 and Madama Butterfly takes the stage in the spring.
Theatre Under the Stars – tickets to the outdoor theatre at Stanley Park in the summer make a great gift. You can’t buy tickets yet, but you can give an IOU gift to the shows.
Bard on the Beach – the Shakespearean productions take place in Vanier Park from early June to mid-September every year. The 2025 season includes Much Ado About Nothing, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Dark Lady and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again].
The Nutcracker by Goh Ballet – one of the most popular theatre shows in Vancouver is the annual Nutcracker production put on by Goh Ballet. The show runs from December 19th to 22nd in 2024 (so this has to be a pre-Christmas gift, or an IOU for next December).
First Impressions Theatre – a great, small theatre company in Deep Cove that puts on multiple shows each year. Its 2025 schedule also includes a pair of special concerts from Blues musician Jim Byrnes on January 24th and 25th.
Presentation House Theatre – a community theatre in North Vancouver that puts on fun and affordable productions just north of Lower Lonsdale.
Carousel Theatre – perfect for families with young children, Carousel Theatre specializes in putting on plays designed for kids.

Attraction Annual Passes

Do any of your friends like gardens, museums or other places of interest? Why not give them an annual pass to somewhere special, like to any of the following attractions.

National Historic Sites

Gulf of Georgia Cannery – this is a great historical site in Steveston Village. It’s also home to the Steveston Festival of Trees which runs over the Christmas season until Christmas Eve. Annual passes cost just $25 for adults and $45 for families.
Fort Langley National Historic Site – this venue hosts interesting events at various times of the year. Annual passes here cost just $22 for adults and about $18.50 for seniors. Admission is also free for youth under the age of 18.
Britannia Mine Museum – this is another local national historic site that’s full of interesting things to see and do. Annual memberships cost $98 for adults, $70 for children (ages 5 to 17) and $210 for families.

Other Museums & Places of Interest

Vancouver Maritime Museum – friends who like history, model ships and boats will appreciate an annual pass to this museum at Vanier Park. A one-time visit costs between $14 and $19 depending on your age (but kids under 6 years old enter for free). Annual memberships, meanwhile, cost $45 for adults and $65 for families.
Fraser River Discovery Centre – this is a great place for young families to learn about the Fraser River region and the environment. Located at the waterfront in New Westminster, annual memberships cost $30 for adults and $52 for families (of up to two adults and four children between ages 2 and 12).
Chinese Canadian Museum – a fairly new museum at 51 East Pender Street in the heart of Chinatown. It’s a very interesting place!

Other Experiential Gift Ideas

Other awesome Christmas gifts are tickets for dinner theatre, walking tours, multidimensional theatre shows and other adventures including the following:

Walking Tours and Adventure Activities

Forbidden Vancouver – people who like history and walking tours will love what this local company has to offer! The tours run throughout most of the year and gift certificates are available online.
Vancouver Mysteries – outdoor adventure games in downtown Vancouver can be fun experiential gifts too. They have games with detective, superhero, secret agent and other themes. Gift certificates are available for purchase. (TIP: If you use the promo code BESTPLACES you’ll save 10% on games.)
WildPlay Element Park – the outdoor attraction with ropes courses and ziplines in Maple Ridge is a fun attraction open for most of the year. It’s closed from late December until February. Gift certificates and annual passes, however, make great Christmas presents. (TIP: If you have a 2024 season pass and renew it before November 30th, you save an extra $25!)
Ziplining – there aren’t many experiential gifts as exciting as ziplining. A great place to do that is at Superfly Ziplines in Whistler where they happen year-round. The same venue also offers Snowmobiling Tours in winter and Whitewater Rafting in the spring and summer. It’s also where you’ll find Whistler’s famous Vallea Lumina light walk attraction.

Recreational Programs

Place des Arts – is one of a number of arts centres in the Lower Mainland. It offers theatre, art, music and other classes, workshops and programs for people of all ages. Why not give the give of a class, either here or at an arts centre or recreation centre near you. (By the way, Places des Arts is also a good place to pick up handmade gifts of art. The holiday artisan shop is open daily until December 22nd.)

Dinner and/or Theatre Activities

FlyOver at Canada Place – you can promise to take your friends to one of the shows about Canada and enjoy the experience with them, or you can buy a gift ticket that’s good for any show for around $32 for adults or $22 for children (ages 15 and under).
Winterlust – a unique and memorable dining experience is in one of the private, heated, outdoor domes at the Westin Bayshore Hotel‘s H Tasting Lounge. You can book your spot for up to six people.
Cirque du Soleil – this would have to be a pre-Christmas gift, but there’s not many productions more entertaining than a Cirque du Soleil show! Their show ECHO plays at Concord Pacific Place from October 9th to December 15th in 2024.
The Improv Centre – the theatre on Granville Island has lots of great theatresports-style comedy shows this time of year. You can also give a gift pass for improv classes for those who love taking to the stage themselves!

Gift certificates to restaurants make terrific gifts too. When you can, try to get them from locally-owned places (to help the local economy and support local businesses). Some restaurants offer special bonuses when you buy gift cards this time of year too, including the Pier 7 Restaurant + Bar in North Vancouver and Tap & Barrel Restaurant which has a number of locations.

A number of restaurants offer special holiday menus this time of year too, as well as Christmas Dinner to Go packages where the restaurants cook everything for you, but you can eat it at home. Places with Christmas dinner takeout options and/or special Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus include the H2 Tasting Lounge in Coal Harbour, P2B Bistro near the Vancouver Convention Centre, and The Lobby at the Shipyards in North Vancouver. Other restaurant have seasonal specials too!

Vancouver Vacation Gifts

Whether it’s as a staycation for friends or family who already live in the Lower Mainland, or for guests from out of town, overnight accommodations at a hotel also make a great gift. A good place to look for deals in downtown Vancouver is at StayVancouverHotels.com. When you book through it you can get bonus perks.