Enchant is new to Vancouver this year and it is the world’s largest Christmas Light Maze, made up of over 55,000 sq. ft. of illuminated sculptures arranged to create an evening adventure.

This maze has been busy ever night this year with people pre-purchasing their tickets in advance. Those who wait till the last minute were only able to get tickets for entry after 8pm.

Christmas Light Maze

The Christmas Light Maze is more than just a maze, there is a story behind it.

After a snowstorm hits the North Pole during the night, Santa wakes up to see the town buried in snow and his reindeer missing! Without them, Santa cannot fly around the world, and Christmas would have to be cancelled.

You must go into the maze through the enchanted lights and search for the missing reindeer. You get a passport to collect stamps to show you’ve found all the reindeer.

The maze was pretty easy to navigate and there are tons of photo opportunities inside.

Since it was raining, it made enjoying the maze quite difficult. Since it was pouring so hard, we couldn’t let go of the umbrella to take better pictures. Waterproof boots, a thick jacket, and an umbrella were essential.

There were some people that went without an umbrella and they were miserable and soaked.

We successfully found Rudolph with his bright red nose and the exit. This area was very crowded as everyone is trying to get stamps and take a photo.

One area I wished was undercover was this space with dangling lights. We had to go through it without umbrellas and there was so much rain that no one was able to enjoy it.

Christmas Market + Food Trucks

Along with the maze, Enchant features a market with over 40 local vendors, 12 food trucks and a licensed eating area where guests can enjoy their favourite holiday drink.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the best way to enjoy Enchant is pick a nice dry evening to attend. Since it was it’s inaugural year, it was super busy. Wise people bought tickets ahead of time, but since the weatherman can’t predict the weather to 100% certainty, you can wait to get tickets but it might be sold out if you wait too long.

In my case, I bought tickets a few days in advance and the weather said it would be snowing. Little did we know, it would be snowing everywhere else except for the downtown area.

When it comes to the price, it is a bit higher than other holiday light show around town.

Address:
299 W 1st Ave, Vancouver

Website:
http://enchantchristmas.com/

VanDusen Botanical Garden is back this winter season with their annual Festival of Lights. They have over one million lights decorating VanDusen Botanical Garden open until January 2. My mother in law and M came here on Christmas Eve and it was packed. Lot of families were visiting before Christmas to get a view of the garden all covered in lights.

It was our first time coming here and we were astonished by the different areas of the garden.

Dancing Lights on Livingstone Lake

Once you enter from the main gate, you will be facing Livingstone Lake. You can marvel at Vancouver’s most unique light show programmed to modern and classic festive tunes. A lot of people were in this area taking photos.

Carousel

This year they’ve expanded the experience to include a new carousel, which all tickets include a free ride on the carousel. The line was long when we went, but you can keep warm with a few of the food trucks in the area as you wait to get on the ride.

Jardins de Paris

There is a small area sponsored by Air France and YVR airport. The trees are covered in red, blue and white lights, and there is even an Eiffel Tower to pose with. If you take a selfie under the dazzling lights and share on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #JardinsDeParis, you can have a chance to win two economy tickets to Paris.

Gingerbread Woods

Deep inside the Gingerbread Woods are gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, and tons of lights. Each are has it’s own theme and I kinda like it since it looks like it’s taking your on a holiday adventure.

Other areas

Of course there are other areas to see and take photos. There’s no shortage of photo opportunities in the garden.

Some areas of the garden are closed, but there is lots of walk around. We spent about an hour here, but we could have spent more time, but it was getting quite chilly.

A lot of the people visiting were very friendly, instead of taking selfies, there were lots of people offering to help take each others photos. You won’t be stranded without a picture of your whole group.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was worth it to go into VanDusen Botanical Gardens for the Festival of Lights. Even with the entrance fee, it’s still cheaper that some of the other options in town to see lights. Coming closer to Christmas was very busy, but if you plan your visit earlier in December.

Website: 
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/festival-of-lights.aspx

Address:
5251 Oak St, Vancouver, BC

FlyOver Canada has a magical twist for the holiday season. Riders will embark on a mission to help Santa Claus search for his missing elves during the exhilarating flight across Canada, and on to his magical workshop in the North Pole. I’ve never been to FlyOver Canada in the last 2 years that it has been around. They have welcomed over 1 million guests from around the world and received rave reviews from travellers and locals.

FlyOver Canada’s Christmas edition goes on until January 2nd. Don’t miss out on finding Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. You may even be able to catch the scent of Mrs. Claus’ baking as they swoop over her gingerbread factory.

I heard so much about it that I couldn’t wait to give it a try when my relatives were in town. What better way to experience the rest of Canada without actually going on a plane. We got general admission tickets and it is busy on a weekend leading up to Christmas. We waited about 20 minutes outside before entering Santa’s Workshop to begin the journey.

Santa’s Workshop

The total experience will take approximately 25 minutes, including the 8 minutes you’ll spend on the ride. You are first taken into Santa’s workshop to see the light displays as well as a short video from Santa explaining the premise of the ride.

After, you are lined up and then Miss Clause will speak with you before you enter the theatre.

Ride Begins

Once we were seated in the theatre, there were a few glitches getting the ride to start, but they figured it out after the third try. Once she show started, I was impressed by the 4D experience, flying through clouds, waterfalls and the beautiful landscape of Canada. Being a local, seeing the places I’ve been to brought me back nostalgia, but some unfamiliar places reminded me of how large Canada really is. I still have a bunch of places to check off my bucketlist.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I was glad I went on it to see how it is like, but I wasn’t in a hurry to watch it again even with the different themes throughout the year. The ticket prices are a bit high for a 25 minute experience, but with rainy Vancouver,  if you are struck with bad weather, this is a good indoor activity, plus there is a lot of free activities to do around Canada Place to add more to the experience.

Website:
https://www.flyovercanada.com/christmas/

Address:
Canada Place, 201-999 Canada Pl, Vancouver

My annual Christmas tradition is getting Santa Photos at Metropolis at Metrotown. It draws thousands of families each year until December 24th. All photos with Santa are by donation for a minimum of $2 per photo. All proceeds go towards the Burnaby Christmas Bureau.

I came early in December on a Friday and there was about a 20 minute wait. Not too bad compared to the week before Christmas. I remember I did that last year and I told myself that I will get our photos done early.

Games

When you’re waiting in line, they have a few games that kids (or adults) can play. I had this weird fascination with finding a mouse under a santa hat.

Photos with Santa

Once you get to the front of the line, they ask you how many poses you want. We went with one pose and put our donation in the bin. Their Santa has a real beard and was pretty friendly with us. The picture only took less than a minute and then we were on our way.

The photo is digitally sent to your email, so you get it right away. I downloaded it onto my phone and was able to begin sharing it.

Website: https://metropolisatmetrotown.com/