Christmas lights evolve again: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park’s dazzling display lasts until January 8

Text & photos byPapa Seahorse

Standing on the swaying footbridge, surrounded by pitch-black space above, below, and all around, only the handrails beside you shimmer faintly with fairy lights. Crowds press in from front and back; in the endless line, you too become a moving ornament adorning the Christmas lights.

Vancouver boasts at least seven or eight renowned Christmas light displays: from forest-like parks and historic museums, to entire residential streets decked out in holiday illumination, aged heritage hospitals, and even a month-long glowing maze in the square. Each boasts its own seductive charm and breathtaking grandeur. The one commonality? The lights hang high in treetops or atop buildings, leaving spectators to gaze upward in awe. The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (Capilano Suspension Bridge Park) breaks this mold, evolving the Christmas light experience into its 2.0 version.

This park, located in North Vancouver, has long been a popular tourist attraction in the Greater Vancouver area. Beyond its lush forests and rushing rivers, its biggest draws are the “height, the sway, and the screams.” Walking across the 140-meter-long suspension bridge, suspended 70 meters above the river, the swaying beneath your feet usually leaves you screaming—and your heart pounding.

A month before Christmas, Canyon Lights transforms the entire suspension bridge park into a surreal 3D wonderland. Before nightfall, as daylight fades, long queues form at the ticket booths outside the park entrance. Inside, everyday sights like the totem poles and historic stations are already aglow with lights, paths crowded with visitors and camera flashes going off nonstop.

In front of the park’s main gift shop, two four-story-tall cypress trees are bathed in a purple glow, visible from afar. A life-sized Mountie bear mascot by the entrance dons a Santa hat, its usual stoic demeanor instantly transformed into warm friendliness. On a nearby small stage, a singer energetically performs festive tunes, their strong country-style Christmas melodies drifting through the air.

The park’s four true highlights of Christmas lights are:

The Lighted Suspension Bridge
Before dark, walking across the bridge, you might only notice a few flickering lights like fireflies clinging to the railings. But once night falls, the bridge transforms into the most radiant star over the canyon. Thousands of tiny diamonds seem to stitch together a Milky Way stretched halfway across the sky, and every face walking across glows with excitement and trepidation.

Treetops Adventure
If you’ve ever wanted to experience leaping between pine trees in the forest, now’s the time—especially along a starlit skyway in midair. Seven elevated walkways, averaging 20 meters above the ground, may not be as heart-stopping as the canyon-spanning bridge, but the fiery-lit paths winding through dark tree shadows evoke the feel of an ancient, flaming Great Wall hidden in the woods.

Rainforest of Illusion
Stepping onto the rainforest trails, dim cold lights guide you toward a profound unknown. The usually tranquil pond becomes a jewelry showcase—glowing pearls of all sizes seemingly plummet from above, freezing the moment in time. There are strands of mermaid tears, giant orbs hovering just above the water, and owls spreading their wings with every ounce of light they can muster. Time stands still, space is inverted; standing by the rainforest pond, you might feel you’re glimpsing your past and future lives.

Cliffwalk
Though not quite a high-wire act, it’s not far off. This newer addition to the suspension bridge park, enhanced by Christmas lights, exudes an indescribable eeriness. White light nets cast a large arc over the pathway, while red and blue lights flicker like ghosts around your feet, turning your face alternately pale and flushed. Coupled with unsteady steps, the atmosphere is vaguely reminiscent of the movie Snowpiercer.

Exiting the Cliffwalk, you’ll reach a massive white tent where you can grab a warm snack, let the kids paint gingerbread cookies, or simply let your freezing face recover some color after hours of walking.

Soaring to the clouds, dipping into the canyon; ethereal as a mirror, resplendent with countless lights. The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park’s Christmas light display wins on all fronts—with spectacles both overhead and underground, dynamic and serene alike. If there were a public vote for “Best Christmas Lights,” even with steep ticket prices, this bridge park would still earn my unwavering vote.

Canyon Lights @ Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Date: Nov 24, 2016 ~ Jan 8, 2017
Time: 9am ~11pm
Close: Dec 25, 2016
Address: 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver, BC V7R 4J1
Website: www.capbridge.com

Papa Seahorse
A Gemini man born under the air sign, he worked as a senior marketing and PR executive for a multinational corporation before turning 45; after 45, he relocated to Canada. Alongside his teenage sons, he plays the role of a father amidst foreign springs of cherry blossoms, summers of sunshine, autumns of maple leaves, and winters of rain and snow, while documenting his observations of Vancouver.

Blog:My Vancouver Life (my.van.life)Facebook Page:Papa Seahorse’s Vancouver Diary