Metro Vancouver events on December 8, 2016

Robson Square Ice Rink

This winter, renew a classic Vancouver tradition and enjoy some old-fashioned fun. Robson Square’s outdoor skating rink is open, so celebrate winter in style with skating in the heart of downtown Vancouver

Vancouver | Robson Square Ice Rink | 9:00 am to 9:00 pm | Family | Free

Peak of Christmas. Visit Vancouver's North Pole

Celebrate the magic of the season with Grouse Mountain’s annual Peak of Christmas celebration.

North Vancouver | Grouse Mountain | 9:00 am to 10:00 pm | Family

Country Christmas Magic Delights at Timberline Ranch

The Timberline Ranch Country Christmas is a unique–yet traditional–family-oriented Christmas experience complete with lit trees, interactive scenes, and music.

Maple Ridge | Timberline Ranch | 9:00 am to 6:00 pm | Family

Baking Time

Presentation House Theatre and Oily Cart presents Baking Time - a fantastic feast for the senses for 3-6 year olds, and their friends and families.

North Vancouver | Presentation House Theatre | 9:30 am to 11:00 am | Kids

Rudolph's Playtime at Willingdon

Children make friends, sing seasonal songs and have fun creating festive crafts at this popular holiday themed playtime.

Burnaby | Willingdon Community Centre | 9:30 am to 11:30 am | Kids

Christmas at the Cannery - Festival of Trees

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society and Steveston Merchants Association present this year’s Festival of Trees inside the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site.

Richmond | Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site | 10:00 am to 5:00 pm | Family

Classical Coffee Concert: Christmas Fantasies

Indulge your cravings for coffee, good company, and great music

Surrey | Surrey Arts Centre | 10:00 am to 12:15 am | Music

Celebrate Christmas at FlyOver Canada

FlyOver Canada will transform into a magical winter wonderland this Christmas season. Guests will have fun helping Santa Claus search for his missing elves during an exhilarating flight across Canada and on to the North Pole.

Vancouver | Canada Place | 10:00 am to 9:00 pm | Family

H.E. Bergman & Season's Greetings

Join us for the new exhibition of H.E. Bergman & Season's Greetings at the Burnaby Art Gallery.

Burnaby | Burnaby Art Gallery | 10:00 am to 4:30 pm | Exhibition

Make It Vancouver

Vancouver's largest independent art, fashion & craft extravaganza is back for 4 days!

Vancouver | PNE Forum | 11:00 am to 9:00 pm | Exhibition

The 7th Annual Vancouver Christmas Market

The Vancouver Christmas Market has grown & is in a new location for 2016: the Jack Poole Plaza at Canada Place.

Vancouver | Jack Poole Plaza | 11:00 am to 9:00 pm | Market

Corbin Union: Inversus Mundi

Miruna Dragan, Jason De Haan, Kris Lindskoog, Warren McLachlan, Karly Mortimer, Jeremy Pavka, Kylie B. Ward: Inversus Mundi

Vancouver | Unit/Pitt Projects | 12:00 am to 5:00 pm | Exhibition

Exhibition: callresponse

Artist: Christi Belcourt, Maria Hupfield, Ursula Johnson, Tania Willard, Laakkuluk Williamson-Bathory and their guest respondents: Isaac Murdoch, Esther Neff, IV Castellanos, Cheryl L’Hirondelle, Marcia Crosby, Tanya Tagaq

Vancouver | Grunt Gallery | 12:00 am to 5:00 pm | Exhibition

EXchanges 9th Series 2016

Co.ERASGA is pleased to announce: EXCHANGES 2016 Training and Master Classes with Hiroaki Umeda

Vancouver | The Dance Centre | 12:00 am to 4:00 pm | Workshop

Baking Time

Presentation House Theatre and Oily Cart presents Baking Time – a fantastic feast for the senses for 3-6 year olds, and their friends and families.

North Vancouver | Presentation House Theatre | 12:45 am to 1:15 pm | Kids

Impossible Worlds

Award winning Vancouver Island based photographer Lisa Graham established Seadance Photography in 2009 and specializes in underwater portraits with an artistic flair.

New Westminster | The Plaskett Gallery | 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Exhibition | Free

Burnaby Village Museum & Carousel: Heritage Christmas

The holiday experience began the moment you arrived! Festive lighting and decorations greeted you at the entrance of the Village to gave you a small glimpse of the spectacular display of history and lights awaiting inside.

Burnaby | Burnaby Village Museum & Carousel | 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Family | Free

Winter Hayrides

Hop board for this old-time favourite experience around Steveston Village that includes a sing-a-long and viewing of local, holiday displays.

