Author: Vancouver Christmas

Last updated: October 23, 2026. We update this guide as organizers confirm dates. Dates shown here are the ones we have confirmed on each event’s page. Where an event has not announced its 2026 dates, we say so. The 2026 holiday season in Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland starts early, with the first events in mid-November, and runs past New Year’s Day. This guide collects the Christmas events, light displays, markets, parades, tree lightings and family traditions we have covered so far, sorted by type so you can find what suits you. Each link opens that event’s full guide…

Last updated: October 23, 2026. Dates, hours, ticket prices, sensory-friendly night, parking and accessibility details below come from the City of Vancouver’s VanDusen Festival of Lights page. Tickets go on sale November 4, and the food vendor list has not been published yet, so check vancouver.ca closer to the date. The VanDusen Festival of Lights turns VanDusen Botanical Garden into a botanical wonderland. Explore 15 acres adorned with over 1 million twinkling lights, see the annual Dancing Lights display, wander themed light areas and try treats from food vendors. There are three Dancing Lights sets, with a show every 20…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Dates, hours, food, shopping, skating, Santa, accessibility and transit details below come from the official Shipyards Christmas Market website. Santa’s daily schedule, the entertainment stage schedule and the Foodie Tour dates have not been published yet, so check shipyardschristmasmarket.com closer to the date. The Shipyards Christmas Market is a European-style Christmas market on the North Vancouver waterfront, with 90+ wooden chalets, an outdoor ice rink and Santa’s chalet. Admission is free for everyone, with no tickets and no timeslots, and you can come as often as you like. The market describes itself as established in…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. The kick-off date, time and activities below come from the City of Coquitlam’s Lights at Lafarge page. The city has not published the season’s end date, regular nightly hours, parking, transit or accessibility details, so check coquitlam.ca for updates throughout the season. Lights at Lafarge, produced by the City of Coquitlam, is described by the city as Metro Vancouver’s largest free outdoor winter lights display. The display is at Lafarge Lake in Town Centre Park, and the season starts with an Opening Night Celebration. The 2026 season kicks off on Friday, November 27, 2026, from…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Dates, hours, ticket price, venue and the vendor list below come from the official Portobello West Holiday Market page. The vendor list is the organizer’s current list and may change, and the entertainment schedule has not been published. Portobello West’s Annual Holiday Market returns to downtown Vancouver, held in the Roundhouse in Yaletown’s historic railway station. The organizers say it features carefully curated goods from 69+ local BC makers, including artists and designers, and producers of family fashion, jewelry, art, home décor, skincare, wine and spirits, and gourmet treats. You can learn about their crafting…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Dates, location, contest categories and the entry draw schedule below come from the official Gingerbread Lane website. Public viewing hours, admission or donation details, how voting works, parking and accessibility are not on the site, so check gingerbreadlane.ca or contact the organizers before you go. Gingerbread Lane is a gingerbread display and contest at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver that supports Make-A-Wish Canada. Bakers, hobbyists and schools build gingerbread creations that are shared with thousands of visitors. The organizers say every creation, visit, vote and donation helps support life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The…

Last updated: October 23, 2026. Dates and times below are the ones we have confirmed on each organizer’s page. Where an event has not announced its 2026 date or tree lighting time, we say so. Check each event’s guide for the latest. For many families in Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, the holiday season starts the moment a big Christmas tree lights up. From the 76-foot tree in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery to community tree lightings in Ladner, Burnaby, Surrey and Abbotsford, here is every tree lighting we are following in 2026, with dates, times and what…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Dates, hours, passholder reservation rules, attractions and charity details below come from the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park’s Canyon Lights page. Ticket prices, parking details and accessibility information are not on that page, so check the park’s website before you go. Canyon Lights is the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park’s winter celebration in North Vancouver, when the park’s suspension bridge, rainforest and treetop walkways glow with holiday lights. The 2026–2027 season adds WILDLIGHT, a 3D wildlife projection set deep in the rainforest. The season runs from November 20, 2026 to January 10, 2027, from 11:00 AM to…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Canada Place’s website says Christmas at Canada Place is not taking place this year because of ongoing construction at the west promenade. The details below about past editions are included as background only. We’ll update this page if Canada Place announces the event’s return. Christmas at Canada Place has been a free holiday attraction on Vancouver’s waterfront, a light-filled stroll around one of the city’s best-known landmarks. This year, though, it is not happening. Canada Place’s website says: “Due to ongoing construction at the west promenade, Christmas at Canada Place will not be taking place…

Last updated: October 22, 2026. The date, location, final-year message and giving options below come from St. Paul’s Foundation’s official Lights of Hope page and announcement. The foundation’s announcement gives the celebration night’s time. It does not give a program or say how long the display stays lit, so check the foundation’s page closer to the date. For almost 30 years, Lights of Hope has added festive cheer to the season of giving on Burrard Street in Vancouver, outside St. Paul’s Hospital. This year is the last one. St. Paul’s Foundation is holding its final Lights of Hope celebration night…