Lights of Wonder

A free attraction at Victoria’s Centennial Square, Lights of Wonder is a Christmas event with beautiful illuminations and live entertainment.

Downtown Victoria’s Lights of Wonder

A recent addition to the holiday season, Lights of Wonder made its first appearance in 2019. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic, but the event has returned each year since then. In 2024, it runs from November 30th until December 31st.

Lights of Wonder takes place at Centennial Square. The plaza is located at 1 Centennial Square downtown, right near both City Hall and Chinatown. Around 500,000 lights are used to create the displays which brighten the area with bedazzling trees as well various artistic creations.

It’s estimated that up to around 75,000 people visit Lights of Wonder in a good year. Admission is free for everyone!

The 2024 Event

Lights of Wonder runs from November 30th to December 31st in 2024. On Fridays and Saturdays the lights are on from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. They turn off at 9:00 pm the rest of the week. On New Year’s Eve, the lights stay on until 12:20 am, before shutting off for the season. As mentioned above, there’s no admission fee or ticket required to check out the event.

The lights are up to admire throughout the month. For the first couple weeks of December, there’s only live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings. From December 19th onwards, however, there’s daily entertainment (with the exception of Christmas Day). Check out the full schedule on the Lights of Wonder website.

When visiting Lights of Wonder, the main attraction is the numerous displays of coloured lights around the square. There are typically trees covered in lights, artificial displays like an electric blue orca, a lit-up archway to walk through, and more.

There are also a couple vendors that sell hot chocolate and snacks, as well as a donation booth. The donation booth has a recipient each night that all donations go to. In past years different organizations taking part have included The Soup Kitchen, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Women In Need and many more.