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No downtown fireworks since 2018, so where to count down: Grouse Mountain fireworks, free transit, lights open late and the Polar Bear Swim on 1 January.
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By the standards of Sydney or New York, Vancouver sees in the new year quietly. There has been no public fireworks show downtown since the countdown over Coal Harbour on 31 December 2018, consumer fireworks are banned in the city, and the night is usually wet and a few degrees above freezing. What the city does well is everything around midnight: fireworks on top of Grouse Mountain, free transit until 5am in recent years, Christmas lights that stay open late, and the Polar Bear Swim at English Bay on New Year's Day. In 2026, 31 December falls on a Thursday and 1 January 2027 on a Friday, so many locals take the long weekend. Below is what ran on New Year's Eve 2025, what has been confirmed for 2026 so far, and how to plan the night and the day after.
| Event | Where | Latest confirmed details | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grouse Mountain New Year's Eve | Peak of Grouse, North Vancouver | 2025: family fireworks 7pm, fireworks at midnight | $39 evening ticket after 8pm (2025) |
| Cypress Mountain | West Vancouver | 2025: DJ on the slopes and early-evening fireworks | Lift ticket to ski |
| Free New Year's Eve transit | SkyTrain, SeaBus, buses | 2025: free from 5pm on 31 Dec to 5am on 1 Jan | Free |
| Lights at Lafarge | Lafarge Lake, Coquitlam | 2025: open past midnight, food trucks until 12:30am | Free |
| Robson Square ice rink | Downtown | 2025: 31 Dec and 1 Jan, 9am–9pm, DJ 6–9pm on New Year's Eve | Free skating, rentals extra |
| New Year's at Noon | MONOVA, Lower Lonsdale | 2025: 10am–1pm, countdown at noon | Pay what you can |
| Canyon Lights | Capilano Suspension Bridge Park | 2026: season runs to 10 Jan, 11am–9pm | Park admission |
| Glow Langley | 6690 216 Street, Langley | 2026: special New Year's Eve night on 31 Dec | Ticket |
| VanDusen Festival of Lights | VanDusen Botanical Garden | Listed to 3 Jan 2027 | Timed ticket |
| Polar Bear Swim | English Bay Beach | 1 Jan 2026: the swim started at 2:30pm | Free |
| Salute to Vienna | Orpheum Theatre | Friday 1 Jan 2027, 2:30pm | Listed from about $72 |
Not downtown. The New Year's Eve countdown sponsored by Concord Pacific set off fireworks over Coal Harbour until 31 December 2018. In 2019 its organisers paused the event to move it to False Creek, the pandemic followed, and later attempts to bring it back were called off over rising costs and a hard sponsorship market. On New Year's Eve 2025 there was again no official display at Canada Place, and none had been announced for 2026 when we checked on 2 October 2026. If that changes, it will be announced in December.
You can still see fireworks at midnight, on the North Shore mountains:
Setting off your own fireworks is not an option. The City of Vancouver ended the sale and use of consumer fireworks by the public after Halloween 2020; only certified technicians with a permit from the Fire Chief may fire them, and the fines are steep. The rules, and where to watch legal shows during the year, are in our Vancouver fireworks guide.
The closest thing Vancouver has to a big countdown. In 2025 Grouse ran a full evening at the peak: a DJ, the light walk, skating on the mountaintop pond, free snowshoe tours around Blue Grouse Lake, a fire pit with free hot chocolate, and fireworks at 7pm and midnight. A special $39 evening ticket, valid after 8pm, included the Skyride and skiing or riding. The Observatory restaurant served a seven-course dinner with optional wine pairings and a champagne toast at midnight. It sold out, so book as soon as 2026 tickets appear. The Skyride base is about 20 minutes from downtown by car, or take the SeaBus and the #236 bus from Lonsdale Quay.
With transit free from 5pm, you can skate at Robson Square until 9pm, when the 2025 DJ set ended, then ride the Millennium Line to Lafarge Lake–Douglas, where Lights at Lafarge, Metro Vancouver's largest free outdoor lights display, stayed open past midnight with food trucks until 12:30am. The ride takes about 45 minutes from downtown. Count down by the lake, but check TransLink's New Year's Eve schedule for the last train back before you go.
Several of the season's light shows run through New Year's Eve. Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park runs to 10 January, 11am to 9pm, with a free shuttle from Canada Place. VanDusen Festival of Lights is listed until 3 January. Glow Langley runs a special New Year's Eve night on 31 December. Bright Nights in Surrey closes on 29 December and the Christmas Market on 24 December. All twelve displays are compared in our Christmas lights guide.
Midnight in New York is 9pm in Vancouver, so families can watch the Times Square ball drop and be home by bedtime. In 2025 the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA) in Lower Lonsdale held New Year's at Noon, 10am to 1pm, with a countdown and ball drop at midday, on a pay-what-you-can basis. Grouse Mountain's 7pm fireworks were the family show. Robson Square's free rink is another easy option, and our ice skating guide covers the other rinks.
Restaurants with harbour views and hotel parties around Coal Harbour and Canada Place sell set menus and tickets for 31 December, and the best tables go weeks ahead. In 2025 the Vancouver Playhouse staged a New Year's Eve variety show at 7:30pm with a balloon drop. For live music and bars, see our live music and nightlife guide.
