Christmas Events for Kids in Port Moody (2026)

Christmas Events for Kids
Written by Kelsey Cecil

Updated 3 min read

Rally the corgi has sniffed out the Christmas events for kids in Port Moody for 2026, and both are free. Holiday Cheer at the Pier lights up Rocky Point Park on Saturday, November 28, and the CPKC Holiday Train rolls into town with a live show on Sunday, December 20. We check every date on the City of Port Moody’s own pages and link straight there. For more across the country, see our Canada Christmas events for kids guide.

What Rally found in Port Moody

  • 2 free Christmas events for kids in Port Moody
  • Holiday Cheer at the Pier: Saturday, November 28, from 5 pm
  • Where: Rocky Point Pier, Rocky Point Park
  • CPKC Holiday Train: Sunday, December 20
  • Bring: a food or toy donation for Tri-Cities families

Free Christmas events for kids in Port Moody

Santa at the pierFree

Holiday Cheer at the Pier

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Port Moody kicks off the season at Rocky Point Pier with twinkling lights, carollers and festive games on the last Saturday of November.

Last year the city added a bonfire, crafts and a visit with Santa, and asked families to bring a non-perishable food item or a new toy that stays with Tri-Cities families in need.

Parent tip: Bring a toy or food donation and a thermos, and park early since Rocky Point lots fill quickly on event nights.

Host
City of Port Moody Cultural Services (opens in a new tab)
Address
Rocky Point Pier, Rocky Point Park, Port Moody, BC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom City of Port Moody Cultural Services (opens in a new tab)

New Port Moody events every week

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Rally’s Christmas research

Rally the corgi has 1 more Port Moody event researched for you.

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Coming up on this page

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Holiday Train stopFree

CPKC Holiday Train in Port Moody

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The CPKC Holiday Train, wrapped in thousands of lights, stops in Port Moody on December 20 with a live concert from its rolling stage while it raises food and cash for local food banks.

The City treats it as one of its signature events, and last year it added a bonfire, crafts and free play time in the Recreation Complex gym around the train’s arrival.

Parent tip: Bring a cash or food donation for the Tri-Cities food bank, and watch from the open field for the best view of the lit-up train.

Host
City of Port Moody Cultural Services (opens in a new tab)
Address
Port Moody (last year: behind the Port Moody Recreation Complex), Port Moody, BC (opens in maps)
Confirmed
On the host’s page, checked
See dates and detailsfrom City of Port Moody Cultural Services (opens in a new tab)

New Port Moody events every week

Rally researches Christmas events in Port Moody daily and updates this page with new events. Enter your email to get a weekly update with new events in Port Moody.

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy (opens in a new tab)

We check every event above on the host’s own page for the date, time and cost, plus the things parents ask about, like sign-ups and ages. Looking for a Santa train instead? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists Santa trains and holiday rides across the country.

See every event on a December calendar

Plan your December

When each Port Moody Christmas event for kids happens

Start the season at Rocky Point on November 28, then circle December 20 for the Holiday Train, and check the City’s page the week before for the exact viewing area and arrival time.

Looking further afield? Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event in the country, and we have city guides for Vancouver, Abbotsford, Nanaimo and Victoria. The national search sorts every event by distance from your town.

A story for the drive home

A morning with Santa or an evening of holiday stories tends to end the same way: tired kids, a long drive and one more book before bed. Our picture book follows Rally the corgi on his first train ride to see his grand-paw-rents, and every page is painted by hand. If your family is spending December missing someone, it was written for that too. For the car, print our free corgi and train coloring pages.

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first ride on a California train, hand-painted in watercolor. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

The story of Christmas in Port Moody

Every December in Port Moody, families can sip tea and nibble scones aboard Venosta, a 1921 Canadian Pacific sleeper car parked beside the old station, while Christmas music plays. Down the street, the city has been flipping the switch on the lights of Rocky Point Pier at a holiday party first held in 2017.

Holiday Cheer at the Pier begins in 2017, with a Candy Cane mini train by the gazebo

Port Moody's own Christmas kickoff, Holiday Cheer at the Pier, began in 2017 as the centrepiece of the city's holiday season. Families gather by the gazebo at the foot of the long wooden pier in Rocky Point Park, and at a set moment the city switches on the lights strung along the pier and gazebo.

The third edition, on November 30, 2019, shows how it worked in the early years: hot chocolate and a sugar cookie by the gazebo, carol singers, rides on a Candy Cane mini train, photos with Santa or Frosty the Snowman, and the lights flipped on at 6:30 pm. Port Moody Fire Rescue used the night to collect new, unwrapped toys for SHARE Family and Community Services, a custom that has carried on ever since.

