Inside Vancouver

6 Things to Do on Christmas Day in Vancouver 2011

by Dana Lynch in Town on December 23, 2011

See Jelly Swarm at the Vancouver Aquarium, open on Christmas Day. Photo: Neil Fisher / Vancouver Aquarium

Christmas Day (December 25) is notorious for being one of the few days when almost everything in Vancouver is closed. So what to do on December 25 if you don’t celebrate Christmas, don’t want to stay indoors with the family all day, or just want to do something different than the usual sit-around-and-wait between opening gifts and Christmas dinner?

Luckily, there are some great options for fun things to do in Vancouver on Christmas Day 2011:

1. Ice Skate For Free at Robson Square
Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, the Robson Square Ice Rink—Vancouver’s only free outdoor ice rink—is open on December 25 from 12pm – 5pm! Skate rentals are $4.

Continue reading:
6 Things to Do on Christmas Day in Vancouver 2011

Top 5 Holiday Beers in British Columbia

by Remy Scalza in Food & Drink on December 9, 2011

When the weather outside is frightful, nothing’s better than a nice winter beer. Fortunately, craft breweries around BC have turned out a great crop of rich stouts, porters and ales for the holiday season.

Here are a few picks that should be available (with a little searching) around the Lower Mainland. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I’m sure that some great craft beers have been left off. If you’ve got some more seasonal favourites, please let us know. Continue reading:
Top 5 Holiday Beers in British Columbia

Holidays on the High Seas: The carol ships return

by Remy Scalza in Family Friendly on December 8, 2011

It’s a holiday fantasia, staged on the high seas. At dusk all throughout December, dozens of ships sail out of Vancouver’s harbor. Carrying thousands of passengers and decorated with hundreds of thousands of brightly colored lights, the festive boats embark on a slow procession along the city’s shoreline.

Christmas carols echo from inside, glasses clink with toasts to the season and lavish meals are served: all part of the cherished Vancouver tradition known as the Carol Ships Parade of Lights.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the parade, which depart nightly at approximately 7 p.m. through Dec. 23. Continue reading:
Holidays on the High Seas: The carol ships return

Peak of Christmas: A winter wonderland on top of Grouse Mountain

by Remy Scalza in Family Friendly on December 8, 2011

It’s no secret that Vancouver rarely gets snow in winter. Temperatures remain mild, and even a dusting of the white stuff downtown is big news.

But that doesn’t stop Vancouver from having its own winter wonderland. Twenty minutes outside of the city rise the snowcapped peaks of Grouse Mountain. With summits rising to more than 1,220 metres, the popular ski mountain receives some 10 metres of snow every winter.

And in December, the mountain is transformed into a veritable winter wonderland as part of the Peak of Christmas festivities, running this year through Dec. 24. Continue reading:
Peak of Christmas: A winter wonderland on top of Grouse Mountain

Vancouver Tree Lighting Ceremony – December 9, 2011

by Dana Lynch in Events on December 6, 2011

Vancouver's 50-foot Christmas Tree moves to the Jack Poole Plaza for 2011. Photo: Amacon

One of the top Christmas Events in Vancouver—and one of the best free Vancouver Christmas events—is the relatively new (2011 is its fifth year) tradition of lighting a huge, 50-foot-tall, Rockefeller-style Christmas tree in the heart of downtown Vancouver. For the last four years, the tree was in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery; this year, it will be at the Jack Poole Plaza at the Vancouver Convention Centre (where the Olympic Cauldron is).

Called the Vancouver Tree Lighting, the ceremony and free party to light the huge Christmas tree has fun for all ages, with live performances from the acapella group Aliqua, the Vancouver’s Children’s Choir, and Christmas soloists, plus special guest appearances by the BC Lions, the Felions and Bro Jake from Rock 101, and, of course, Santa Claus.

Continue reading:
Vancouver Tree Lighting Ceremony – December 9, 2011

6 Things to Do on Christmas Day in Vancouver 2011

Top 5 Holiday Beers in British Columbia

Holidays on the High Seas: The carol ships return

Peak of Christmas: A winter wonderland on top of Grouse Mountain

Vancouver Tree Lighting Ceremony – December 9, 2011

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