Christmas in Vancouver is mostly wet, often mild and very well lit. What the city lacks in snow it makes up for with variety: a German-style market on the harbour, a million lights in a botanical garden, a Santa’s workshop on a mountaintop, carol ships on the inlet and a heritage village where Father Christmas still makes the rounds. Add the suburbs and the Fraser Valley and there’s more to do between mid-November and New Year’s than most people manage in a single season.
This is our shortlist of the best Christmas things to do in Vancouver in 2026, the ones we’d send a friend to first. Each one links to a full guide with hours, prices and tips. For the complete list of events by type, see the Vancouver Christmas Guide 2026, or jump straight to our roundups of Christmas lights, Christmas markets, tree lightings, Santa parades and Santa visits.
Quick Picks
- With young kids: The Peak of Christmas on Grouse Mountain, Festive Village and the North Pole Express.
- Free: the Shipyards Christmas Market, Lights at Lafarge, the Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting and The Magic of Gastown.
- Date night: Canyon Lights, the VanDusen Festival of Lights and mulled wine at the Vancouver Christmas Market.
- Rainy day: Glow Gardens Langley, Gingerbread Lane and The Nutcracker.
Best Christmas Things to Do in Vancouver in 2026
1. Drink Glühwein at the Vancouver Christmas Market
The city’s original European-style market sets up at Jack Poole Plaza beside Canada Place from November 16 to December 24. Wooden huts, the three-storey Christmas Pyramid, a carousel, bratwurst and Glühwein, with the North Shore mountains across the water. Early-bird tickets are cheaper until November 15. Plan your visit: Vancouver Christmas Market 2026.
2. Walk the VanDusen Festival of Lights
More than a million lights across 15 acres of VanDusen Botanical Garden, with the Dancing Lights show every 20 minutes. It runs November 27 to January 3, and tickets are timed and sold online only, from November 4. Weeknights are far calmer than Saturdays. Full guide: VanDusen Festival of Lights 2026.
3. Cross a Lit Suspension Bridge at Canyon Lights
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park lights its bridge, treetop walkways and rainforest from November 20 to January 10, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM (closed December 25). This year adds WILDLIGHT, a 3D wildlife projection in the forest. Arrive just before dusk to see it both ways. See Canyon Lights 2026.
4. Visit Santa on Top of Grouse Mountain
The Peak of Christmas turns the summit into a little North Pole from November 20 to December 24: Santa’s workshop ($5 photos for charity), a lit trail around Blue Grouse Lake, a mountaintop skating pond and reindeer. Ride the Skyride up at dusk for the best view of the city lights. See The Peak of Christmas.
5. Shop the Free Shipyards Christmas Market
North Vancouver’s waterfront market has 90-plus chalets, an outdoor rink and Santa’s chalet, with no admission charge and no time slots. It runs November 27 to December 24. Take the SeaBus over from Waterfront Station and you’re there in about 12 minutes. See Shipyards Christmas Market 2026.
6. Watch the Big Tree Light Up Downtown
The Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting at the Vancouver Art Gallery is on Friday, November 27, from 6:00 PM. Once the 76-foot tree is lit, it stays on all season. It’s free and raises money for local charities. Every other ceremony in the region is in our Christmas tree lighting calendar. Details: Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting 2026.
7. Step Back in Time at Festive Village
Burnaby Village Museum dresses its heritage streets in lights and old-fashioned decorations from November 25 to January 3, 2:00 to 9:00 PM on open days. Gate admission is free. There are carollers, Father Christmas and a vintage carousel. The Bright in Burnaby tree lighting on November 28 is the busiest night. See Festive Village 2026.
8. See Bright Nights at Noël Surrey
The Bright Nights lights that used to fill Stanley Park now shine at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds as part of Noël Surrey, alongside a Christmas market, rides and a holiday village. November 27 to December 29, 3:00 to 9:30 PM. Parking is included and kids 6 and under get in free. See Noël Surrey 2026.
Wondering about the train? Our guide to the Bright Nights Train in Stanley Park explains what happened and where the lights went.
9. Stroll Lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam
The City of Coquitlam calls it Metro Vancouver’s largest free outdoor lights display, all around Lafarge Lake. Opening night is Friday, November 27, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, and Lafarge Lake–Douglas SkyTrain station is right there. See Lights at Lafarge 2026.
10. See The Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Goh Ballet’s Nutcracker has five performances from December 17 to 20, with more than 200 dancers and Tchaikovsky’s score played live. For a different kind of show, the Singing Christmas Tree at Broadway Church (December 4 to 13) has been running since 1964. See Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker 2026.
11. Go Skating Outdoors
Vancouver rarely freezes, so outdoor rinks are built for the season. Robson Square downtown is free and plans to reopen in December. The Shipyards has a rink beside its market, Grouse Mountain has a skating pond at the summit, and the Surrey Tree Lighting Festival adds free outdoor skating on November 21 and 22.
12. Wander Granville Island Under the Lights
Granville Island strings lights between its alleys and over almost 40 acres, and the Public Market and artisan studios make it an easy evening of Christmas shopping. The 2026 holiday lighting dates aren’t announced yet. On December 21, the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival brings lantern processions to Granville Island and Yaletown. See Granville Island Christmas.
13. Spend an Evening in Gastown
The Magic of Gastown runs through December, with lights over the old streets, carollers, horse-drawn carriages and tree displays in shop windows. It’s a good walk after the Vancouver Christmas Market, which is a few blocks west. See The Magic of Gastown.