November 29, 2025 at the pier and a Holiday Train stop behind the Rec Complex

In 2025, Holiday Cheer at the Pier ran from 5 to 7 pm on Saturday, November 29, an hour earlier than the original 6 to 8 pm time slot. The city kept the same 5 pm start for 2026, set for Saturday, November 28. Other holiday lights go up at City Hall, Fire Hall #1 and the Queens Street plaza.

In past years the city also threw a party for the CPKC Holiday Train: in 2019 a bonfire and live music behind the Port Moody Recreation Complex, and in 2022 an afternoon of indoor and outdoor fun before the train pulled in at 4:45 pm, with MacKenzie Porter and Virginia to Vegas playing from 5 to 5:30 pm. The train's next Port Moody stop is Sunday, December 20, 2026.

A Santa-bot, a 2020 drive-thru that never happened and Santa's Christmas Ships

Holiday Cheer at the Pier has changed shape over the years. A drive-thru version was planned in 2020, but it was cancelled when public health rules tightened just before Christmas. In 2021 it came back on December 4 as a walk-through event, with pre-wrapped red velvet cookies, stilt walkers, bouncy elves and carollers, an elf scavenger hunt from the Port Moody Station Museum, ornament kits from PoMoArts and take-and-make crafts from the library. It did not go ahead in 2022. Another year, the lights came on at 6:15 pm, and kids met a Santa-bot, folded origami stars and shopped a pocket market run by the Blackberry Artists' Society while the Rotary Club poured hot chocolate.

Out on the water, Santa's Christmas Ships have also sailed past. In 2022 brightly lit boats left Reed Point Marina at 7 pm and paraded past Rocky Point Pier and the Ioco shoreline, and in earlier years their arrival lined up with the pier lighting. Port Moody also had its Christmas Revelers singing in Newport Village, Santa skates at the Recreation Complex and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Dash.

Tea aboard the 1921 sleeper car Venosta beside the 1908 CPR station

Port Moody was named the western end of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s, and that railway history becomes a Christmas outing at the POMO Museum, the former Port Moody Station Museum, housed in the 1908 CPR station on Murray Street. In 2019, Christmas Tea on the Train invited families to climb aboard a decorated train car on two December Sundays for tea or hot chocolate, scones and Christmas tunes, at $15 for adults and $10 for kids. The museum's 2026 calendar lists Holiday Tea on the Train on December 6 and December 13.

The car is Venosta, a first-class sleeper built in Montreal in 1921 and first named Glen Otter. Its berths were trimmed in mahogany, and in summer blocks of ice under the floor cooled the air. Later it served as a CP Rail safety training car in Alberta until 1985 before coming to the museum. The station building is one of the few Model No. 8 stations in Canada, with living quarters where the station master and his family once lived, a cozy setting for a December tea.

Traditions today

  • Holiday Cheer at the Pier: The city's free kickoff at Rocky Point Pier, held since 2017, ending with the pier and gazebo lights switched on for the season.
  • Holiday Tea on the Train: Tea, hot chocolate and treats served aboard the 1921 sleeper car Venosta at the POMO Museum on December Sundays.
  • The CPKC Holiday Train: A lit-up freight train that stops for a free concert and food bank drive, with a city party around it. In 2026 it comes on December 20.
  • Fire Rescue toy drive: Port Moody Fire Rescue collects new, unwrapped toys at the pier lighting for local families through SHARE.
  • Christmas tree chipping: In early January, Port Moody firefighters chip Christmas trees by donation to raise money for the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund.

A fact for kids

The old sleeper car where Port Moody families have Christmas tea once had an ice air conditioner: workers put big blocks of ice under the floor to keep passengers cool.

Questions about Christmas in Port Moody

When did Holiday Cheer at the Pier start in Port Moody?

Holiday Cheer at the Pier started in 2017 as the seasonal centrepiece of Port Moody's Christmas celebrations. The 2019 event was billed as the third annual. It is held at Rocky Point Pier and Boat Launch in Rocky Point Park and ends with the pier and gazebo lights being switched on for the season.

What time are the Rocky Point Pier Christmas lights turned on?

The switch has been flipped at 6:30 pm in 2019 and at 6:15 pm in another recent year, when the event ran 6 to 8 pm. Since the 2025 event moved to 5 to 7 pm, the lighting comes earlier in the evening. Check the city's event page closer to Holiday Cheer at the Pier on November 28, 2026.

