From favourite festive movies to classic Christmas carols, the holidays are rooted in warming memories and glitter-covered nostalgia. But while most of us love unpacking our familiar tree ornaments and feasting on family-recipe cookies, some local seasonal activities go all out to reconnect us to Christmases past.

 

Keen to dive into yesteryear Yule? Read on for some of our favourite 2024 nostalgic holiday happenings in and around Vancouver. Then dress up in some vintage finery (we recommend a Victorian top hat or a shimmering 1950s party dress) and travel back to a time when the holly jolly holidays were filled with simple yet sparkling pleasures.

 

Hop aboard

 

Trundling back to the past? You’ll need a way to get there. Book ahead for the Railway Museum of British Columbia’s hugely popular North Pole Express and you and your family will enjoy a ride on a full-sized 1950s train––plus hot chocolate, live music, model locomotive displays and a finale arrival at Santa’s workshop.

 

An even older conveyance awaits in Steveston, where a handsomely restored century-old tramcar––which sits here year-round in its own purpose-built pavilion––is transformed for the holidays into Winter Tram. For 2024, the kid-friendly, free-entry attraction includes a scavenger hunt, readings of “The Polar Express” book and a cool exhibit of local heritage buildings expertly constructed in LEGO.

 

Past times

 

Wondering what the past was really like? We’re huge fans of Forbidden Vancouver’s entertaining walking tours, which operate throughout the year. But this Christmas season, they’re serving-up a special Holiday History and Hot Chocolate Tour, complete with visits to some of downtown’s finest (and festively decorated) heritage buildings. En route, you’ll hear sensational and salacious yesteryear tales, while sipping your deliciously warming hot chocolate.

 

Over in Langley, you can step right into the past—or at least a movie facsimile version of it––by visiting Merry & Bright at Martini Town. This working film studio backlot has been transformed into a fully decorated evocation of charming holiday movies, complete with decorated storefronts, glowing illuminations, nostalgic live music and fluttering snowfalls every 30 minutes!

 

Local traditions

 

Many of us love revisiting our favourite festive sites at this time of year––it wouldn't be Christmas without dropping into attractions that have been a part of our holidays for decades. Personally, we never miss marvelling at the creative constructions on display at the Hyatt Regency’s Gingerbread Lane, now in its 32nd year. And we always make time for the delightful illuminations at Bright Nights in Stanley Park, back for its 27th season in 2024.

 

Also back this year, VanDusen’s beloved Festival of Lights is celebrating its 40th anniversary this season. The amazing Christmas Wish Breakfast at the Pan Pacific Hotel is not far behind that milestone. If you haven’t been before, it’s your chance to bring along unwrapped gifts for kids and enjoy a great breakfast, lots of free entertainment and a thick slice of festive goodwill at the same time.

 

Toe-tapping nostalgia

 

Everyone has their favourite yesteryear holiday music that soundtracks the season for them. You can enjoy some great tunes from the 1950s and beyond at Merry & Bright, where local trio The Dimes will be performing every day. They’ll also be hitting the stages at several other local attractions—as well as offering a full three-night show at New Westminster’s Bernie Legg Theatre.

 

Coquitlam Chorale will also be casting an eye on the past with their 2024 holiday concert. A celebration show for their long-time Artistic Director Justin Maller, Rewind: A 20 Year Christmas Celebration will be like a greatest hits recollection of two decades of carols, choral favourites and beloved holiday songs.

 

If your idea of nostalgia stretches back quite a bit further, though, you should also take in a Winter Harp performance this year. These revered musicians dress in medieval attire and play gorgeous yesteryear and more modern festive music on vintage and rare instruments such as a nyckelharpa and the hurdy-gurdy-like organistrum.

 

Gem-like shows

 

Also hitting local stages this season are several festive shows that will help you travel back in time––whether it's to a past you are personally familiar with or just a show you have fond memories of seeing when you were younger.

 

We were not around when "It’s A Wonderful Life" first hit the cinemas in 1947, but it’s become a must-see holiday movie for us every year. You can take that a little further in 2024 with United Players, who are retelling the story on stage as if it's a 1940s radio broadcast—period music included.

 

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Charles Dickens, of course. And we’re really looking forward to A Wonderheads Christmas Carol, which tells the 1843 story in a fresh new way with cool puppets and masks. Richmond’s Gateway Theatre is also channeling Victorian England with its own rip-roaring production of the hit musical Oliver!

 

But if you’re looking for Christmas entertainment with a centuries-old provenance, head to Vancouver’s Metro Theatre. Their 2024 vintage-style panto is entitled Cinderella: A Traditional British Pantomime—which means this is your big chance to boo the baddies, cheer the goodies and sing-a-long to the Metro’s famous "Twelve Days of Christmas" audience participation number!

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For more information on festive events, attractions and shows in the city and beyond, visit the Vancouver Christmas Guide. Written by Lonely Planet travel writer John Lee, it’s the best online guide to the area’s 2024 holiday happenings. The site was co-created with Christmas Cat Max, who pens its gift reviews and often appears on its @VancouverChristmasGuide Instagram feed.