14. Buy Handmade at a Holiday Craft Fair
Circle Craft (November 11 to 15 at the Vancouver Convention Centre) is the region’s biggest craft sale. Portobello West, Got Craft, Hycroft for the Holidays and Toque Craft Fair follow through late November and early December. Every fair, with dates and prices, is in our Christmas markets and craft fairs guide.
15. Vote at Gingerbread Lane
The Hyatt Regency Vancouver fills its lobby with gingerbread houses built by bakers, hobbyists and schools from December 3 to 28, in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. It’s indoors and right downtown, so it’s an easy rainy-afternoon stop. See Gingerbread Lane 2026.
16. Get Out of the Rain at Glow Langley
Glow Gardens’ 10th season, Christmas Treasures, has big indoor sections, with more than a million lights, artisan markets and live entertainment. It runs November 19 to January 2. See Glow Langley 2026.
17. Walk Onto a Film Set at Merry & Bright
Martini Town, a working backlot in Langley, opens to the public from November 20 to December 31 as a snowy small town and New York street, with Santa in the gazebo until December 23. Timed tickets only. See Merry & Bright at Martini Town.
18. Ride the North Pole Express
The Railway Museum of BC in Squamish runs a heritage Christmas train with Santa aboard on weekends from November 28 to December 20, plus one Monday. Most departures sell out. While you’re up the Sea-to-Sky, Spirit of the Season at the Sea to Sky Gondola has offered a decorated forest trail and Santa at the summit (2026 dates not announced yet). See North Pole Express 2026.
19. Celebrate Winter in the Village in Steveston
Steveston’s fishing village puts on lights, murals and holiday menus from November 19 to December 31, and the heritage Winter Tram opens for free in December. At the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Santa at the Cannery is on November 29. The Cannery’s Festival of Trees hasn’t been listed for 2026 yet. See Winter in the Village 2026.
20. See 150 Trees at the Dundarave Festival of Lights
West Vancouver’s waterfront fills with more than 150 decorated outdoor trees, the Forest of Miracles, from November 28 into early January. It’s free, and the beach is right there for a walk. See Dundarave Festival of Lights.
21. Run the Big Elf Run in Stanley Park
Elf toques, custom elf names on your bib, and 1 km, 5 km and 10 km routes from Lumberman’s Arch on Saturday, December 12. Bring a toy for the toy drive. See Big Elf Run 2026.
22. Catch the CPKC Holiday Train
The lit-up train stops for a free concert in five Lower Mainland communities on December 19 and 20, collecting food bank donations as it goes. See CPKC Holiday Train 2026 and our full list of Santa Claus parades.
23. Make a Weekend of Lights by the Lake in Harrison
Harrison Hot Springs lights its beach promenade every night from November 21 to January 10, with a free skating rink, an opening night with fireworks and two nights with Santa and Sasquatch. Pair it with a hot springs soak. See Lights by the Lake 2026.
Not Happening, or Not Confirmed, in 2026
- Christmas at Canada Place is not taking place this year because of west promenade construction.
- The Bright Nights Train is not running in Stanley Park. The lights are at Noël Surrey.
- The PNE Winter Fair hasn’t announced 2026 dates.
- Christmas in the Country at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley debuted in 2024. We haven’t seen it announced for 2026.
Planning Tips for Christmas in Vancouver
- Book the big ones early. VanDusen, Canyon Lights, the North Pole Express and Merry & Bright all sell timed tickets, and the weekends before Christmas go first.
- Expect rain, not snow. Pack waterproof shoes. If you want snow, Grouse Mountain is your best bet.
- Use the SeaBus and SkyTrain. The Vancouver Christmas Market, the Shipyards and Lights at Lafarge are all right by transit.
- Check holiday hours. Many attractions close or shorten hours on December 24, 25 and 31.
Christmas Movie Nights In
Some December nights are for the couch. Our guide to Christmas movies and series to stream in Canada lists every new holiday release for 2026, from W Network’s 34 Hallmark premieres to Netflix’s In a Holidaze, which was filmed in Vancouver and Whistler. For a free option, CBC Gem has the holiday baking specials.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do in Vancouver at Christmas?
The highlights are the Vancouver Christmas Market, the VanDusen Festival of Lights, Canyon Lights at Capilano, The Peak of Christmas on Grouse Mountain, the free Shipyards Christmas Market and Festive Village at Burnaby Village Museum.
What are the best free Christmas events in Vancouver?
The Shipyards Christmas Market, Lights at Lafarge, Festive Village (free gate admission), the Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting, the Dundarave Festival of Lights and The Magic of Gastown.
Does it snow in Vancouver at Christmas?
Rarely in the city. A white Christmas downtown is unusual, but the local mountains, including Grouse, usually have snow by late December.
Is the Vancouver Christmas Market worth it?
For first-timers, yes. It’s the most traditional Christmas market in the region. If you’d rather not pay admission, the Shipyards Christmas Market in North Vancouver is free.
What’s open in Vancouver on Christmas Day?
Most markets close by December 24. Some light displays stay open on December 25, but Canyon Lights is closed that day, so check each guide for holiday hours.
Plan your season: Vancouver Christmas Guide 2026 · Christmas Lights in Vancouver · Christmas Markets in Vancouver · Where to See Santa · Santa Claus Parades · Tree Lighting Events
