Need something to do this weekend? Here are five places to admire festive lights around the city.

Enchant, West 1st Avenue and Crowe Street, between the Cambie Street Bridge and Olympic Village

The fact that Enchant boasts the world’s largest Christmas-light maze might not seem like such a big deal if, like us, you had no idea that “Christmas-light maze” was even a thing. When you consider that Enchant’s maze is 55,000 square feet, though, you might start to get a little more impressed. And then you will inevitably get lost and frustrated, for such is the way of the maze.

Stick it out, though, and you’ll be dazzled, not just by the lights, but by a sense of accomplishment at having made it through the electric labyrinth. (Wasn’t Electric Labyrinth the title of an Emerson, Lake & Palmer album?) Enchant also features a Christmas Market—not to be mistaken for that other Christmas Market—plus food trucks and a VIP tent.

We actually have no idea what goes on in the VIP tent, but we’re guessing it’s something a lot more wholesome than the Glüwhein-fuelled mistletoe orgies that we hear the elves throw when they think Santa Claus isn’t watching. Well, guess what, you little perverts? Santa’s always watching. He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been making drunken passes at your coworkers, so knock it the hell off, for goodness sake.

Lights at Lafarge, Trevor Wingrove Way, Coquitlam

It may be in the suburbs, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be one hell of a light display. Coquitlam’s Lafarge Lake is illuminated by more than 100,000 holiday lights this year, and the best thing about it? It’s completely free.

The magical spectacle wraps around the entire lake, making it a 1.2-kilometre loop that goes through 10 themed zones. Visitors can pose for photos at the Winter Lights Gate that features twinkling trees, go for a walk through the Caterpillar—a 90-foot caterpillar tunnel that’s popular with the kids—or check out the Fantasy Forest, which includes all sorts of sparkling creatures.

On selected evenings, the park will host different pop-up experiences (free of charge, of course) that will range from workshops to carolling, hot chocolate to scavenger hunts. If you’re still deciding whether to make the trek to check out this holiday attraction, just remember that the long-delayed Evergreen Line has finally opened.

The last stop conveniently ends right at Lafarge Lake, so you can save yourself time from finding parking. 

VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street

VanDusen is one of the nicest spots in the city. An idyllic 22-hectare botanical garden, the Shaughnessy attraction draws thousands of visitors each year to admire the landscaped grounds and manicured lawns. Sounds pretty? Now imagine it under the cover of darkness, illuminated by one million tiny lights twinkling in trees and flowerbeds. 

The VanDusen Festival of Lights transforms the gardens into a labyrinth, guiding visitors around the grounds with streams of coloured bulbs. Attendees can stroll through interactive areas on their hunt for roving Scandinavian gnomes and reindeer, take a free ride on the newly installed carousel, and pause to admire the beautiful vistas from a vantage point in a gazebo.

The highlight of the evening is the Dancing Lights show around Livingstone Lake, and, with the water frozen by Vancouver’s latest cold snap, the reflections skate across the ice. And to top it all off, it’s rumoured you can find Santa somewhere on the grounds. What could be more festive?

Bloedel Conservatory, Queen Elizabeth Park

Here’s the problem with taking in a Christmas light display when the temperature is hovering around minus-6: the second you step out of your car, your nipples turn into pencil erasers and your yarbles feel like frozen walnuts. Assuming, that is, you have yarbles, but even if you don’t, you get the idea.

While the rest of Vancouver is freezing its extremities off the next couple of days this Xmas season, head for the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park for an experience that verges on the tropical. The famously futuristic-looking dome is home to all kinds of plants, fish, and birds that wouldn’t last a day in Stanley Park this time of year.

That means the thermostat gets cranked to make sure the assembled eclectus parrots, laughing thrushes, and Lady Amherst pheasants don’t end up needing bird scarves and tiny tuques. But even better is that during the Christmas season the conservatory’s foxtail palms, Indian figs, and Caribbean black olive trees are illuminated by the finest lights that Canadian Tire has to offer, turning the space into something that looks—and kind of feels—like at a beachfront Caribbean bar.

Where, if you remember your last trip to Tobago, your nipples never once turned into something frozen Nibs and your balls didn’t spend every moment desperately attempting to crawl up into the warmth of your body. Assuming, of course, that you have balls.

St. Paul’s Foundation’s Lights of Hope, 178–1081 Burrard Street

With its twinkling stars, light-up tunnel, and endless strings of bulbs that meet in the shape of a giant blue Christmas tree, St. Paul’s Foundation’s Lights of Hope is a spectacle to behold every year.

The glowing exhibit is crafted using more than 100,000 lights and materials donated by long-time supporters of St. Paul’s Hospital and its day-to-day operations. (Rumour has it that, if you were to place the strings of light end-to-end, they’d stretch more than 10 kilometres.)

But the expansive display isn’t just a festive sight, it also encourages Vancouverites to donate to the hospital by text or online during a time of year that’s all about giving and giving back. Oh, and did we mention that Lights of Hope is also completely free to view? Consider it further motivation to make a contribution from the heart.