The Port Coquitlam Winter Artisan Market brings holiday cheer and holiday shopping to the Leigh Square Community Arts Village this weekend.
Port Coquitlam Winter Artisan Market
- Where: Leigh Square Community Arts Village, The Outlet & The Gathering Place (1100- 2253 McAllister Avenue, Port Coquitlam)
- When: Friday, November 25, 2016 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Saturday, November 26, 2016 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday, November 27, 2016 10:00am to 4:00pm
- Admission: Free admission!
Browse a wide variety of handmade artisan crafts, delectable prepared foods, and delicious baked treats. Enjoy music from Christmas choirs, and play games with the kids.
Follow the market on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
More in Port Coquitlam This Christmas
Christmas in Leigh Square
Where: Leigh Square Community Arts Village
When: Saturday, December 3, 2016 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Details: Families can take part in the official lighting ceremony, holiday craft making, face painting, music and entertainment, and shop artisan vendors.
Christmas Movie and Skate Night
Where: Port Coquitlam Recreation Complex
When: Friday, December 16, 2016, 6:45pm to 8:15pm
Details: Lace up your skates and celebrate with a movie and skate at the Recreation Centre in Port Coquitlam.
If it wasn’t already cool enough that Vancouver was going to be home to the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze this season, I recently discovered that Enchant will be supporting Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC and other local community partners.
World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze
Where: West 1st and Crowe Street (between Olympic Village & Cambie Bridge)
When: November 25th to December 31st, 2016 4:00pm to 10:00pm daily
Tickets: Starting at $20 for adults (or $5 for the Christmas Market only)
Enchant will have 55,000 square feet of brilliantly illuminated sculptures along with the light maze. The market will have over 40 local vendors, 12 food trucks and a licensed eating area where guests can enjoy their favourite holiday drink. There will also be a VIP Christmas Party area.
Tickets are available now online for specific dates. Season passes are sold out. December 8th and 22nd are fundraising nights at Enchant Christmas where you can support Variety BC. You can also use code VCC2016 anytime to automatically donate 20% of your ticket purchase to the organization.
Follow Enchant on Twitter and Facebook for more information leading up to the holiday event.
Win Tickets
I have 4 tickets to give away to this spectacular event thanks to Variety BC. You and three friends or loved ones can experience this new holiday attraction on December 7th. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post with who you would bring to the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze (1 entry)
- Like, comment on or share this post on Facebook (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
Prize is valid only for entry on December 7th. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2016.
About Variety BC – The Children’s Charity
Variety steps in where health care ends to provide direct support to children in BC with special needs. Since 1966, the ways in which they make a difference are vast in number yet heartfelt on every occasion. This includes life-saving medication & medical equipment, life-changing mobility equipment & specialized therapies, as well as life-enriching education & experiences. All that and much more! Miss604 is a proud member of Variety BC.
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Update The winner is Megan Bell!
It’s described as the “biggest, wildest, sweateriest bash of the season” as the Original Ugly Christmas Sweater Party returns the 15th year in support of The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. Experience all the magic of Christmas you felt as a child with all the benefits of being an adult as you sport you best and brightest holiday sweater while supporting a great cause.
Original Ugly Sweater Christmas Party
Photo by Dwight Simon,courtesy of Now That’s Ugly Society
Where: Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
When: Friday, December 23, 2016 doors at 8:00pm
Tickets: Available online now or by calling Ticketmaster at (604) 280-4444. Tickets are $35 and include one craft beer.
“What was a small house party among friends has become Vancouver’s must attend party of the year,” says Chris Boyd, Co-Founder & Organizer of The Original Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. “This year we will be celebrating 15 years of unbridled ugly sweateriness with hilarious holiday fun, super charged energy, and great people.”
The trend setting Original Ugly Christmas Sweater Party features live music from Groove & Tonic and holiday cheer including festive tunes, a dance party, a visit with Saint Nick, and souvenir pictures in Grandma’s living room. With prizes for Ugliest Sweater, Most Original Sweater, Best Mustache, and Group Costume on offer, party-goers are challenged to take their sweaters where no sweater has gone before.
“It’s jovial, it’s relaxing,” Co-Founder Jordan Birch told me last year. He says they create an environment where people automatically have something to talk about and a reason to connect. “It’s really all been about fun but it’s also about giving back.”
If you love the spirit of Christmas and celebrating the season, they dare you to get ugly in support of good cause – granting exceptional wishes for children with a life threatening illness. Last year the Now That’s Ugly Society donated $18,000 to the Children’s Wish Foundation, BC and Yukon Chapter!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Dash
Photo by Dwight Simon,courtesy of Now That’s Ugly Society
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Dash is a family-friendly component to this initiative, featuring an untimed 5km run, holiday music, craft beer, and family entertainment.
Where: Rocky Point Park, Port Moody
When: Saturday, December 3, 2016 10:00am
Registration: Register now online, or on site on the day of the Dash.
Parents with strollers, grandparents, and 20-somethings who cross the finish line and continue straight on into the craft beer garden are all welcome at this festive fun run in Port Moody. Registration includes an authentic Ugly Christmas Sweater Toque and all the hot chocolate you can drink.
