Hard to believe that the year has come to a close. We hope your 2025 wraps up with a bang and 2026 carries on with more great Arts and Culture picks.
*note some activities & venues may have adjusted hours & openings for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Merry: Today is the last day of the year to visit Merry & Bright at Martini Town – the Langley-based outdoor film set which appears in many popular films and TV shows has been meticulously transformed into a festive holiday hometown for your Instagram-worthy visit
Village: Step back in time with a visit to the Festive Village presented by Concord Pacific at Burnaby Village Museum – until January 2, explore the living museum with free entry to the heritage village Christmas and add-on at ticket to ride the famed carousel
Peak: Ring in the New Year from the Peak of Vancouver as Grouse Mountain kicks off its centennial year with a special New Year’s Eve celebration on the mountaintop
Circus: Vancouver Playhouse welcomes Circus3 presents New Year’s Eve Variety Show a family friendly New Year’s Eve hosted by comedian Daniel Zindler at the Vancouver Playhouse, featuring acrobats, jugglers, aerialists, magicians and more
Laughs: Celebrate with laughs aplenty during NYE at TIC, The Improv Centre presents 3 shows, 7pm, 9pm and 11pm (19+) – tickets include a classic Improv Centre show, plus dessert and candy bar
East: See off the year East Van style with New Years Eve at The Rio an All-Star Variety Show and Dance Party hosted by queer cabaret comedian and award winning host, Dandy, featuring live music, comedy, burlesque, circus and poetry.
Stranger: Newly reopened with new ownership, The Park Theatre brings Stranger Things to Cambie Village, watch the series finale of the Netflix hit, Stranger Things on the big screen at various showtimes on December 31 and January 1
Vienna: New Year’s Day, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra welcome the 30 years anniversary, Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert at The Orpheum Theatre
Puck: The Vancouver Canucks take to the Rogers Arena ice twice to get the new year rolling; Friday January 2 vs Seattle Kraken then hosting Boston Bruins on Saturday January 3
Panto: Held over by popular demand until January 11, 2026, the sure sign of the Season plays The Cultch as Theatre Replacement’s East Van Panto: West Van Story opens this week at The York Theatre – the story of Romeo and Juliet told East Van style
Beanstalk: Fe Fi Fo Fum prepare for plenty of laughs and then some, with the over-the-top Metro Theatre’s Jack and the Beanstalk, A Traditional British Pantomime, on stage until January 4th
Orphan: The sun will come out when you bring your family to watch Annie – Gateway Theatre’s annual holiday spectacular following the Little Orphan and her dog through her New York adventure – on the Mainstage until January 3th
Women: At the Arts Club Granville Island Stage until January 4th the coming of age story of friendship, romance, loss, and personal discovery, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is told in a creative new telling way from the author’s point of view
Ice: Get your skates on until January 4th and don’t LET IT GO by without seeing the season’s hit production and brilliant cast of Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical, now playing at The Arts Club Stanley BFL Canada Stage
Santa: Hitch up your sleigh and take a ride with Flyover in Vancouver to take off for the North Pole on a magical ride as you Soar With Santa, across Canada and to his Polar workshop, featuring its original Canadian adventure until January 4, 2026
Garden: Until January 4th Van Dusen Festival of Lights are aglow with more than one million lights adorn the magical 15-acre winter wonderland. Pick up a warm beverage and a snack as you stroll along the lakeside and get in the holiday spirit with the Dancing Lights
Lights: Lights by the Lake at Harrison Hot Springs, is an enchanting annual holiday display transforming the 2km lakefront stroll into a magical world of lights, wintery window dressings highlighting the local sights until January 11, 2026
Lake: One of Metro Vancouver’s largest festive light displays, Lights at Lafarge continues to illuminate the lake at Coquitlam’s Town Centre Park until February 16, 2026
Nuxalk: Coming to a close January 5th, Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun, at MOA is a first-of-its-kind exhibition showcasing the rich culture and worldview of the Nuxalk Nation, located in Bella Coola, B.C.
NGN: Continuing until January 25, 2026 the world premiere of NDN Giver at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art a look at consider how the act of giving is tied to identity, responsibility, resistance, and renewal, curated by the gallery’s Assistant Curator Amelia Rea in her solo curatorial debut.
Haida: Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art presents the Vancouver premiere of the retrospective exhibition Kihl ‘Yahda Christian White: Master Haida Artist running until February 1, 2026.
Photographer: Take a glimpse through the lens of an iconic 20th century photographer as The Polygon Gallery presents Lee Miller: A Photographer at Work (1932–1945) on display until February 1, 2026
Gibson: The Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum – The Gibson – Simon Fraser University’s new culture hub – features an inaugural group exhibition, Edge Effects, showcasing 15 acclaimed Canadian artists until February 15, 2026
Enemy: The Vancouver Art Gallery presents Enemy Alien the first major solo exhibition and retrospective of works by documentary photographer Tamio Wakayama, on display until February 22, 2026
Sustainability: MONOVA’s Feature Exhibit ‘Are We There Yet? The Sustainable Transportation Journey’ exploring the ever-evolving landscape of urban transportation in North Vancouver until March 1, 2026
Tibet: On display until March 29, 2026 at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA), discover the world premiere exhibition of Entangled Territories: Tibet Through Images, curated by Dr. Fuyubi Nakamura, MOA Curator, Asia, in collaboration with Tibetan-Canadian community members and artists, the bilingual exhibition reimagines Tibet and its future through the perspectives of the Tibetan-Canadian community
Mother: Until March 29, 2026, The Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) presents the world premiere of Jaad Kuujus: Everyone Says I Look Like My Mother an exhibition featuring a varied collection of naaxiin (Chilkat) weavings and their digital translations.
Border: On view until May 30, 2026, The Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford presents Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border / Perspectives sur la frontière Canada–É.-U., an ambitious exhibition that looks at the history of the 49th parallel that separates Canada and the US, and its lasting impacts on Indigenous communities