It’s a long weekend in Vancouver, with the observance of Remembrance Day on Sunday and federal offices closed on Monday. Around the region this weekend you can check out winter farmers markets, a food festival, theatre, and more.

Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend

Friday, November 9, 2018
Dear Rouge at the Commodore
abunDANCE
Zero Waste Conference
Little Black Dress Gala
Family Paint Night
Wine Glass Painting at Zealous Art Langley
Rayvolt Premium E-Bikes Showroom Launch Party
The Little Chamber Music Series: Sounding the Sophia
Aquarela do Brasil at the Vancouver Playhouse
Light Festival at Bear Creek Park
Vancouver Academy of Music: Calmus Ensemble
EAT! Vancouver
Vancouver Podcast Festival
Circle Craft Christmas Market
CANstruction 2018 at Lougheed
A Christmas Story: The Musical
Gateway Theatre: Empire of the Son Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

The Robson Square ice rink opens for the season on December 1st, providing affordable family fun in Downtown Vancouver throughout the holidays and beyond.

Click here for 2019-2020!

Skating is free with your own skates, otherwise rentals are available for $5/pair. The rink also features a concession stand with snacks and warm drinks.

Robson Square Ice Rink Hours

December 1, 2018 until the end of February 2019
Sunday to Thursday: 9:00am to 9:00pm
Friday and Saturday: 9:00am to 11:00pm

Holiday Hours

Christmas Eve (December 24): 9:00am to 9:00pm
Christmas Day (December 25): 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Boxing Day (December 26): 9:00am to 9:00pm
New Year’s Eve (December 31): 9:00am to 11:00pm
New Year’s Day (January 1): 9:00am to 9:00pm

Skate rental ends 30 minutes prior to close. Helmet included with skate rental. Cash only. Please be advised that warm weather leads to warm ice! Robson Square Ice Rink may need to close unexpectedly.

Ice Rink Closures, Schedule Changes & Events
Watch here for updates or call the Robson Square Hotline (604) 646-3554.

Entertainment Lineup for the 12 Days of Christmas

School Program
If you are a teacher or administrator with a grade 4-7 class, they offer the opportunity for a free skate with rental and lesson for your class during the week as part of the Robson Square Ice Rink School Program. Robson Square will provide your class with free skate and helmet rentals. The school program runs Monday through Friday with three 1 hour time slots daily. Call (604) 646-3557 or email [email protected]

The The Robson Square ice rink will remain open until February 2019. Tag your photos with #robsonsquare on social media to share the fun. Robson Square is located at 800 Robson Street between Robson and Georgia, Howe and Hornby.

Save The Date

I’m happy to host Miss604 Skate Night for Variety BC on January 24th. Please join me at Robson Square ice rink and bring a donation for Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC. More details to follow in the new year.

The Bright Nights in Stanley Park Christmas Train is a highlight of the holiday season in Vancouver. Not only does everyone get to share in the the magic of Stanley Park, but under millions of sparkling lights, this event also raises funds for two local causes.

Bright Nights in Stanley Park Christmas Train

Admission

Admission to the train plaza is by donation ($5 suggested). Enjoy the twinkling lights, displays, live performers, and get photos with Santa. The matinee train ride is a great daytime activity for families, school groups, and groups with children. Journey through the forest with holiday music past magical displays. Note: There are no live performers during matinee train rides.

Train Tickets

You must buy a ticket to ride the train. Tickets are sold in half-hour time slots. Several trains will depart within each time slot. Your ticket is valid for one Bright Nights ride during the time slot shown on the ticket. Buy online or phone 604-252-3700 with TicketLeader online. Ticket sales start at 10:00am (12:00pm when there no matinee trains).

Buy same-day tickets in person at the Train Plaza. A portion of each day’s tickets is set aside. Come early to avoid sold-out time slots. On-site ticket sales start at 10:00am daily until December 31. From January 1 to 5, on-site sales begin at 3:00pm.

Bright Nights has on-site and overflow parking lots. All parking is free. Overflow lots include the Info Booth, Yacht Club, Totem Poles, Brockton Point, North Pipeline Road, and Beaver Lake lots.

Bright Nights Charity Partners

Proceeds support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society and the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. Bring non-perishable food items for the food bank and a suggested $5 donation for the Burn Fund (upon admission).

Tips

1. Avoid the crowds and come out Monday to Thursday in the first two weeks.
2. Purchase your ticket online in advance, it’s going to be busy!