Transit was free on New Year's Eve in 2024 and 2025. In 2025 every SkyTrain, SeaBus and bus trip was free from 5pm on 31 December to 5am on 1 January, on an extended schedule with 52 extra buses. TransLink usually announces New Year's Eve service in mid-December, so the 2026 details are not out yet. Last year's last SkyTrains from Waterfront were:
| Line and destination | Last train from Waterfront, NYE 2025 |
|---|---|
| Expo Line to King George | 2:16am |
| Expo Line to Production Way–University | 1:40am |
| Canada Line to YVR–Airport | 2:08am |
| Canada Line to Richmond–Brighouse | 2:15am |
| SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay | 2:22am (every 15 minutes until 1:22am, then every 30) |
After the last trains, NightBus routes run every 20 to 30 minutes. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are at their busiest from midnight to 2am, with long waits and surge pricing, so agree on your way home before you go out. If you drive, police run CounterAttack impaired-driving roadchecks throughout December. Fares, passes and routes are in our transit guide for visitors.
Vancouver's best-known New Year's tradition has run every 1 January since 1920, when Peter Pantages and a handful of friends swam at English Bay. Thousands now take part, many in costume. On 1 January 2026 the festivities began around midday and the swim itself started at 2:30pm. Taking part is free; registering in advance with the City of Vancouver gets you counted as an official entrant. The 2027 swim is expected on 1 January as usual, but the City had not published details when we checked. History and practical tips are in our Polar Bear Swim guide.
Salute to Vienna is a touring New Year's concert of Strauss waltzes and polkas, and it returns to the Orpheum on New Year's Day. One listing put tickets at about $72 to $522. It overlaps with the Polar Bear Swim, so pick one.
1 January is a statutory holiday in British Columbia. Banks and government offices are closed, TransLink runs a holiday schedule, and many shops and restaurants close or open late, so check hours before you set out. For more ideas, see things to do in January.
Expect cool, wet weather. December at Vancouver International Airport averages 162 mm of rain on about 20 days, daytime highs around 6°C and only 56 hours of sunshine in the whole month. Snow in the city is occasional; Grouse and Cypress get far more, so dress for the cold if you go up the mountain at midnight. The sun sets at about 4:25pm on 31 December. A waterproof jacket and shoes with grip matter more than a heavy coat. Month-by-month figures are in our Vancouver rain guide, and winter ideas in the winter guide.
Book early: rooms around the waterfront fill and prices rise for 31 December. Coal Harbour and the hotels near Canada Place put you a walk from Waterfront station, the SeaBus to the North Shore and the free Canyon Lights shuttle. If Grouse Mountain is the plan, a North Shore stay near Lonsdale Quay cuts the late ride home. Compare the areas in our where to stay guide and the hotels near Canada Place.
Checked 2 October 2026 against TransLink's New Year's Eve 2025 service notice, Grouse Mountain's New Year's Eve 2025 event page, Destination British Columbia (britishcolumbia.com, 31 December 2025), Miss604's New Year's Eve 2025 listings, Vancouver Civic Theatres, City of Vancouver council reports on consumer fireworks, CTV News and CBC News coverage of the downtown fireworks, and Environment and Climate Change Canada climate normals (1981–2010) for Vancouver International Airport. The City of Vancouver website was not reachable when we checked, so Polar Bear Swim timings come from 2026 news coverage. Most 2026 programmes had not been announced; check each organiser before you go.
Not downtown, as far as has been announced. There has been no public New Year's Eve fireworks show over Coal Harbour since 31 December 2018, and none had been announced for 2026 by 2 October 2026. Grouse Mountain held fireworks at 7pm and at midnight on New Year's Eve 2025, and Cypress Mountain had an early-evening display.
It was in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, SkyTrain, SeaBus and buses were free from 5pm on 31 December to 5am on 1 January. TransLink usually confirms New Year's Eve service in mid-December.
On New Year's Eve 2025 the last trains left Waterfront at 1:40am for Production Way–University, 2:08am for YVR–Airport, 2:15am for Richmond–Brighouse and 2:16am for King George. The last SeaBus left at 2:22am. NightBus routes run after that.
Grouse Mountain's 7pm fireworks, the free Robson Square rink, Lights at Lafarge in Coquitlam and, in 2025, the noon countdown at the Museum of North Vancouver. Many families also count down with New York, whose midnight is 9pm in Vancouver.
Every 1 January at English Bay Beach, a tradition since 1920. In 2026 the swim started at 2:30pm. It is free, and registering with the City of Vancouver counts you as an official entrant.
Yes. 1 January is a statutory holiday in British Columbia. Banks and government offices are closed, transit runs a holiday schedule, and many shops and restaurants close or open late.
Usually cool and wet. December averages 162 mm of rain on about 20 days and daytime highs around 6°C at Vancouver International Airport. Snow in the city is occasional; the North Shore mountains are colder and snowier.
Canyon Lights at Capilano runs to 10 January, VanDusen Festival of Lights is listed to 3 January, Glow Langley holds a special New Year's Eve night, and Lights at Lafarge stayed open past midnight in 2025. Bright Nights ends on 29 December and the Christmas Market on 24 December.
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