Looking for Free Holiday Activities in Vancouver & The Valley? We have put together our 8th annual list right here and it’s growing every day! Take a stroll to enjoy a light display, visit a nostalgic attraction, and spend time with those you care about (while not breaking the bank).
This list will be updated often throughout the season so be sure to bookmark it and check back often.
Free* Holiday Activities in Vancouver
St Paul’s Lights of Hope illuminates for the season on Thursday, November 23, 2023 with a kick-off event with food trucks, music, Santa, and the official countdown and lighting ceremony for the 26th annual Lights of Hope which will be on all season.
Killarney Tree Lighting is Saturday November 25, 2023 at the Killarney Community Centre 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Gastown Thursday Nights over four consecutive Thursdays November 30 to December 21 with free pop-up performances, roaming bands, and delightful displays to add to the festive atmosphere.
Bright Nights in Stanley Park has free admission to the site (with a suggested donation to the BC Burn Fund) even if you do not have a ticket for the train. Open November 30, 2023 to January 1, 2024 with dazzling light displays and live entertainment in a festive forest setting.
CandyTown Street Festival in Yaletown is December 2, 2023. Downtown Vancouver’s only free outdoor winter festival, which will transform Yaletown public plazas into a winter wonderland.
Christmas at Canada PlaceDecember 1, 2023 to January 2, 2024 with free outdoor displays, lights, the legendary Woodward’s Windows, and more. Miss604 is a proud Media Sponsor.
Chinatown Holiday Market is a free community day for BC residents (ID required) at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden on December 2, 2023. They’re transforming the gardens into a winter wonderland for guests. RSVP online in advance.
Downtown Vancouver Night Market is December 1, 2023 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm at 800 Robson St. It’s also the first night of free Robson Square ice skating.
Granville Island Festive Lights until January 3, 2024 with complimentary parking after 6:00pm. Walk the expansive grounds of Granville Island’s almost 40 acres. Highlights include a stunning oversized star in the centre of the Public Market courtyard, the Edison bulbs along Railspur Artisan District, giant musical notes among the trees that surround the theatres, a perfect star looking over Alder Bay in Ron Basford Park, a canopy of lights hidden in a secret location, glowing benches, and more.
Lighting of the Silber Family Agam Menorah at 5:30pm Thursday, December 7 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Fleurs de Ville NOEL on Robson and Alberni Streets is December 8-17, 2023. It’s a 10-day festive celebration, featuring 40 enchanting floral displays created by Vancouver’s talented florists.
NEW this year! A free Festival in Coal Harbour called Liven Up will be on December 1-30 with light installations and plenty of photo ops. Friday and Saturday nights enjoy live music at various spots along the Coal Harbour Seawall.
The JCC Chanukah Carnival on Sunday, December 3, 2023 with live performance, food, music, crafts, and dance. By donation to the Jewish Food Bank at the JCC.
Explore the Eastside Arts District’s abundance of artists, studios, and workshops at the 27th annual Eastside Culture Crawl! This visual arts, design, and craft festival runs from November 16-19, 2023and you can enter to win a prize pack from Miss604!
Times: Thursday & Friday 5:00pm to 10:00pm; Saturday & Sunday 11:00am to 6:00pm
Locations: In-person at various Eastside Locations Between Columbia St, 2nd Ave, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront. View a map here.
One of the biggest cultural events of the fall season, the Eastside Culture Crawl open studios attracts and inspires tens of thousands of visitors. Encompassing the region bounded by Columbia Street, 1st Avenue, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront, the Eastside Arts District is the most concentrated area of artists, designers, performers, craftspeople and culture producers in Vancouver and is known nationally as an area rich with creativity and inspiration.
The festival offers visitors a window into the artistic practices of artists living and/or working in Vancouver’s Eastside Arts District, representing creators specializing in painting, jewelry, sculpture, furniture, leather goods, photography, glass works, textiles, and more.
With a lineup of nearly 450 registered artists – in which more than 60 artists are participating for the very first time – visitors can uncover a treasure trove of artistic offerings on display throughout the festival’s full slate of events and activities, including a multi-gallery, juried preview exhibition, artist talks, demos and workshops.
Enter to Win a Prize Pack
I have a prize pack filled with Culture Crawl themed items to give away, valued at over $300! Here’s how you can enter to win:
As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to reflect on the spirit of giving. This year, consider making a meaningful impact on those in our Metro Vancouver community by donating to families, individuals, and seniors in need. Some helpful options include sponsoring a family and donating holiday hampers, ensuring everyone gets to experience the joy the holidays bring with gifts and food.