For more information about the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and the Ugly Christmas Sweater Dash follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to the Original Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming your favourite Ugly Christmas Sweater decorations/features, from glitter and sequins to bows and vests (1 entry)
- Like, comment on, or share this post on Facebook (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner on Monday, November 28, 2016 at 12:00pm. Must be 19+. Please enjoy responsibly.
Update The winner is Christine Byzitter!

Big Rigs for Kids in Surrey this season is another free event in Metro Vancouver that offers family fun while supporting a great cause. This lighted truck parade will illuminate Surrey, from Cloverdale to Downtown, and will be followed by live entertainment, snacks, and more.
Big Rigs for Kids in Surrey
- Where: City Hall Plaza (13450 104 Ave, Surrey)
- When: Sunday, December 4, 2016 4:30pm to 8:30pm, with trucks arriving at City Hall at 6:30pm
- Admission: Free! Donations to Surrey Food Bank & Surrey Christmas Bureau appreciated.
This is the 6th annual Big Rigs for Kids, with the lighted truck parade becoming a holiday tradition for many local families. The lighted trucks come from as far as Victoria and are decorated using hundreds of strings of lights to create beautiful holiday-themed displays.
The trucks start in Cloverdale as part of the Surrey Santa Parade and will arrive in Downtown Surrey around 6:30pm. They will be parked on University Drive in front of the City Centre Library till 8:00pm.
However, the fun begins long before that, and guests are encouraged to come early for some pre-parade face painting and live entertainment. Chris Hamilton will begin with a performance at 4:30pm and then lead the community in a Christmas carol sing-a-long by the 55-ft Christmas tree in the Plaza at City Hall.
There will be lots of ways to give back to your community at the event, as the Surrey Christmas Bureau and Surrey Food Bank will be on site collecting food, toy, and cash donations. The North Surrey Lions Club will also be on site selling hot dogs and hot chocolate, with all proceeds going to these charities.
Follow the Downtown Surrey BIA on Facebook and Twitter for more information about this event.
This weekend is the launch of many holiday events, fairs, and markets starting with the free Surrey Tree Lighting Festival at Surrey City Hall. It’s one of many free community events that we are fortunate to experience this season. Check out many more things to do in Vancouver this weekend in the big list below:
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend
Events that run for longer than three days in a row are highlighted in green.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Light Up the Village at Park Royal
Love to Sew Expo
Music@Queens Concert Series
Alicia Tobin’s Come Draw with Me
West Coast Christmas Show
Britannia Christmas Craft Fair
Reach Gala Presented by 25toLife
Heritage Hockey Event
YOUth (a conference): Deconstructing the World Around You
Murrayville Holiday Market
30th Annual Crystal Ball for BC Children’s Hospital
Barbara Pentland Celebration
Behind the Scenes at Maplewood Farm, North Vancouver
Eastside Flea November Markets
19th Annual European Union Film Festival
Refresh Market, Squamish
Vancouver Alternative Arts & Fashion Week
Christmas at Hycroft
RENT at Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
Eastside Culture Crawl
Miss Shakespeare at the Firehall Arts Centre
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Sponsored by Miss604: Surrey Tree Lighting Festival
Mt Lehman Crafts for Christmas
Douglas Day at Fort Langley
Teenage Dirtbag with Jacob Samuel
Britannia Christmas Craft Fair
St Andrew’s Ball
St Thomas Moore Collegiate Christmas Craft Fair
Access Gallery Auction Fundraiser
Crofton House Winter Bazaar
Bloom Winter Market, Fort Langley
New West Craft
West End Community Centre Holiday Craft Fair
Vancouver Academy of Music Strawberry & Tea
Beyond Conference: Lead Through Action Presented by YWiB
North Surrey Handmade Market
Love to Sew Expo
Nat Bailey Winter Farmers Market
Behind the Scenes at Maplewood Farm, North Vancouver
Burnaby Village Museum Heritage Christmas
Refresh Market, Squamish
West Coast Christmas Show
Vancouver Alternative Arts & Fashion Week
Christmas at Hycroft
RENT at Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
Eastside Culture Crawl
Eastside Flea November Markets
19th Annual European Union Film Festival
Miss Shakespeare at the Firehall Arts Centre
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Blim Market
Straight Arrow Ethical-Business Panel and Market
Cannery Farmers’ Market
Hastings Park Farmers Market
West Coast Seafood Paella Dinner at YEW
St Thomas Moore Collegiate Christmas Craft Fair
Ridgeway Holiday Craft Fair
West Coast Christmas Show
Vancouver Alternative Arts & Fashion Week
RENT at Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
Jingle Bell Walk & Run for Arthritis, New Westminster
Eastside Culture Crawl
Eastside Flea November Markets
19th Annual European Union Film Festival
Miss Shakespeare at the Firehall Arts Centre
Burnaby Village Museum Heritage Christmas
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Check out the full November event listings here and if you have an event to include, please send it in by email for a free listing. Follow Miss604 on Twitter for more daily updates.