Where to Eat

Reindeer Roadstop and Café, Kobachi Kart, Insomniac’s Coffee, The Praguery food truck, and the Cob House by Stanley Park Ecology Society will all be on site. Food vendors will be open for both matinee and evening show times.

The Bright Nights and Old Spaghetti Factory dinner package includes spaghetti dinner of your choice in Gastown, a ticket to ride at Bright Nights, a bonus $10 gift certificate to the Old Spaghetti Factory when you dine in. A portion from each meal sold during the month of December will be donated to the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund.

Follow Bright Nights in Stanley Park on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Celebrate what’s possible as five daring Disney Princesses spark the courage inside us all in Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream, skating into Vancouver November 21–25, 2018.

Featuring Disney’s Moana for the first time in a live production, hosts Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse bring the Disney magic to life and take audiences on an expedition across raging seas and snow-covered mountains in this action-packed extravaganza with the beloved characters from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Tangled and Cinderella.

Disney on Ice Presents Dare to Dream

• When: November 21-23 at 7:00pm
  November 24 at 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:00pm
  November 25 at 11:30am, 3:30pm
• Where: Pacific Coliseum at the PNE (2901 E Hastings St, Vancouver)
• Tickets: Ticket prices start at just $20 each* Discount Opening Night tickets available for $15 for select seating* (not valid for VIP/Floor Seat levels). Tickets available for purchase online, charge by phone at (604) 252-3700 or visit the PNE Box Office. *Prices subject to change; additional ticketing/venue fees may apply; discount ticket pricing subject to availability.

In her Disney On Ice debut, see how far Moana will go in a high-seas adventure with demigod Maui, to save her island and discover her true identity. Join Belle as she fearlessly befriends the enchanted castle staff and reveals the Beast’s gentleness.

Experience Anna’s devotion to her sister, Elsa, on her life-changing journey to stop an eternal winter. Explore with Rapunzel, Flynn Ryder, Cinderella and friends from around the Disney Kingdom as they find the heart and determination to overcome obstacles and make their dreams come true. Iconic sing-along songs such as “How Far I’ll Go,” “Be Our Guest” and “Let It Go” are paired with powerful skating choreography to instill confidence and embolden audiences to never stop dreaming.

Plus fans are encouraged to arrive early to celebrate family and tradition with a special sing-along with Miguel from Disney Pixar’s Coco in a live fiesta Disney On Ice style prior to the show!

Win Tickets

I have a family 4-pack of tickets to give away to opening night on November 21, 2018. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:

[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to see @DisneyOnIce #DareToDream in Vancouver http://ow.ly/zPuY30mwpyf #DisneyOnIce” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]

I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

Follow Disney on Ice on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information.

Update The winner is Heather!

You know when you’re watching one of the many holiday movies-of-the-week where the charming hometowns of the protagonist are dressed to the nines in Christmas cheer? Where lights twinkle from every bough, carollers roam, and everyone gathers at a local community hall or cafe for a concert? The ones that make you think: What a magical holiday wonderland they have created for this show… Well, I think I found that real-life place, and you can visit for yourself during Pender Harbour Christmas this year!

During my mid-autumn visit to this Sunshine Coast community, I got to head out on a boat tour with Mark Brezer from SloCat Tours, who told me that the best way to see this region was by boat. So that’s what we did. We spent a morning out on the water, weaving between harbours, coves, bays, and channels as Mark shared some local history.

There are over a dozen Christmas activities and events happening this year, not to mention even more opportunity to shop for hand-made gifts from the Sunshine Coast’s talented roster of artists – many of which have studios based in Pender Harbour and will be at John Henry’s Resort & Marina for their Christmas market.

• Want to know more about my boat tour with Mark? Read all about it in my FestivalSeekers story here »

Key Event Dates

Nov 30, 2018: Tree Lighting at the Hall
Nov 30 – Dec 2; Dec 7-8, 2018: Coast Christmas Market ​at John Henry’s
December 14, 2018: Boat Parade with Pipers
… and a dozen more! View the full event schedule here »

If You Go

Learn more about Christmastime in Pender Harbour on ZenSeekers »

BC Ferries leaves from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast with around 10 sailings daily, plus sailings from Vancouver Island to the northern Sunshine Coast (Powell River), or you can take advantage of the many other transportation services including float planes, passenger ferry service, and more.

Sunshine Coast Tourism can help make plans.

Tag #SunshineCoastBC and #FestivalSeekers on your travels here and you might be featured on their social media channels.