Holiday Hampers and Adopt-A-Family Programs in Metro Vancouver
Surrey Christmas Bureau
Adopt-a-Family Program What you provide: Christmas breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as age-appropriate gifts for the family you are matched with. Grocery gift cards can be purchased with sufficient funds to purchase groceries for the three meals as opposed to the hamper itself. Details: The Surrey Christmas Bureau matches individuals and businesses with a family in need with a child under 18 during the holiday season. Sponsors should deliver gifts and hampers no later than December 18th, unless otherwise arranged with the family. View guidelines and complete the sponsor application form.
Covenant House
Backpack Campaign What you provide: Help fill a backpack with kindness for youth ages 16 to 24. Details: These backpacks will be gifted during the Covenant House holiday party. Learn more about what items are needed and how to contribute.
Caring Calendar What you provide: Sponsor a day or activity to make the holidays a little brighter. Fulfil the Caring Calendar items for youth ages 16 to 24. Details: Much like the tradition of an advent calendar, the Caring Calendar program provides youth in Covenant House care with an activity or item each day from December 1st to 25th. Learn more about needed items.
Burnaby Community Services
Senior Hamper Program Burnaby Christmas Bureau What you provide: Donation of a food hamper or alternatively, a gift card with sufficient funds for purchasing food for a senior with low income. Details: The Burnaby Christmas Bureaumatches sponsors with a senior in need. Be sure to set up a delivery date with your matched senior before December 18th. Applications for the Senior’s Gift Hamper sponsors are open.
As any Vancouver Canucks fan can tell you, attending a home game at Rogers Arena isn’t always as fun and exuberant as the 8-1 romp over the Edmonton Oilers in the October 11 season opener. It’s hockey. The final score is never guaranteed. However, renting a fully catered suite at this 18,910-capacity venue is one way to virtually guarantee a winning night out. Here’s a snapshot to envision what it’s like.
Canucks Suite – Photos by Lucas Aykroyd
The Suite Life at a Vancouver Canucks Hockey Game
Flash back to January 20, 2023. The Canucks are in turmoil. Facing the Colorado Avalanche, they’re heading for their ninth loss in 11 games. Coach Bruce Boudreau is about to get canned and replaced by Rick Tocchet after weeks of rumors.
Yet life is pretty sweet in suite 245 at Rogers Arena. Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury railway company headquartered in Vancouver, is holding an event to showcase their product to local travel journalists in the 20-capacity corner suite on Level 200.
Western Canada’s largest craft fair Circle Craft Holiday Market returns to the Vancouver Convention Centre from November 8 to 12. The market offers visitors the opportunity to connect with skilled artisans, watch live demonstrations, and enjoy festive food and drink while getting a head start on holiday shopping.
Circle Craft Holiday Market 2023
Date: November 8 to 12, 2023
Location: Vancouver Convention Centre (1055 Canada Place, Vancouver)
Admission: Tickets can be purchased online for $16 per adults and $12 per youth and senior. Children 12 and under get in free.
Save %50 off on tickets after 5:00pm on November 8, 9, and 10
A beloved Vancouver tradition, the Circle Craft Holiday Market draws artists, makers and craftspeople from Canadian coast to coast. This year’s event showcases 291 vendors from as far as Halifax throughout the Convention Centre space. Featured arts range from ceramics, glass, metals and wood to jewellery, textiles and paper. Packaged foods, bath and body products, and even skateboard art are also in the mix; this is a market that proves that no one is “impossible to buy for.” A full list of vendors is available online.
The 2023 market exhibitors comprise 24 “Budding Artists”, 87 new vendors, and 42 members of the Circle Craft Co-op, an artist-run endeavour with its flagship store located on Granville Island year round. This year’s wares include Indigenous-made items, traditional crafts made modern, as well as a focus on sustainability, recycled materials, and non-gendered, size inclusive fashions.
The annual market, run since 2021 by Signatures Shows Ltd. and known simply as “Circle Craft”, has become a cherished event for tens of thousands of visitors from across the region. It’s a gathering place for those seeking beautiful, handcrafted items for their homes or thoughtful gifts for loved ones – whether that gift is a Grizzly Bear abalone pendant, a jean jacket embroidered with Ukrainian stitch work, or a hand-poured 100% soy candle.
Stay up to date by following Circle Craft on Facebook and Instagram.
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