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Vancouver Island ToursBritish Columbia, Canada

Festival

The Magic of Christmas at The Butchart Gardens

The gardens' winter season lights the Sunken Garden and the Twelve Days of Christmas displays along the paths from early December into early January, with skating and carollers. The exact dates are published each autumn by the gardens.

Annual, dates set by the organiser
When
Dates not yet published
Recurrence
Early December to early January; dates published by the gardens each autumn
Where
The Butchart Gardens, Brentwood Bay
Sidney & the Saanich Peninsula
Tickets
Ticketed — see the organiser
Organiser
The Butchart Gardens
Last verified
6 Sept 2026

This is the one time of year the gardens are better after dark. Shuttle buses from downtown Victoria run to the evening lights and are listed on this site under Butchart Gardens; check the tour's dates against the gardens' published season before booking.

Admission is priced by season and the winter rate is lower than summer's. Dress for a cold, damp evening — the displays are outdoors and the paths are long.

More on the calendar

10Oct
Public holidayAnnual, dates set by the organiser

Thanksgiving long weekend

Canada's Thanksgiving falls on the second Monday of October. On the island it coincides with the salmon runs, the last grizzly departures from Campbell River and the first autumn storms on the Pacific coast; ferries and accommodation fill for the three days.

Sat 10 – Mon 12 Oct 2026
Island-wide
Free to attend

Checked 6 Sept 2026

15Oct
Wildlife & natureAnnual, dates set by the organiser

Salmon run at Goldstream Provincial Park

Every autumn tens of thousands of chum salmon return to the Goldstream River, twenty minutes from downtown Victoria, to spawn and die in the shallows beside the trail. Bald eagles follow. It is one of the most accessible salmon runs on the coast and free to watch.

Thu 15 Oct – Thu 10 Dec 2026
Victoria
Free to attend

Checked 6 Sept 2026

Full calendar