What did Holiday Cheer at the Pier look like in 2025?

The 2025 edition was on Saturday, November 29, from 5 to 7 pm at Rocky Point Park, described by the city as a fun and festive community celebration at Port Moody's iconic pier. It was the first year with the earlier 5 pm start, which the city kept for 2026.

Was Holiday Cheer at the Pier cancelled in 2020 and 2022?

Yes. In 2020 the city planned a drive-thru version, but it was cancelled when public health restrictions tightened just before Christmas. It returned as a walk-through event on December 4, 2021. In 2022 the city announced that Holiday Cheer at the Pier was not going ahead that year, and it came back afterward.

Is there a train ride at Port Moody's Christmas pier lighting?

There has been. At the 2019 Holiday Cheer at the Pier, kids could ride the Candy Cane mini train, have hot chocolate and a sugar cookie, listen to carol singers, and pose for photos with Santa or Frosty the Snowman. Activities change from year to year, so check the city's list before November 28, 2026.

Can you donate toys at Holiday Cheer at the Pier?

Yes. Port Moody Fire Rescue has used the pier lighting to collect new, unwrapped toys for its holiday toy drive, with everything going to SHARE Family and Community Services for local families. In recent years the Port Moody Police Department has also collected non-perishable food at the event.

What is Holiday Tea on the Train at the POMO Museum?

It is a Christmas tea served aboard Venosta, the museum's restored 1921 sleeper car, decorated for the season. In 2019 families had tea or hot chocolate and scones while Christmas tunes played, with reservations required. The museum's 2026 calendar lists Holiday Tea on the Train on Sunday, December 6, and Sunday, December 13.

How much was Christmas Tea on the Train in Port Moody?

In 2019, Christmas Tea on the Train at the Port Moody Station Museum cost $15 per adult and $10 per child aged 12 and under, and kids three and younger were free. Seatings were at 10:30 am, 1 pm and 2:30 pm. Prices for 2026 are posted by the POMO Museum, so check before booking.

What is the Venosta train car used for Port Moody's Christmas tea?

Venosta is a first-class Canadian Pacific Railway sleeper coach built in Montreal in 1921 by Canadian Car and Foundry. It was first named Glen Otter, renamed Glenatha in 1927 and Venosta in 1942, then used as a CP Rail safety training car until 1985. It is now restored at the POMO Museum and hosts the Christmas tea.

Is the POMO Museum, home of the holiday tea, the same as the Port Moody Station Museum?

Yes. In 2023 the Port Moody Station Museum took the new name POMO Museum. It is still in the 1908 Canadian Pacific Railway station at 2734 Murray Street, still runs the Venosta sleeper car, and still hosts holiday programs such as Holiday Tea on the Train and a Holiday Floral Workshop in late November.

Where does the CPKC Holiday Train stop in Port Moody?

In recent years the city's celebration for the CPKC Holiday Train has been held behind the Port Moody Recreation Complex at 300 Ioco Road, with extra activities inside the Recreation Complex and the Civic Centre. The 2026 stop is on December 20, so watch the city's events page for the exact time and site.

Who has performed on the Holiday Train in Port Moody?

When the CP Holiday Train stopped in Port Moody on December 18, 2022, it arrived at 4:45 pm decked out in holiday lights, and MacKenzie Porter and Virginia to Vegas played from 5 to 5:30 pm. Visitors were asked to bring cash or non-perishable food for the food bank.

Was there a bonfire for the Holiday Train in Port Moody?

Yes. On December 17, 2019, the city hosted a CP Holiday Train celebration from 5 to 8 pm behind the Port Moody Recreation Complex, with a roaring bonfire, live music and free family activities in the Recreation Complex gym and the Civic Centre Galleria. The city's events list still mentions cozying up to a bonfire at the December train celebration.

What are Santa's Christmas Ships in Port Moody?

Santa's Christmas Ships are brightly lit boats that parade along Burrard Inlet. In 2022 they set off from Reed Point Marina at 7 pm on December 3 and sailed past Rocky Point Pier and the Ioco shoreline. In earlier years their arrival lined up with the city's Holiday Cheer at the Pier.

What was at the 2021 Holiday Cheer at the Pier?

The December 4, 2021, event was a free walk-through from 6 to 8 pm. Families waved to Santa, picked up a pre-wrapped red velvet cookie, watched stilt walkers, bouncy elves and carollers, searched for elves in a museum scavenger hunt, and took home ornament kits from PoMoArts and crafts from the Port Moody Public Library.

Did Port Moody have a Santa-bot at Christmas?