Richmond | Steveston Community Centre | 2:07 pm to 8:30 pm | Family

Bright Nights Train and Plaza in Stanley Park

The Vancouver Park Board in conjunction with the BC Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund presents the 19th Annual Bright Nights in Stanley Park. Give generously at the front gate.

Vancouver | Stanley Park | 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Family

Canyon Lights at the Capilano Suspension Bridge

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park’s popular holiday event, Canyon Lights is back.

North Vancouver | Capilano Suspension Bridge | 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Family

Enchant Christmas Light Maze & Market

The World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze is coming to Vancouver, BC, November 2016. Eat, drink, explore and shop - experience the wonder of Enchant.

Vancouver | between the Cambie Street Bridge and Olympic Village | 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Family

VanDusen Festival of Lights

Make memories at VanDusen Festival of Lights, a magical winter wonderland with over one million lights decorating VanDusen Botanical Garden open from December 1 to January 2.

Vancouver | VanDusen Botanical Garden | 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Family

Seniors Christmas Dining Out Series. Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre

Socialize with friends while enjoying Christmas festivities, a delicious meal & great entertainment

Surrey | Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre | 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm | Family

2016 Holiday Hi-Light Festival

8th Annual Hi-Light Festival. Month-long Christmas celebration will feature brilliant light display, live entertainment, and festive activities for the whole family

North Vancouver | Park & Tilford Gardens | 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Family

Christmas Card Making Workshop 2016

Join local card designer, PaperMain, to learn how to make one-of-a-kind greeting cards

North Vancouver | Nest Space | 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm | Workshop | Free

Christmas in Williams Park

The annual Christmas in Williams Park in Langley is a FREE family and community event. View the spectacular show of lights as you drive or walk through the park.

Langley | Williams Park | 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Family | Free

Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant 2016

Established in 1995, Miss Chinese Vancouver and Toronto Pageants are Canada’s most recognized and prestigious Pageant events hosted in Vancouver and Toronto, cities with the most concentrated Chinese population in Canada.

Vancouver | Vancouver Convention Centre | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Show

Woodward's Community Singers 2016 Workshops

Everyone Deserves Music: Come Raise Your Voice With Us For A Dose Of Collective Joy!

Vancouver | PHS Woodward | 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm | Workshop | Free

Carol Ships Parade of Lights Dinner Cruise

The Carol Ships Parade of Lights began more than 50 years ago with a single boat decorated with Christmas lights in Coal Harbour.

Vancouver | Just East of Edgewater Casino | 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm | Show

Karaoke Christmas Lights - The Ultimate Christmas Tour

3 Hrs of Christmas Family Fun featuring Stanley Park’s Bright Nights Display and Van Dusen Botanical Garden’s Festival of Lights

Vancouver | Canada Place | 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Family

Visit with Santa at Willingdon

Join us for a festive night of Christmas crafts and seasonal activities.

Burnaby | Willingdon Community Centre | 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm | Kids

The Paper Kites with guest Doe Paoro

The Paper Kites are an indie rock-folk band from Melbourne, Australia.

Vancouver | The Rio Theatre | 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm | Music

East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood

Recommended for a general audience. As an advisory to adults who might bring young people, The Cultch recommends East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood for ages 5 and up.

Vancouver | York Theatre | 7:00 pm to 8:10 pm | Family

Alice in Wonderland

Affordable, family friendly fun in the midst of the holiday season! Outlandish creatures and quizzical conversations fill the stage as Alchemy Theatre brings you one of the most imaginative tales ever written

Vancouver | Studio 1398 on Granville Island | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Theatre

Vancouver Bach Family Of Choirs: A Very Sarabande Christmas

Join Sarabande, our young adult chamber choir, for what is fast becoming a popular annual holiday tradition

Vancouver | Seven Dining Lounge | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Music

Carol City light tour nights-Suggested tour routes. False Creek

Providing a traditional carol ship...Carol Ships Parade of Lights is a community event that has become one of the premier attractions during the December holiday season

Vancouver | False Creek | 7:10 pm to 9:20 pm | Show

Mary Poppins

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney film

Vancouver | Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | Musical

Christmas Queen 3 The Bachelorette Edition

She’s baaaaack! The Christmas Queen, in all her nasty, bitchy glory is returning this holiday season with the latest installment in the series, Christmas Queen 3 - The Bachelorette Edition.

