There’s a reason Christmas feels so magical in Canada. We have historic, old towns draped in fresh snow, downtown streets glittering in twinkling lights, and traditions that turn entire cities into winter wonderlands.
To prove that holiday festivities just hit different here, Reader’s Digest Canada has rounded up the most festive places to celebrate the season across the country. Here are 20 Canadian destinations where holiday markets, parades and local spirit make December feel extra cheerful, whether you’re into snow-covered mountain towns or big city tinsel lights.
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Fernie, British Columbia
This alpine city in the Kootenays, B.C., is famously known as a “powder town,” with over 30 feet of snow each winter season from November to April! Head over for moonlit Nordic skiing and photos with a skiing Santa at Fernie Alpine Resort; the season wraps up with a nostalgic 80s-themed holiday dance.
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Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec
Just northwest of Montreal, Sainte-Thérèse hosts a three-week holiday food and art festival. The popular Village de Noël lines Rue de l’Église with delicious treats and sleigh rides, making it the coziest spot to celebrate holiday festivities.
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Barkerville, British Columbia
Barkerville was once a booming gold-rush town, but now the town celebrates the season with an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas! Head over and explore historic buildings while enjoying carolling, blacksmith demonstrations, hot drinks, sleigh rides and tons of shopping.
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Simcoe, Ontario
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Each winter, Simcoe’s Christmas Panorama transforms the town park into a glowing display with thousands of magical lights! Visitors can fully expect to ride a horse-drawn trolley through illuminated scenes and pose with an oversized Santa. Just under two hours from Toronto,
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Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
During the holidays, Mont-Tremblant’s pedestrian village is filled with bonfires, storytelling, music and traditional Quebecois celebrations, turning the entire area into a storybook winter scene!
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Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria literally glitters during the festive season! The legislature’s dome sparkles with thousands of lights, while nearby landmarks also host festive experiences, everything from fireside s’mores to a month-long Gingerbread Showcase supporting Habitat Victoria.
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Airdrie, Alberta
Just north of Calgary, Airdrie hosts one of Western Canada’s largest outdoor holiday displays. The Airdrie Festival of Lights fill up Nose Creek Park with a million-dollar spectacle of twinkling lights, bonfires, skating, food trucks and cute mini train rides.
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Midland, Ontario
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History meets the holidays at Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons! The First Light celebration illuminates the 17th-century mission site with thousands of candles, complemented by Indigenous drumming, Franco-Ontarian folk music and warm, delicious treats from the cookhouse.
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Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton’s famed Candy Cane Lane turns the Crestwood neighbourhood into a glittery showcase of holiday spirit! For more than 50 years, residents have decorated their homes in the most spectacular fashion, drawing crowds so large that visitors are encouraged to walk or book a horse-drawn sleigh ride.
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Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and Labrador
This Avalon Peninsula community proves that one Santa Claus parade is simply not enough. The Bay Roberts’ Festival of Lights features two parades: one by day and one by night, alongside fireworks, concerts, a HUGE Nativity scene and the province’s first intelligent light park!
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Calgary, Alberta
Calgary’s about much more than stampedes. Head over for the holidays: Christmas means a visit to the zoo! Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo transforms the grounds into a glowing winter wonderland with two million lights, firepits, hot chocolate and a chance to meet Santa.
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Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver brings holiday cheer to the water with its Carol Ship Parade of Lights, a tradition that dates back to the 1960s! Expect dozens of illuminated boats to cruise the harbour throughout December. Bonus: Stanley Park adds to the magic with a mini train ride through more than a million twinkling lights.
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St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Christmas in St. John’s is festively unconventional. The city keeps alive the centuries-old tradition of “mummering”, where costumed revellers visit homes singing and dancing in disguise. Today, the custom is celebrated with a full Christmas “Mummers” festival, complete with workshops and a parade!
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Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Christmas feels especially magical in Saskatoon, particularly for kids. The city boasts the highest number of candy and toy stores per capita in Canada, so head over with an appetite! Bonus: Saskatoon has historically had a high probability of a white Christmas (over 85%).
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Niagara Falls, Ontario
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Niagara Falls becomes even more lively during the annual Winter Festival of Lights. Millions of lights transform the city, including a massive illuminated Canadian-American flag, while weekly fireworks light up the falls throughout the festival alongside concerts and shopping fairs.
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Ottawa, Ontario
We expect nothing less than festive from Canada’s capital! Ottawa marks the season with an early-December illumination ceremony that bathes Parliament Hill in dramatic light. Expect hot chocolate, carolling and tasty BeaverTails, followed by a month of illuminated displays along Confederation Blvd.
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Almonte, Ontario
Fan of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies? This picturesque town near Ottawa has become synonymous with made-for-TV Christmas movies! Almonte’s charming streets and waterfalls have starred in numerous festive films, and each December the town embraces its Hallmark-worthy reputation. The town is also known for its annual “Light Up the Night” celebration: this wintry open-air concert features one of the largest and most magical outdoor Christmas shows in Canada!
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Toronto, Ontario
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No “best of” Canada list is complete without The Six! Toronto’s Santa Claus Parade draws hundreds of thousands each year, while December brings the Winter Village in the Distillery District and the Cavalcade of Lights at Nathan Phillips Square, complete with the lighting of a massive Christmas tree in front of City Hall.
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Dawson City, Yukon
Heading up north, in the deep cold of the sub-arctic winter, Dawson City still finds a way to glow during the Christmas season. The former gold-rush town celebrates with a one-of-a-kind holiday “flotilla,” featuring illuminated river boats, snowmobiles, canoes and police cruisers parading through town. On especially lucky nights, the northern lights put on a magical show of their own overhead!
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Quebec City, Quebec
Even the most committed Scrooge would have trouble resisting Quebec City at Christmas time. Wander through cobblestoned streets, historic architecture and fresh snow for the most perfect, naturally festive atmosphere! Check out a Christmas market or two for mulled wine and gift shopping, plus the chance to meet Santa at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, and it’s easy to see why this city tops the list.
