Looking for something fun and free to do during the last few days of this holiday season?
I just learned that the Burnaby Village Museum is free to enter and they have Christmas themed activations and displays for all ages to enjoy.
This is presented by Concord Pacific and includes festive lights and traditional decorations. Catch them from now until January 3rd, 2025, when they close for the season with a special send of performance by the Canadian Air Cadets Marching Band.
Other events includes actors engaging the crowds as “The Frost Fairy”, live music by “The Lucky Trappers”, being serenaded by “The Singing Reindeer”, “Stories on Wheels” Storytelling, and a Scavenger Hunt that has you looking for “Games & Sports”.
The regular, self guided museum is open, and as always you have the ability to enter two heritage homes and the various businesses that would make up a 1900’s village in Burnaby.
There was a drug store with bottles and tinctures, a Chinese apothecary shop with dried herbs. Each store with its own Christmas decorations and tree.
A barber shop, a music store, an auto mechanic shop, a post office, a printing press, and a bank.
The general store featured ice skates and skis on sale in their window, and in the shop vintage decorations and lights for sale behind the glass counter.
The bakery had festive cakes with holly, figgy pudding, and fruit cake. There was gingerbread man tree and a gingerbread carousel.
There is no food or drink allowed in any of the show businesses, but in the cafe you can order and enjoy food and drink the likes of warm beverages and light sweet snacks.
We ended up getting a festive doughnut for novelty sake. A melted vanilla icing snowman with marshmallow head.
The real tram that you can enter and take a seat within is a popular exhibition. And the well strung up gazebo with matching lit Christmas tree was a popular photo op, along side the tunnel of light.
There was a rotating exhibit featuring South Asians and their immigration during that time. And at the theatre they were showing the Native experience with story books available for reading.
There was a blacksmith performing a live demonstration on how they made metal Christmas tree decorations that sold for 15 cents each in 1935. Which are painted as candy canes and sold at the gift shop for $8.95, at today’s prices.
And miraculously, the heritage merry-go-round was operational this evening so we lined up for a spin, exchanging coins for tokens. A magical ride, as the hallmark of the museum.
Hot tip: arrive at 3pm to be able to enjoy the space from day to dusk and then dark, where the experience changes with the amount of light.
Burnaby Village Museum
6501 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 3T6
(604) 297-4565
burnabyvillagemuseum.ca
