The bustle of the holidays is upon us, and there are so many opportunities to celebrate the festive season with the family in and around Vancouver. From virtual flyovers of Santa’s workshop to spectacular light shows in gardens, canyons and parks, these joyful events and attractions are sure to brighten dark winter nights and add sparkle to the season. Gather up the troops for days of festive family fun and celebrate Christmas in Vancouver with kids and families.
11 festive attractions to celebrate Christmas in Vancouver with kids
Burnaby Village Heritage Christmas
This is one of Metro Vancouver’s loveliest old-school Christmas events. Burnaby Village Museum historic site is transformed into a charming reminder of traditional holidays of old during the festive season.
The brightly-painted clapboard buildings are decorated with twinkling lights and natural decorations to foster a warm glow. Seasonal entertainment, crafts and other festive-themed activities add to the fun. Be sure to take the kids to Mai’s Cafe for a sweet treat to round out your visit back in time.
When: December 2025
Bright Nights
Bright Nights has been a beloved Stanley Park festive tradition for more than a quarter of a century. BUT things have changed for Holiday 2025.
This year’s 28th edition of the event will be moving to Surrey’s Cloverdale Fairgrounds for 2025.
In partnership with Noel Surrey, the Bright Nights team is promising lots of spectacular illuminations and shimmering selfie-ready displays––including fan favourites such as the tunnel of lights and the towering red reindeer.
Bright Nights remains an important fundraiser for the BC Professional Firefighters Burn Fund, whose hardworking volunteers create these amazing illuminated displays each holiday season. Take a mesmerizing stroll around the pond at Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre. The accessible light display is produced through thousands of volunteer hours by over 800 firefighters and serves as the single largest annual fundraiser for the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.
Cost: Includes entry to Noel Surrey with the Magic of Bright Nights: Adults $22-$25; seniors & youth $17-19; children aged 6/under free
When: November 28 to December 28, 2025. New location: Cloverdale Fairgrounds, 17905 62nd Avenue, Surrey
Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge
North Vancouver’s Capilano Suspension Bridge never looks quite as spectacular than during the holidays.
The trees and namesake suspension bridge are covered in tens of thousands of twinkling fairy lights that spill over into the rest of the rainforest. This is one of the most magical holiday events anywhere in British Columbia.
Explore the Treetops Adventure (with the eight tallest Christmas trees in the world), and tackle the self-directed Snowy Owl Prowl scavenger hunt – you could win a grand Canadian Rockies trip.
There’s also live entertainment and kid-friendly fun including craft activities and scavenger hunts. Remember to hold on tight as you walk over the suspension bridge – it does tend to sway.
When: November 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026
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Flyover Canada – Soar with Santa
Help Santa find his three missing reindeer at Flyover Canada. This virtual flight-simulation lifts off for a breathtaking eight-minute ride over Canada’s incredible winter landscape.
From the wild East Coast shoreline to the vast prairies and soaring snow-covered peaks of the Rockies, everyone will marvel at how beautiful Canada is in winter.
For Christmas, the ride takes on a holiday theme as guests assist two twinkle-eyed elves (Pinecone and Chestnut) on their reindeer search. The snowy pre-show segment gets everyone in the holiday mood, and be sure keep eyes peeled for the finale appearance of Santa’s sparkling North Pole workshop.
When: TBD
Festival of Lights at VanDusen Gardens
One of Vancouver’s most popular holiday lights displays returns for its 41st season this year. The Festival of Lights transforms Van Dusen Botanical Garden into a wander-worthy winter wonderland of one million twinkling lights.
Stroll along the lakeside, shimmering in the glow of northern lights, or wander into the lush Rose Garden, which is illuminated for a spectacular winter replica through the artistry of VanDusen’s garden stewards.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. Be sure to book early!
When: November 28, 2025 to January 4, 2026
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Vancouver Christmas Market
The popular German-style Vancouver Christmas Market is reopening at Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver on November 13th. Until December 24th, the Market will feature favorite foods like pretzels, bratwurst, glühwein and more, as well as stalls of local artisanal crafts and the beloved Christmas carousel.
New attractions include a Lovers’ Lane and a giant walk-through Christmas tree, complete with festive animations. Returning favorites include the Sky Curtain of lights, love lock installation and the towering Christmas Pyramid.
When: November 13 to December 24, 2025
Grouse Mountain’s Peak of Christmas
Grouse Mountain’s Peak of Christmas shines bright again this year. There’s loads of holiday happenings on Grouse Mountain, which turns into a magical, snow-covered winter wonderland during the Christmas season.
