Feeling merry in the Lower Mainland: Holiday events to check out this month

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Christmas markets have ancient beginnings that date back centuries. What started 500 to 800 years ago in Germany as a way for merchants to sell their goods during Advent has since become a worldwide holiday tradition, including in Vancouver.

These markets feature bustling shoppers, glowy outdoor lighting, and street vendors selling items ranging from baked treats to gifts.

For its 14th year, Vancouver’s original German-inspired Christmas market has once again transformed Jack Poole Plaza into a winter wonderland, equipped with more than 90 vendor huts, light displays, and festive activities.

“I’ve been away from Germany for over 15 years now, and there’s very little European tradition, generally, in Vancouver, so bringing this unique tradition to Vancouver is really a piece of home,” says Denise Wegener, president of the Vancouver Christmas Market.

“It’s so special because once you walk through the gates, it feels like you’re in this little German town, and you don’t really feel like you’re in downtown Vancouver anymore. It’s all the smells, sounds, sights, and it just really gets you into the Christmas spirit.”

The Vancouver Christmas Market is just one of many holiday events taking place across the city and Lower Mainland to mark the festive season.

Whether it be present shopping for loved ones, trying wintertime drinks, or enjoying holiday-themed entertainment and activities, below are some Metro Vancouver events you can add to your itinerary this month.

• Vancouver Christmas Market

Until Christmas Eve, visitors can shop artisan and vendor products and treats, participate in special karaoke and trivia nights, take photos with St. Nikolaus and market mascots, and ride a carousel at the market.

There are also opportunities to snap photos inside the event’s 35-foot walk-through Christmas tree and lovers’ lane, which are two light displays Wegener says were redone to be animated and include more lights.

The market’s new feature drink for this year is the German feuerzangenbowle, which translates to “fire tong punch.”

“It’s based on mulled wine, which many people over the years have come to love here at the Christmas market, but it has a special twist,” Wegener says. “You put a sugar cone over the mulled wine, soak it with rum, light it on fire, and it drips into the mulled wine. It’s a very special beverage.”

The market also has a range of new vendor huts this year, including skewered meats and vegetables from Das Kebab Haus, Latin and French macarons from La Lula Pastries, and freshly baked soft cookies from Connie’s Cookie Haus, run by Connie Wu.

Wu’s business sells an array of different cookies, including Asian-inspired flavours such as matcha and ube, classics like chocolate chip and s’mores, and her personal favourite — Biscoff brownie.

She hopes attendees enjoy her cookies and share them with others.

“Sharing desserts and food is a big thing in my culture, so being able to share it with others is great,” Wu says. “I’m Chinese, so I feel like I’m always revolved around food. We always have family dinners, and everyone’s just gathered around and enjoying food together.”

The market also features many returning vendors, including Dustin Blondin’s Mixologists Bartending. Blondin, who’s been at the market for three years, sells drink bombs, which are like bath bombs for cocktails.

“You drop it in something sparkling — a soda water, beer, champagne — add your liquor, and your cocktail is ready,” he says.

Blondin also sells drink glitter to make drinks shimmery and shiny, Swarovski crystal straws, and hangover bombs, which he recommends most to students.

“As a college and university student previously myself, I definitely could have used them back when I was going through school,” he says. “[If] you have a few too many to drink by accident and forget that you have a midterm the next day, [have] a hangover bomb and you’ll wake up feeling like you did not have a single drink.”

Throughout the year, Blondin does event bartending through his business.

Also returning for a third year at the market is Soumak Boutique, which is manned by Rasha Youssef and Elvira Seydaliyeva.

The two sell handcrafted, authentic Middle Eastern goods, particularly from Turkey and Syria. Items for sale include glass evil eye ornaments, Turkish towels, jewelry boxes, wall art, and keffiyehs, which are Middle Eastern scarves. Seydaliyeva says a portion of the proceeds from the keffiyehs will be donated to Palestinian families.

The business also sells ceramic bowls, notebooks, bags, and mosaic chess boards made by Syrian refugees.

“[Handcrafted art] has been in Syria for thousands of years,” Youssef says. “But unfortunately, after the war, lots of artists left the country like me, for example. I left because I couldn’t survive there. So we don’t want the skill to die. That’s why we are supporting artisans, so that we keep preserving this culture. We want people to learn about this, to educate themselves about our art.”

Overall, Wegener says the market team is looking forward to seeing happy faces at the event.

“We’re so blessed by the fact that Vancouverites have embraced this as a tradition every year,” Wegener adds.

For more information and to buy tickets, which start at $19.99, visit www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com. 

• Soar with Santa

Just a 10-minute walk from the Vancouver Christmas Market is Flyover Canada, which is home to the holiday-time ride “Soar with Santa.” Until New Year’s Day, visitors can be a part of a flying film experience that travels across Canada towards the Arctic Ocean, and eventually, the North Pole’s magical winter views.

