Vancouver sparkles with twinkling lights, festive experiences and inviting flavours during the holiday season. Whether it be ice skating under the stars on Grouse Mountain’s outdoor ice rink, an unforgettable harbour cruise during the Carol Ships
Parade of Lights, or simply sipping a hot toddy in front of the fireplace at your hotel, Vancouver offers something for every boy or girl (no matter how big, small, or high maintenance).

Tourism Vancouver’s Uncover Vancouver accommodation packages offer nightly rates at select Vancouver hotels, including breakfast, starting as low as $75. Offers are
valid until January 31, 2010 for hotel stays booked by November 30, 2009.

http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/accommodation/uncover_vancouver.

The Third Night Free package gives you an extra night on us. Book a three-night stay but only pay for two-nights at select Vancouver hotels, starting as low as $69 per
night. Offers are valid until December 30, 2010 but are subject to availability, and may vary by hotel.

http://book-tourismvancouver.com/stayhere.aspx?info=ucvendorpackageviewlist.ascx&MarketProgramId=4B266344-4973-4D81-981A-7763D306930D&TrkID=giftcard_url&ClkDate=02/03/09

FIVE GREAT GIFTS FROM VANCOUVER
Whether you’re buying for someone naughty or nice, stuff this year’s stockings with great gifts that say Vancouver.
1. A pair of signature Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Red Mittens from the Bay ($10).
2. A yummy gift basket featuring local treats from high-end culinary concierge company, Edible British Columbia.
3. A gift certificate for a guided snowshoe tour and fondue experience on Mount Seymour ($55 per person)
4. An artfully packaged tin of Smoked Sea Salt Flakes, perfect for dressing any fish, made by Vancouver’s C Restaurant ($ 11.95).
5. A personalized copy of Blue Water Café’s Seafood Cookbook, signed by chefs Frank Pabst and Yoshihiro Tabo. ($45)

http://www.vancouver2010.com/store/clothing/red-mittens/vancouver-2010-red-mittens-adult-br-new-inventory-coming-soon/prodRTUAF915.html

http://www.edible-britishcolumbia.com/store/gift-guide/

http://www.mountseymour.com/snowshoe-programs

http://www.crestaurant.com/store.cfm

http://www.bluewatercafe.net/cookbook/

2009/2010 HOLIDAY EVENTS IN VANCOUVER
SANTA DROPS INTO TOWN EARLY DURING THE SANTA CLAUS PARADE

Sunday, December 6, 1:00pm
Santa Claus will make an early stop in Vancouver when the Rogers Santa Claus Parade marches through the centre of downtown (along Georgia and Howe streets) on December 6. Grab a warm coat and bring your family to this free and festive celebration.
www.rogerssantaclausparade.com

BRIGHT NIGHTS IN STANLEY PARK
November 27 to January 2 (closed Christmas Day), 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Nights of magic and illumination await visitors in the middle of Stanley Park. The Stanley Park holiday train has been a Christmas tradition for over 20 years with
more than a million sparkling lights transforming the forest, train and children’s farmyard. The train winds its way through the forest while the aromas of hot
chocolate, fresh popcorn and roasted chestnuts bring back childhood memories. Kidscan also visit Santa in his “living room” at the train station. Admission to the
plaza is free, but tickets are required to ride the train and visit the farmyard ($8 for adults, $5 for children and seniors).
www.vancouver.ca/parks

KARAOKE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TROLLEY TOUR
December 11, 12, 18 to 24
Looking for a way to combine karaoke, Christmas tunes and spectacular holiday lights? Well, grab the mic and lead the chorus as the Vancouver Trolley Company
offers a unique holiday journey. The tour heads through the streets of Vancouver to Stanley Park for “Bright Nights in Stanley Park”. The second stop is VanDusen
Botanical Gardens for the “Festival of Lights”. It’s enough holiday cheer to last you all the way to spring. Pick-ups are from Canada Place (6:30 pm), Hyatt Regency
Hotel (6:40 pm) and Robson Street (6:50 pm). Tickets cost $32 for adults and $21 for children. Family and seniors rates also available.
www.vancouvertrolley.com

CAROL SHIPS PARADE OF LIGHTS
December 4 to 23
This annual Christmas tradition began 49 years ago with one boat decorated with Christmas lights in Coal Harbour. On peak evenings, this holiday tradition has grown
to more than 50 decorated boats gliding through Vancouver’s waterways, with over 100,000 twinkling lights and more than 30,000 singing voices. The spectacle from the shore is free, but the best views are from the carol ships themselves. Tickets for different boats range in price and offerings. Click here to see the list of participating ships. If watching from the shore, be sure to check the sailing schedule online as it changes nightly.
www.carolships.org

http://www.carolships.org/s/CarolShipParticipants.asp

http://www.carolships.org/s/SailingSchedule.asp

GRANVILLE ISLAND HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES
Saturdays and Sundays from December 5 until December 25
The holidays at Granville Island mean music, performances, special events and kid’s
activities every Saturday and Sunday from December 5 until Christmas in Triangle Square. Also, Granville Island is the perfect place to spice up your holiday gift
giving. Dozens of merchants in the Net Loft and Railspur Alley offer stylish, handcrafted gifts that are perfect for any present.
www.granvilleisland.com

CHRISTMAS AT CANADA PLACE: MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT
December 4 to 30
Christmas at Canada Place has been a Vancouver tradition for 22 years. Watch the iconic five white sails of Canada Place transform into a spectacular array of light,
colour and animation during the spectacular nightly light show viewable from Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, the North Shore, Gastown and from the Carol Ships. Breakfast
with Santa returns on December 6 and 12.
www.christmas.canadaplace.ca

