FanVancouver · Local guide
Open or closed on Boxing Day, 26 December 2026, in Vancouver: malls, Costco, BC Liquor, grocery, banks, Canada Post, transit and attractions, with sources.
Home · December in Vancouver · Open on Boxing Day
Saturday, 26 December 2026 is a shopping day, not a day off: malls, big-box stores and supermarkets open, government liquor stores run shorter hours, and the light festivals are back on in the evening. Banks are shut and there is no mail.
Saturday, 26 December 2026. Boxing Day is not a statutory holiday in British Columbia, so shops open and it is the biggest sale day of the year. Banks and Canada Post still treat it as a holiday. Checked on 12 November 2026. Most operators post holiday hours in December, so each line below says whether it is confirmed for this season, a standing rule, or what happened in past seasons. Where hours are not posted we link the source instead of guessing.
| Place | 26 December | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| TransLink buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus | OpenNot posted | Not posted |
| BC Ferries | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Street parking meters | Pay as usualStanding rule | Standing rule |
| Malls: CF Pacific Centre, Metrotown, Park Royal | OpenNot posted | Not posted |
| Supermarkets: Save-On-Foods, Superstore, Walmart, Whole Foods, T&T | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Costco | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| BC Liquor Stores | Shorter hoursPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Pharmacies | VariesNot posted | Not posted |
| Banks | ClosedStanding rule | Standing rule |
| Canada Post | ClosedConfirmed | Confirmed |
| Government offices: Service Canada, ServiceBC, ICBC, City Hall | ClosedStanding rule | Standing rule |
| Schools | ClosedStanding rule | Standing rule |
| Community centres, pools and libraries | VariesNot posted | Not posted |
| Restaurants | OpenStanding rule | Standing rule |
| Movie theatres | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Vancouver Aquarium | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Science World | Check firstNot posted | Not posted |
| Capilano Suspension Bridge and Canyon Lights | OpenConfirmed | Confirmed |
| VanDusen Festival of Lights | OpenConfirmed | Confirmed |
| Vancouver Christmas Market | ClosedConfirmed | Confirmed |
| Grouse, Cypress and Seymour | OpenPast seasons | Past seasons |
| Robson Square ice rink | Check firstNot posted | Not posted |
| Stanley Park, the seawall and beaches | OpenStanding rule | Standing rule |
In Vancouver the price depends on the neighbourhood far more than on the star rating. Compare live hotel and rental rates side by side before you lock your dates.
Open Yes. 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so every trip is a one-zone fare all day. TransLink had not posted its Boxing Day 2026 timetable when we checked.
Not posted yet. Source: TransLink holiday service
Open Yes. BC Ferries has described 26 and 27 December as the busiest days after Christmas, so reserve a sailing rather than driving up.
Based on past seasons. Source: BC Ferries schedules
Pay as usual No, you still pay. City of Vancouver meters are in effect 9am to 10pm, seven days a week.
Standing rule. Source: City of Vancouver metered parking
Open Yes. Boxing Day is the biggest sale day of the year and the malls open for it, some earlier than usual. Each mall posts its own Boxing Day hours in December; none had posted 2026 hours when we checked. Also asked: Is Metrotown open on Boxing Day?; Is Park Royal open on Boxing Day?; Is Pacific Centre open on Boxing Day?
Not posted yet. Source: CF Pacific Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown, Park Royal
Open Yes at the main chains, some on shorter hours. Check the store page for your branch. Also asked: Is Save-On-Foods open on Boxing Day?; Is Walmart open on Boxing Day?; Is Superstore open on Boxing Day?
Based on past seasons
Open Yes. Last season Costco's BC warehouse pages listed Boxing Day as 9am to 8:30pm. Confirm on the page for your warehouse.
Based on past seasons. Source: Costco warehouse pages
Shorter hours Yes, on shorter hours. In past years government stores opened 11am to 6pm on Boxing Day. Private stores set their own hours. Also asked: Are liquor stores open on Boxing Day?