Vancouver | The Improv Centre | 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Show

VSO: A Traditional Christmas

It is the Holiday music tradition: The VSO’s Traditional Christmas concerts, featuring host Christopher Gaze, EnChor, the UBC Opera Ensemble, and the VSO’s new Assistant Conductor, William Rowson.

Vancouver | St. Andrew's Wesley United Church | 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm | Music

VO: Hansel and Gretel

For VO’s new production, in an abridged version to appeal to younger audiences, the master artisans of Old Trout Puppet workshop have created an enchanting fairy-tale world of visual surprises.

Vancouver | Vancouver Playhouse | 7:30 pm to 9:50 pm | Opera

Protest The Hero With a Wilhelm Scream, Auras & Cyclamen

Protest the Hero is a Canadian progressive metal band from Whitby, Ontario. Originally named Happy Go Lucky, the band changed their name to Protest the Hero shortly before releasing their debut EP, Search for the Truth, in 2002

Vancouver | The Vogue Theatre | 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm | Music

SFU Woodward's Presents: Bah! Humbug!

Bah! Humbug! returns for a seventh year featuring Juno-Award Winning musician Jim Byrnes* as Ebenezer Scrooge. Don't miss this festive, seasonal Woodward's tradition!

Vancouver | Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | Theatre

Music Series: Van Django Cool Yule

Van Django's Cool Yule is a festive Christmas mix of nostalgic favourites, jazz standards, pop tunes, classical elements, and sing-alongs, plus a few surprises - all delivered in swinging gypsy jazz style.

Chilliwack | HUB International Theatre | 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm | Music

Winter Orchestral Festival: VAM Intermediate Symphony

It’s a celebration! Five ensembles come together in a three-concert festival highlighting the breadth of VAM’s orchestral offerings.

Vancouver | Vancouver Academy of Music | 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm | Music | Free

Ballet BC Presents Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballets: Nutcracker

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet captures the imagination with this charming Canadian retelling of the beloved holiday classic, the Nutcracker.

Vancouver | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | Dance

Avenue Q

Irreverently witty and outright uproarious, Avenue Q is the musical story of Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate who arrives in New York City looking for love, a job, and his purpose in life.

Vancouver | Granville Island Stage | 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Theatre

The Day Before Christmas

Surviving the perfect holiday disaster

Vancouver | BMO Theatre Centre | 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Comedy

Albatross

Company 605, known for its virtuosic physicality, along with with German Jauregui, Brussels-based choreographer and long-time Ultima Vez company member, bring the premiere of Albatross to the Firehall stage.

Vancouver | Firehall Arts Centre | 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Theatre

Meredith Willson's: The Music Man

The rousing classic about a charming con man and his seventy-six trombones.

Richmond | Gateway Theatre | 8:00 pm to 10:30 pm | Musical

CREEPS

Join Realwheels Theatre for an evening of savage wit and uncompromising truth-telling as they present CREEPS, the award-winning dark comedy by David E. Freeman that changed Canadian theatre forever.

Vancouver | The Cultch Historic Theatre | 8:00 pm to 9:15 pm | Theatre

A Christmas Carol In Gay Apparel

An Original Comedy by the Leaping Thespians. Back by popular demand, this production is a beloved holiday tradition within the LGBTQ community, and is for anyone who loves a laugh.

Vancouver | The Vancity Culture Lab | 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Comedy

The SantaLand Diaries

The SantaLand Diaries is a backstage pass to the secret lives of elves. “The funniest Christmas play ever written” is a biting and slightly fictionalized account of humourist David Sedaris’ time as one of Macy’s store Christmas elves.

North Vancouver | Presentation House Theatre | 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Theatre

Holy Mo: a Christmas Show

Folly, Guff, and Buffoona are back! And this time, it’s Christmas.

Vancouver | Pacific Theatre | 8:00 pm to 9:20 pm | Performing Arts

Louis C.K.

Louis Székely, known professionally as Louis C.K. is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, and editor.

Vancouver | Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre | 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm | Comedy

Terence Jack With Special Guests Moon Drifter

Terence Jack is a Vancouver musician currently in the process of releasing his first solo EP titled "Reckless Abandon". His music is a mix of folk, rock, funk, blues and country.

Vancouver | The Biltmore Cabaret | 8:00 pm to 1:00 am | Music

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Winner of the TONY and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences with its effortless wit and humour

Vancouver | PAL Theatre | 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Show

Ok Tinder - Swipe Right Comedy

The good, bad and the laughable of Vancouver’s dating scene. Enjoy this show at half-price with Half Price Hilarity

Vancouver | The Improv Centre | 9:15 pm to 10:15 pm | Comedy