CANYON LIGHTS AT CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE
December 4 to January 2 (closed Christmas Day) 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Capilano Suspension Bridge invites guests to experience “Canyon Lights”. See the
park lit up with over 250,000 twinkling lights and explore the forest and Treetops
Adventure from an entirely new perspective. Visitors can enjoy the Christmas Band dressed in historical costumes and meet glass blower Malcolm MacFadyen who will add
an extra twinkle by teaching guests how to blow their own glass icicle ornaments.
www.capbridge.com

HERITAGE CHRISTMAS AT BURNABY VILLAGE MUSEUM
November 21 to January 3, closed December 24 and 25
Experience a traditional Christmas at Burnaby Village Museum. The village (circa 1925) is decorated with lights and traditional ornaments. Visitors can meet Father
Christmas, tour the historical buildings, and enjoy crafts for kids, story time, Christmas baking, carolers, a Twelve Days of Christmas scavenger hunt and see scenes
from seasonal storybooks come alive.
www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca

WINTER SOLSTICE LANTERN PROCESSION
December 21, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Winter solstice, on December 21, is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, and has been celebrated by cultures all over the world for thousands of years.
Vancouver’s annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival, now in its 16th year, illuminates the longest night of the year with lanterns, singing, drumming, music
and dancing in five different Vancouver neighbourhoods: Granville Island, Yaletown,Chinatown, Strathcona and East Vancouver. These five little festivals are community-based and reflect the unique nature of each neighbourhood. Each invites audience participation and has its own special attraction.
www.secretlantern.org

HOLIDAY EVENTS AT THE VANCOUVER AQUARIUM
November 27-January 3
This holiday season, take your family to the Vancouver Aquarium to see Scuba Claus back for his annual dip in the Strait of Georgia exhibit (December weekends and
December 19-23), watch the The Polar Express film in 4-D, or sing along with local music duo Bobs & Lolo (December 19-23, 27-30).
www.vanaqua.org

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AT VANDUSEN BOTANICAL GARDEN
December 11 to January 3 (closed Christmas Day), 4:30 pm — 9:00 pm
The central acres of VanDusen Botanical Garden are transformed into a holiday wonderland every Christmas. The festival delights young and old alike with seasonal
displays and over one million sparkling lights wrapped around trees and trellises.
Every night (December 11 through 24), Santa can also be found wandering the garden, or in his living room reading stories to visitors of all ages.
www.vandusengarden.org

THE PEAK OF CHRISTMAS ON GROUSE MOUNTAIN
November 28 to December 24
There is no better place to enjoy a white Christmas in Vancouver than on snow-covered Grouse Mountain, 3,700 feet above the twinkling lights of Vancouver.
During the holiday season, Grouse Mountain comes alive with a multitude of festivities. Visitors can take sleigh rides through the forest, pay a visit to Santa
and his live reindeer, listen to carols in the chalet, or don skates and glide around the outdoor ice skating rink. Finish your day by warming up inside with a cup
of hot chocolate in Altitudes Bistro.
www.grousemountain.com

SEASONAL MAGIC ON STAGE
Get in the spirit of the season by checking out some of Vancouver’s artistic performances this December.
• The Arts Club Theatre Company brings two Christmas favourites to the stage with Irving Berlin’s classic White Christmas: The Musical at The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage until December 27 and It’s a Wonderful Life at The Granville Island Stage from November 26 to January 2.
• The Giggle Dam Dinner Theatre also presents Another Dam Dysfunctional Christmas
Show from November 20 to December 29.
• The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the UBC Opera Ensemble present their annual holiday music tradition, A Traditional Christmas, featuring sing-along Christmas
carols.
• Tickets for all of these performances can be purchased through Tickets Tonight, Vancouver’s community box office located in Tourism Vancouver’s flagship Visitor Centre at 200 Burrard Street.
www.artsclub.com
www.giggledam.ca
www.vancouversymphony.ca
www.ticketstonight.ca

A MOUNTAIN OF SEASONAL CHEER
What better place to celebrate winter than high up in the mountains enjoying some fun winter sports? Within 20 minutes of downtown, you can be up on one of
Vancouver’s three North Shore mountains: Cypress, Grouse or Seymour. Each mountain has something that makes it different, but all offer night-skiing, a unique
experience offering panoramic views of the twinkling lights of Vancouver below.

Ski the Olympic slopes at Cypress Mountain
Round up the family and head to Cypress Mountain to make your first tracks of the season. During the 2010 Winter Games, Cypress will be home to freestyle skiing and
snowboarding events – so be sure to visit this world-class alpine destination to see for yourself where the Olympic athletes will soon compete for gold. Cypress will be
closed to public skiing from February 1 to March 8 in preparation for, and due to hosting, the Olympic Winter Games events. There will also be some changes to
mountain offerings from the start of the season. Check the website for full details.

www.cypressmountain.com

Skate Circles at Grouse Mountain
There’s no better way to experience winter than skating on Grouse Mountain’s 8,000 square foot, outdoor ice skating pond (skate rentals available). Or, rent a pair of
skis (pants and jackets also available for rent) and hit the slopes before heading into the cozy lodge for a fun-filled evening. Grouse also offers Sno-Limo, ziplining, helicopter tours and sleigh-rides over the winter season. During the 17 days of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Grouse Mountain will be open 24hours a day.
www.grousemountain.com

Snowshoe Magic at Mount Seymour
If you can walk, you can snowshoe, and Mount Seymour offers exciting snowshoe packages each winter that will get you going in no time. On their “Discovery
Snowshoe” guided tour, learn basic techniques and some of nature’s survival secrets.
The “Weekend Twilight” guided tours take you through the scenic beauty of the snow-laden forest at dusk. In addition to snowshoeing, Seymour also offers both
skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and tobogganing.
www.mountseymour.com

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