Festive Fun in Greater Victoria
The must-have gift this holiday season is simple, it’s time! Time with your friends, time with your family, time to unwind, and time for self-discovery. Find the time this holiday season to do the things you love with the people you love. Prancing ballerinas, artisan shopping markets, lavish holiday feasts, and more, open their world to you and yours for a holiday season full of memories and magic. Breakout your calendar and mark the dates for these upcoming holiday events.
Picture Perfect
The holidays are a time for new memories to be made. And in the season of family bonding and natural smiles, you’re bound to want to catch the magic on camera to treasure these recollections for years to come. Greater Victoria embraces the holiday season like nowhere else, everywhere you look you’ll find the perfect place to add another portrait to your album.
It’s time to get your Instagram in the festive spirit. And there’s no better place to capture some great holiday snapshots than The Bay Centre. Stroll through this unique mall in the heart of downtown Victoria and take in the 30th Annual Festival of Trees. Each floor in this timeless mall is adorned with beautifully decorated Christmas Trees designed by the local Greater Victoria community. With over 70 trees to view, vote for your favourite and help support the BC Children’s Hospital. Then head on down to the ground floor and transport yourself to a Winter Wonderland at the Bay Centre. No snow boots required, this festive forest is home to Victoria’s largest indoor living forest and interactive holiday light tunnel. Capture that perfect moment with your loved ones at the Bay Centre.
Image: Winter Wonderland at The Bay Centre - One Lion Photograph
Christmas Lights at The Butchart Gardens
A Christmas lights display unlike any you’ve seen before awaits you at The Butchart Gardens. This 100-year-old National Historic Site pulls out all the stops for the holiday season, decorating their immaculate grounds in an array of dazzling Christmas colours. Stroll through idyllic pathways festooned with garlands, thousands of lights, and enjoy 12 days of Christmas displays. When you’re finally finished your stroll, head over to the Coffee Shop for hot chocolate and gingerbread by the fire. Open from 3:30 – 9:00PM until January 6th (excluding December 25th) this is a must visit attraction for the holiday season in Victoria.
Insider Tip: Don’t have a car to get out to The Butchart Gardens? Not a problem, let CVS Tours do the driving for you. This holiday season CVS is offering tours to Butchart Gardens from December 18 to January 3rd, with 4pm and 6pm departures to enjoy the lights during the magic hours. Make sure to book ahead, these tours fill up fast.
Image: Winter at Butchart Gardens - The Butchart Gardens
The 17th Annual Gingerbread Showcase
The 17th Annual Gingerbread Showcase takes over Hotel Grand Pacific, for another year of mouth watering artisanry. Enjoy the works of Victoria’s finest professional and amateur bakers as they showcase Gingerbread creations that are sure to bring out the wide-eyed kid in you. Tickets must be purchased online and are not available at the door. This year’s theme is “Homes for All”, as the event aims to look at welcoming spaces where everyone feels like they belong.
Image: Couple at Gingerbread Showcase - One Lion Photography
Yule-nique
Are you the type that’s looking for a new holiday tradition to call your own? Look no further than the Sleigh Boat Ride by the Victoria Harbour Ferry Company Ltd. The adventure starts at the Empress dock, from there you take to the inner harbour to marvel at our local landmarks embellished in dazzling light displays. The ferries then work their way to Fisherman’s Wharf, where you disembark for Hot Chocolate and Churros, before returning to the Empress dock. Get your tickets today, the buzz around this new event means its sure to be a sell-out!
Image: Victoria Harbour Ferry Christmas - Deddeda Stemler
Christmas Uptown
Enjoy the festive season from a Santa’s eye view from atop the Malahat Skywalk. The inaugural Holiday Magic at Malahat Skywalk runs December 4-5, 11-12, and 18-24, with special appearances from Saint Nick himself December 11, 12, 19, 20, and 23 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Build take home crafts or colouring projects in Santa’s workshop, enjoy Christmas cooking and hot chocolate at The Claus Family Bakery, and cozy up to the fire surrounded by our lush rainforests at the Malahat Skywalk Firepit. The Skywalk will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so you can make the most of your holiday break.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to holiday events this season in Greater Victoria. To discover even more festive fun visit our advent Events Calendar.
Image: Christmas at Malahat Skywalk - Malahat Skywalk
Festive Feasts
With the highest number of restaurants per capita in Greater Victoria, it’s no secret that we like to eat. And like everyone during the holidays, we probably eat a little more than we should (but that’s next year’s problem!). With some of the nation’s best restaurant’s pulling out all the stops for the holiday season, uncover something truly special with a holiday meal in Greater Victoria.
Join our friends at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel as they welcome Santa Claus himself for a holiday brunch. Breakfast with Santa at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel serves up a family-style brunch amidst Santa’s West Coast workshop. This fabulous family experience includes cookie decorating, a visit from Santa, and onsite photo printing by Four Frames Photo Booth. This event runs every Saturday and Sunday starting with seatings at 10:00 AM and 1:00PM until December 7, 14, 21,and 22.
Image: Christmas at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel - Oak Bay Beach Hotel
Merridale Cidery & Distillery
Visit Merridale Cidery & Distillery this holiday season for Christmas at the Farm. Enjoy light displays all December long (excluding December 25th) and visit their lovely orchard-side restaurant for holiday dining, open from 11:00 AM to 7:00PM seven days a week. Check out their artisanal ciders and liqueurs made on site at this stunning cidery and take a bottle (or two!) home with you to pair with your fond memories of this holiday experience.
Image: The Grounds at Merridale Cidery & Distillery - Destination Greater Victoria
Winter Veranda at the Fairmont Empress
Snuggle up to your loved ones fireside at the Winter Veranda at the Fairmont Empress. Roast S'mores as the sun sets over the inner harbour and our local landmarks light up the night's sky. Situated at the iconic Fairmont Empress hotel the Veranda has unparalleled views of our unique downtown harbourfront. Exemplary service adds to the already delightfully warm reception that greets guests to this one-of-a-kind patio experience.
For more great places to dine over the holidays, see our Season’s Eatings Blog
Image: Christmas at the Fairmont Empress - The Fairmont Empress
Tally-Ho Carriage Tours
Enjoy the holidays in a truly Victorian style. Wind your way through the Victoria’s historic neighbourhoods and landmarks taking in festive light displays and our cities brilliant architecture. Snuggle up with your loved ones in a horse drawn carriage from Tally-Ho Carriage Tours. Relax as you are guided through the enchanting holiday charm of Victoria, comfortably sat atop soft velvet seats. Offering both Sleigh Rides! and Caroling & Lights tours, lose yourself to the awe-inspiring magic of the festive season in Victoria aboard one these delightful one-of-a-kind tours from Tally-Ho.
Image: Women Enjoying a Horse Drawn Carriage Ride - Destination Greater Victoria
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