Things to do in Metro Vancouver on the first weekend of 2025

Bloedel Conservatory set to reopen  Queen Elizabeth Park’s Bloedel Conservatory will re-open Jan. 4 after being closed for over two months. 

The first weekend of the new year offers opportunities to check out some of the festivities you may have missed during December, or to break free from the holiday season and start something new. Or both!

Here are some options to consider:

Japanese-style New Year celebrations

The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in Burnaby is celebrating the New Year with a variety of free activities drawing on Japanese traditions and customs.

Guests are invited to try their hand at kakizome (New Year calligraphy), take a music lesson or a Hawaiian hula dance class, taste Japanese tea and play Japanese board games.

The Oshōgatsu open house runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Bloedel Conservatory reopening

For the first time since October, the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park will welcome the public inside Saturday.

Now sporting widened and levelled pathways after its closure, the climate-controlled botanical garden is home to tropical birds and koi fish, along with more than 500 exotic plants.

Admission is $9 at the door for adults ages 19 to 64, with discounts available for seniors and young people. Tickets can also be purchased online at a $1 discount.

Seasonal activities still going

If, like Scrooge at the end of A Christmas Carol, you are the type to remember Christmas and keep it in your heart throughout the year, there are a variety of festive activities continuing this weekend, but not for much longer. Here are some options and their end dates:

Start the year with art

The first Saturday of 2025 is also, by definition, the first Saturday of a new month, which means artists across Vancouver and across the province are hosting open studios from noon to 5 p.m.

The monthly events are intended to give the public an opportunity to meet artists where they work, build relationships and buy works directly from the people who made them.

A list of participating artists can be found on the First Saturdays website.