Reserve a spot and ride the Skyride gondola to the peak to enjoy the outdoor fun and illuminations, including the show-stopping Light Walk glowing light tunnel. This snowy journey will take you around Blue Grouse lake through a series of magical Christmas Lights in a beautiful illuminated wonderland.
Take a spin on the outdoor 8,000 sq ft mountaintop Skating Pond and visit real-life reindeer, Dancer and Vixen. Then warm up with some hot chocolate inside the lodge while enjoying the city’s twinkling lights below.
When: November 21 to December 24, 2025
Glow Langley
One of Metro Vancouver’s most popular Christmas lights extravaganzas takes place at Glow Langley in the Fraser Valley. This holiday attraction is a family-friendly, outdoor walk-around festival with over one million lights, including illuminated trees, sculptures and Yuletide characters.
Each year Glow Langley presents a new holiday theme. This season it’s The magic Toy Shop, which appears in the heart of Christmas, glowing with colour and wonder. When Fox and Bunny peek through the keyhole, they are whisked inside and magically transformed into little wind-up toys.
Now part of the story themselves, they journey through the Toy Shop and invite you to follow along. Inside, families can explore new lands like DinoLand, Gingerbread Lane, Motor City, Rainbow Forest, Teddy Town, and Vintage Avenue, each filled with oversized toys, glowing surprises, and moments of discovery. Every path leads closer to the Toymaker’s secret workshop, where the magic of Christmas comes alive.
The event includes a free craft corner and the Merry Makers Market, featuring more than 20 Fraser Valley vendors. Find unique and delicious home-grown food, beverages and farm-based holiday gift ideas.
Glow Langley wants to ensure that as many families as possible can attend, and is keeping ticket prices the same as last year.
A regular adult pass is $19.99+, while family passes are $69.99+. Parking is free and all attractions within the event are included in the ticket price.
When: November 20 to December 31, 2025
Robson Square Skating Rink
Lace up at the Robson Square Skating Rink in the heart of downtown Vancouver, just steps from the Vancouver Art Gallery.
It’s the perfect rink size for taking the littles ice skating for the first time. You can even practice your triple axels (or crossovers), if it’s not too crowded. Skate rentals are on-site (including helmets), and check out the cute little Zambonis that clean the ice.
Opens early December
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in Stanley Park
As noted above, Bright Nights has moved location but the new Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in Vancouver is filling its space in Stanley Park with a themed holiday event for Potterheads of all ages.
Step into the depths of a dark forest, rediscover magical creatures, interactive spells, and some of the most iconic scenes from the beloved Harry Potter™ film series. Venture along an illuminated trail and uncover magical creatures from the Harry Potter™️ and the Fantastic Beasts™️ films, such as a Hippogriff, unicorns, Nifflers and more.
Bring your wands to cast spells in the familiar scenes set in the Forbidden Forest and expect to enjoy some magical, family-friendly holiday fun – along with mugs of warm cold butter beer – this holiday season.
The experience will last about 60-90 minutes and is an all-weather outdoor attraction, brought to life by award-winning theatrical designers and experiential creators.
When: November 7, 2025 into December 2025
Winter Solstice Lantern Festival
This year marks the 32nd annual edition of this charming, family-friendly community lantern festival illuminating the darkest night of the year.
The Winter Solstice Lantern Festival welcomes everyone to gather together in procession in two Vancouver locations, Granville Island and Yaletown.
Dress warmly and expect music, dancing and singing as the strolling parade wanders along: everything illuminated by its handmade lanterns.
When: December 21, 2025
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Disclosure: The writer visited these attractions as a guest of Tourism Vancouver. As always, her opinions are honest and her own.
How do you like to celebrate the holidays with your family? Share your comment below.
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For these fun things to do with your family. Do children 13 years old need to be vaccinated pls let me know.
Kids 12 and older are required to have a vaccine to enter into most of the holiday attractions in Vancouver, including the Van Dusen Gardens Festival of Lights.
NeeD to know if children 13 /14 need vaccine
Hi Michele, Kids 12 and older are required to have a vaccine to enter into most of the holiday attractions in Vancouver, including the Van Dusen Gardens Festival of Lights.
Taking your children to Stanley park Christmas train exhibition without tickets is cruel as the children will want to go on the train will cry when not allowed and will not focus on anything else
Trouble and upset all the way round and to sell out the train tickets to bots for resale is short sighted and a disservice to the community
I agree that it’s unfortunate that the train tickets sold out so quickly this year, a heart-breaker for train-lovers everywhere. The light displays are still great, and all for a great cause. A good alternative is visiting the VanDusen Festival of Lights, as there’s no train pressure there and the displays and music are incredibly well done. Happy Holidays!