Based on past seasons. Source: BC Liquor Stores
Varies Most are, with hours set store by store. Use the chain's store locator for your branch. Also asked: Is London Drugs open on Boxing Day?; Is Shoppers Drug Mart open on Boxing Day?
Not posted yet
Closed No. Boxing Day is a bank holiday, and in 2026 it is also a Saturday. Some branches observe it on Monday 28 December as well, as Canada Post does, so check yours. ATMs and online banking work as usual.
Standing rule
Closed No delivery. Canada Post observes its 2026 Boxing Day holiday on Monday 28 December, so there is no collection or delivery that Monday either. Postal counters inside a pharmacy or shop follow that business's hours. Also asked: Is there mail delivery on Boxing Day?
Confirmed for this season. Source: Canada Post holiday schedule
Closed No. It is a Saturday. Because the holiday lands on a weekend, some offices also observe it on Monday 28 December, so check the office page before a Monday visit. Also asked: Is Service Canada open on Boxing Day?; Is ICBC open on Boxing Day?
Standing rule. Source: BC statutory holidays
Closed No. It is a Saturday inside the winter break. Your district calendar gives the first day back in January.
Standing rule. Source: Vancouver School Board calendars
Varies Some, on holiday hours. The City posts a facility-by-facility holiday list in December.
Not posted yet. Source: City of Vancouver
Open Most are, as on a normal Saturday. Downtown is busy with sale shoppers, so book lunch near the malls.
Standing rule
Open Yes. Check showtimes for your cinema.
Based on past seasons
Open Yes in past years. Confirm 2026 hours on the aquarium's site.
Based on past seasons. Source: Vancouver Aquarium
Check first Holiday-week hours for 2026 were not posted when we checked. Confirm on Science World's site.
Not posted yet. Source: Science World
Open Yes. Canyon Lights runs daily from 20 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, 11am to 10pm, with last entry at 9pm.
Confirmed for this season. Source: our full guide
Open Yes, 4pm to 10pm with last entry at 9pm. The festival runs from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
Confirmed for this season. Source: our full guide
Closed No. The market ended on 24 December.
Confirmed for this season. Source: our full guide
Open Yes, conditions permitting. The holiday week is peak season, so go for first chair or an evening session. Also asked: Is Grouse Mountain open on Boxing Day?
Based on past seasons. Source: Grouse Mountain hours, our full guide
Check first Holiday hours for 2026 were not posted when we checked.
Not posted yet. Source: Robson Square rink, our full guide
Open Yes, as usual and free.
Standing rule
Pick a hotel you can walk from. Transit runs a holiday timetable, taxis are scarce late on the 24th and the 31st, and street parking is never free. Downtown and Coal Harbour put you beside the seawall, the Canada Line and the hotel restaurants that stay open; see our where to stay in Vancouver guide and the hotels near Canada Place.
Where to stay in Vancouver → Transit fares Parking
We read each operator's own page on 12 November 2026 and did not phone anyone. Lines marked “Confirmed for this season” come from a 2026-27 notice. “Standing rule” is law or published policy. “Based on past seasons” is what the operator did before and has not yet updated. Hours can change at short notice in snow, so check the source link on the day.
Boxing Day is not a statutory holiday in British Columbia, so shops open and it is the biggest sale day of the year. Banks and Canada Post still treat it as a holiday.
Most are, as on a normal Saturday. Downtown is busy with sale shoppers, so book lunch near the malls.
Yes. Boxing Day is the biggest sale day of the year and the malls open for it, some earlier than usual. Each mall posts its own Boxing Day hours in December; none had posted 2026 hours when we checked.
Yes at the main chains, some on shorter hours. Check the store page for your branch.
Yes, on shorter hours. In past years government stores opened 11am to 6pm on Boxing Day. Private stores set their own hours.
Yes. 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so every trip is a one-zone fare all day. TransLink had not posted its Boxing Day 2026 timetable when we checked.
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