Yes. One recent Holiday Cheer at the Pier, held on November 25, featured a Santa-bot along with Santa Claus himself, carollers, stilt walkers, an origami star craft table, a scavenger hunt, free cookies and hot chocolate from the Rotary Club of Port Moody. Mayor Meghan Lahti said the event brings community to the darkest, coldest time of year.

Where else are Christmas lights put up in Port Moody?

Besides the pier and gazebo at Rocky Point Park, the city decorates City Hall, Fire Hall #1 and the Queens Street plaza for the holidays. Rocky Point is the centrepiece, and the lights stay up through the season after the opening night of Holiday Cheer at the Pier.

Is there a Christmas craft fair in Port Moody?

There has been for years. The Port Moody Christmas Craft Fair at the Civic Centre Galleria held its 7th annual fair on December 3, 2022, with more than 40 vendors, and kids under 12 got in free. Shoppers could get in free by bringing a new, unwrapped toy for the Fire Rescue toy drive.

What happens to Christmas trees in Port Moody after the holidays?

Port Moody firefighters have held a Christmas Tree Chip on the first weekend after the holidays at the Inlet Centre Fire Hall, 150 Newport Drive, chipping trees by donation. In January 2023 the money went to the B.C. Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund. The Penguin Plunge into Burrard Inlet follows on New Year's Day.

Were there Christmas skates in Port Moody?

Yes. In 2019 the Port Moody Recreation Complex held a Santa Skate on December 8, plus Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve skates from noon to 3 pm, for $3.50 per person with hot chocolate and games on the ice. In 2022 the city invited skaters to wear ugly sweaters for the Christmas Eve skate.

How old is the train station where Port Moody's Christmas tea is held?

The station was built in 1908 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as one of the few Model No. 8 stations in Canada, with living space for the station master's family. It was moved in 1945, served passengers until 1976, and opened as a museum on July 1, 1983. Each December it hosts the holiday tea in the sleeper car beside it.

Sources

  1. Port Moody's third-annual Holiday Cheer at the Pier celebration set for Saturday, November 30, City of Port Moody
  2. Celebrate the holidays in Port Moody (2019), City of Port Moody
  3. Join us for Holiday Cheer at the Pier on Saturday, December 4, City of Port Moody
  4. Celebrate, help those in need, and shop local this holiday season in Port Moody (2022), City of Port Moody
  5. Get into the holiday spirit at Port Moody's Holiday Cheer at the Pier event, Tri-City News
  6. Holiday Cheer at the Pier, November 29, 2025, City of Port Moody
  7. Events at a Glance, City of Port Moody
  8. History of The Venosta Train Car, POMO Museum
  9. Port Moody CPR Train Station 1908, POMO Museum

Keep the Christmas magic going: track Rally the corgi on Christmas Eve, print free Christmas coloring pages, learn how to say Merry Christmas in 100+ languages, find train museums to visit with kids, or browse Christmas events in every Canada city.

Port Moody Christmas events for kids: questions parents ask

What are the best Christmas events for kids in Port Moody this year?

Rally Takes the Train has confirmed 2 free Christmas events for kids in Port Moody for 2026, both on the City of Port Moody events page: Holiday Cheer at the Pier on November 28 and the CPKC Holiday Train on December 20.

When is Holiday Cheer at the Pier in 2026?

Saturday, November 28, 2026, starting at 5 pm at Rocky Point Pier in Rocky Point Park. Last year it ran 5 to 7 pm. It is free.

When does the CPKC Holiday Train come to Port Moody in 2026?

Sunday, December 20, 2026, according to the City of Port Moody. Last year the City’s celebration ran 4 to 6 pm behind the Port Moody Recreation Complex, so check the City page for this year’s exact time and viewing area.

Is the Port Moody Holiday Train free?

Yes. The show is free, and the train raises food and cash donations for local food banks, so bring a donation if you can.

Who do I contact about Port Moody holiday events?

City of Port Moody Cultural Services at culture@portmoody.ca or 604.469.4770.

Are there more Christmas events near Port Moody?

Yes. Our Canada Christmas events for kids guide lists every confirmed event across Canada, and the national search sorts events by distance from your town.

How do you confirm these events?

We list an event only after we find this season’s date on the host’s own website or an official city or tourism calendar. We last checked Port Moody on November 11, 2026. Rally is also contacting each organizer to confirm details like parking, washrooms and bad-weather plans.

Event names belong to their hosts. Rally Takes the Train is a family picture book and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any host listed here. Confirm dates, times and prices on each host’s own site before you go.

Kelsey Cecil
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