Family Friendly New Year’s Eve in Vancouver

Say goodbye to 2025 and welcome 2026 with these family friendly New Year’s Eve events in Vancouver, and beyond. These activities offer early celebrations so that young folks who can’t stay out too late don’t miss out on the fun:

Family Friendly New Year’s Eve in Vancouver

SOLD OUT Grouse Mountain: Grouse reaches its 100-year milestone in 2026, marking the occasion with a New Year’s Eve centennial kick-off on Wednesday, December 31st. Join the celebration including fireworks, a variety of activities and entertainment, plus special food & beverage offerings. Fireworks Displays at the Mountaintop Skating Pond will happen at 7:00pm (family show) and midnight. The Countdown celebration at the Mountaintop Skating Pond will have a live DJ from 6:00pm to midnight. Enjoy skating, a light walk, crafts, and more.

Cypress Mountain: Celebrate the start of 2026 in the Cypress downhill area where they’ll have a DJ spinning on the patio from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. Enjoy food and drink specials all night with fire pits roaring.

New Year’s at Noon at MONOVA: From 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Museum of North Vancouver in Lower Lonsdale experience global traditions, enjoy delicious refreshments, and countdown ball drop. For all ages. Discover how different cultures welcome the new year and make memories together. Register to attend, tickets are pay-what-you-can.

Robson Square Ice Rink: Open for free ice skating (+fee for rentals) on December 31st with DJ-El-Niño spinning the tunes from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The rink is open from 9:00am to 9:00pm on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Skating at Surrey Civic Plaza: Open from 10:00am to 4:00pm on New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve Variety Show: December 31 at 7:30pm. Fun for all ages, but not just for kids! Hosted by Daniel Zindler at the Vancouver Playhouse, featuring acrobats, jugglers, aerialists, magicians and more. The show ends hours before midnight with one of Vancouver’s biggest balloon drop, leaving you our guests enough time to get home or continue the festivities elsewhere to ring in 2026.

Lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam: Metro Vancouver’s largest free light display will shine brighter on New Year’s Eve with extended hours. The lights will stay on past midnight on December 31st and food trucks will be running until 12:30am.

Free Transit

TransLink is offering free transit for all services across Metro Vancouver this New Year’s Eve, from 5:00pm on Wednesday, December 31 until 5:00am on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
 
During these hours, fare gates at SkyTrain and SeaBus stations will remain open. Customers will not be required to tap their Compass Cards or use other payment methods on all modes of transit. Customers who begin trips before 5:00pm are advised to tap out as normal to ensure they’re charged the correct fare. New Year’s Eve (December 31) service details:

• Buses will operate on an extended weekday schedule, with 52 additional buses throughout the system and extra service on select routes.
  • SkyTrain service will operate on an extended weekday schedule.
• SkyTrain service will operate on an extended weekday schedule.
  • Last train from Waterfront to King George at 2:16am
  • Last train from Waterfront to Lougheed Town Centre at 2:11am
  • Last train from Waterfront to Production Way–University at 1:40am
  • Last train from VCC–Clark to Lafarge Lake–Douglas at 2:22am (until 2:30am to Lougheed Town Centre only)
  • Last train from Waterfront to YVR–Airport at 2:08 a.m.
  • Last train from Waterfront to Richmond–Brighouse at 2:15 a.m.
• SeaBus will be running on an extended weekday schedule, with service every 15 minutes until 1:22am and every 30 minutes until the last sailing from Waterfront Station at 2:22am.
• NightBus routes will continue operating every 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver after SkyTrain and SeaBus service ends.
  • NightBus runs throughout the night in key areas of North Vancouver, UBC, Vancouver, Richmond, New Westminster, Surrey, Burnaby, SFU, Coquitlam, and Port Moody.