“With scenes from Flyover’s original Canada film, guests can join the adventure while keeping warm in their seats, soaking in the sights, sounds, and scents of the season on an enchanting sleigh ride like no other,” Flyover general manager Melissa Rasera wrote in an email statement to The Runner.

Apart from Soar with Santa, guests also have the chance to visit Flyover’s Flying Whale Cafe, which is serving seasonal treats such as peppermint mochas and gingerbread cookies. On Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 22, the cafe offers breakfasts with Santa. Flyover also has an on-site gift shop selling locally made gifts and stocking stuffers.

Rasera wrote the entire ride experience, which includes a pre-show and the flying journey, lasts about 25 minutes. Soar with Santa first launched 10 years ago, and upgrades have been made over the years to enhance the film experience.

“Flyover is one of the top attractions in Vancouver, and Soar with Santa is the perfect holiday experience for families, couples, and groups alike seeking an indoor experience that can be enjoyed rain, snow, or shine,” she wrote.

“A staple in the Vancouver winter festivities, we aim to awe our guests with the discovery of striking northern sceneries on an enchanting sleigh ride. In short, we hope to take their breaths away.”

Tickets start at $29, with there also being a joint-ticket option for admission into the ride plus same-day entry into the Vancouver Christmas Market which costs $40 per adult and $25 for children 17 and under.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.flyovercanada.com.

• BlueeJoy’s holiday drag show

After Japanese drag queen BlueeJoy found there were very few fellow Japanese drag performers in Vancouver, she started collaborating with local establishments to bridge the gap for her community by hosting shows.

Under her BLUEEJOY EVENTS business, her work in fostering representation in drag is continuing this holiday season on Dec. 23, when she will perform at Guu Davie, a Vancouver Japanese restaurant.

“I think the idea of having a Christmas show is a really great way to spend time with your chosen family, especially with our queer community,” BlueeJoy says.

“For me personally, I moved here by myself [and] don’t have any family here. So I think it’s nice that I can create the space … to just spend time and have fun with your friends.”

She won’t be the only performer at the event. The show has an all-Asian lineup featuring Rose Butch, a non-binary drag performer, Flaming Wok, who BlueeJoy describes as her “drag sister,” and drag king Yuen Young.

BlueeJoy says the main focus in her drag career has been creating more opportunities for Asian performers.

“Another thing I always try to be focused about is diversity,” she says. “Lots of the drag shows are mainly queens, [which are] represented a lot. Nowadays, we are trying to get more kings and other types of drag forms [represented] in a show.”

BlueeJoy says attendees can expect both solo and group performances, including a group number of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey.

She adds that between half to 70 per cent of her audiences have never been to drag shows prior to attending hers, and people can expect lots of fun, dance, and glamour.

Growing up in Japan, BlueeJoy wished she had the chance to watch a drag show there.

“It’s just very conservative,” she says. “People just don’t really see drag performances in Japan, so I think it’s very important to have the opportunity to be able to attend a show. Even nowadays, we have some [older guests at our] shows as well, so I think … it’s just giving them an opportunity to showcase who we are and who you could be.”

For more information and to buy tickets, which cost $20 before fees, visit www.bit.ly/holidaydragshow.

• Winter Ice Palace

For the 25th year, the Cloverdale Arena, which is less than a 10-minute drive from Kwanten Polytechnic University’s Tech campus, has become a wintery and festive space to ice skate with loved ones.

Known as the Winter Ice Palace, this year the event is returning from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, and will feature additional elements on the ice to help spruce up the environment and provide  improved photo opportunities.

“[In] the lobby, we’re going for a tree lot theme,” says Sarah Gomes, a community services coordinator with the City of Surrey. 

“So we’ll have some new lights and some trees. It’ll be a little bit more of a magical and welcoming environment when you come into the facility.”

The Winter Ice Palace has become a holiday tradition for families, attracting both first-time and well-experienced skaters, Gomes says. There will be supporting staff who can provide skaters with tips and tricks, and skating bars will be available to help those who aren’t comfortable on the ice.

What is special about this Christmastime ice-skating event versus other ones out there is that there are items on the ice and along the perimeter of the rink, such as a sleigh and benches, for people to interact with, Gomes says. New this year is a vinyl backdrop put on a glass piece. There will also be holiday music playing in the background.

On Dec. 21, Santa will make an appearance, allowing visitors to skate and take photos with him on the ice.

For first-time skaters, learning how to tie a pair of skates is important, Gomes says. The City of Surrey has a tutorial on how to tie them available on YouTube.

“Safety is a big component,” she adds. “So if you’re not feeling comfortable getting a helmet or bringing your own helmet, we do accept bike [and] skateboard helmets out on the ice.”

Because of limited spots, she also encourages skaters to pre-register online, but there will still be room for walk-in visits. 

Gomes hopes visitors take away core memories from the Winter Ice Palace.

“I think community is just so important, so being able to bring people together … would be the important piece of that.”

Tickets for the event cost $5 before skate and helmet rental fees. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/wintericepalace.