Image courtesy of TOTORORO.RORO | Inside Vancouver Flickr Pool
No need to fly to New York, Vancouver has its own Christmas Tree Lighting celebration that takes place every year to mark the official start of the holiday season… (despite the fact that stores were already full of Christmas decorations just after Halloween).
Back for its 10th year, the 2016 Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting celebration will be taking place on Friday, December 2nd from 5:00 – 7:00pm at Robson Square. This free public festival is a highlight for kids of all ages and includes music, crafts, free hot chocolate and cookies, and even a visit from Santa himself!
The Vancouver Tree Lighting celebration has previously always been held at Jack Poole Plaza, but was relocated this year due to the Vancouver Christmas Market taking over Jack Poole Plaza.
However, the celebration remains the same and will be as big as ever with the lighting of four trees, the largest of which is a 50-foot, 7,961 lb, monster Christmas tree covered with 6,470 bright light bulbs. The tree will be located on the closed roadway, on Robson Street between Howe and Hornby streets.
Image courtesy of GoToVan | Flickr.com
The free family-friendly event will feature a wide range of live entertainment and music, free hot chocolate and cookies, local food trucks and fun activities for kids! You can complete your night with a visit with Santa, or stop by the Canada Post station to write a letter to the Big Man himself (word is he actually responds!)
If you’re not able to make it to the festival itself, the Vancouver Christmas trees will remain in the same location through the Christmas season, so you can check the trees out in all their glittering glory at Robson Square, which coincidentally will also be opening up for ice skating on December 1.
2016 Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting Details
Date: Friday, December 2, 2016
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Where: Robson Square (800 Robson Street, Vancouver)
Website: www.childrensfestival.ca
