what's open and closed on new year's day in metro vancouver
4 minute read
here's a roundup of what's open and closed on new year's day in metro vancouver.
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for many, jan. 1 is a statutory holiday, meant for resting, relaxing and planning for the new year.
but for others, it’s a day to get an early start on errands, fitness goals or general productivity.
if you’re in the latter group, here’s a roundup of what’s open and closed on new year’s day in metro vancouver:
shopping
if you’re not sick of shopping, many malls around town will be open.
cadillac fairview’s richmond centre and its downtown vancouver mall, pacific centre, will both be open to shoppers from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on new year’s day.
in burnaby, metropolis at metrotown will close at 6 p.m. on dec. 31 but will be open from 11 to 7 p.m. on new year’s day. meanwhile, the amazing brentwood should be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., while park royal in west vancouver will have its doors open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
mcarthurglen designer outlets near the vancouver airport will be keeping normal hours on new year’s day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., while tsawwassen mills will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
most grocery stores will be open on new year’s day, including save-on-foods locations, which will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. but check your neighbourhood store’s hours before heading out.
all costco warehouses in metro vancouver will be closed on jan. 1. (and many will close early on new year’s eve so keep an eye on the clock and check your local warehouse!)
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attractions
it’s still winter break and kids are not back to school until jan. 5, so most attractions, especially family-friendly ones, are open on the holiday.
science world is open noon to 5 p.m., including for members who normally get a 30-minute head start compared to the public.
the vancouver aquarium will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and flyover canada will be taking folks for a ride during its regular hours from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
the vancouver art gallery will be closed.
christmas may be over, but many attractions are keeping their dazzling light displays into the new year.
vancouver’s vandusen festival of lights runs until jan. 4. on new year’s day, it’ll be open 4 to 10 p.m.
in north vancouver, canyon lights at capilano suspension bridge park will stay lit until jan. 18. on new year’s day, the attraction will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
for movie buffs, cineplex theatres will be open on new year’s day. check cineplex.com for showtimes. the independent rio theatre on broadway near commercial drive will be screening a trio of classics, beginning with a matinee of edward scissorhands, followed by kill bill: the whole bloody affair, and rounding off the evening with the big lebowski.
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recreation
some community centres will be open on new year’s day, but most will be closed. check your local community centre for their hours.
in vancouver, all community centres are closed on jan. 1, except for kerrisdale (open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), mount pleasant (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and trout lake (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
more fitness centres are open. in addition to the above three, also open are: britannia, kerrisdale, killarney, kitsilano, lord byng, mount pleasant, trout lake, vancouver aquatic centre, and the west end. check here for specific hours.
for those who want to start the new year with a dip, you can try the pools at britannia (1 to 5 p.m.), killarney (1 to 9 p.m.), lord byng (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or the vancouver aquatic centre (8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.).
for brave souls who want to go for a frosty outdoor swim to ring in the new year, the annual polar bear swim event is set to start at 11:30 a.m. at english bay (program starts at 2 p.m., the swim at 2:30 p.m.).
for libraries, most vancouver public library branches will be closed on jan. 1. the only exception is carnegie branch in the downtown eastside, which will be open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
those looking to lace up their skates can do so at hillcrest, kerrisdale, killarney, kitsilano, sunset, trout lake and west end rinks. (britannia rink, which is usually open on new year’s day, is closed on jan. 1, 2026 for maintenance and upgrades.)
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for those who want to skate outdoors, the robson square ice rink will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
local mountains may have varying degrees of snow quality, but they will be open to skiers and snowboarders on new year’s day barring any major rainstorms. cypress mountain resort will be open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; mount seymour’s toboggan area will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and grouse mountain’s skyride gondola will be taking people up the mountain from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
food and drink
some restaurants and cafés might be closed on new year’s day, but not as many as on christmas day.
fast-food stores and coffee shops, especially chains like starbucks and tim hortons, will likely be open. many sit-down restaurants will also be serving new year’s day brunch and other meals.
translink
translink buses, skytrain and seabus will offer free service for everyone starting at 5 p.m. on dec. 31, 2025, until 5 a.m. on jan. 1, 2026.
then for the remainder of jan. 1, the bus, skytrain, and seabus will all operate on a sunday or holiday schedule, but the west coast express will not run at all. remember, weekend fares will be in effect, so riders need only pay for a one-zone fare to travel across the system.
government offices
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government offices will mostly be closed on jan. 1, as are banks, canada post outlets, b.c. liquor stores and icbc locations.
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