'Tis the Season to be Epic

The Dundarave Festival of Lights has everything your family and friends need to live out loud this Christmas.  Here are some highlights of our Festival season.  Be sure to check the Festival's Event Calendar for the big picture.

• Dundarave Christmas Fair, Saturday November 28th 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm  Join the West Vancouver Youth Band and a host of other performers for what may well be the world's largest outdoor Christmas tree decorating party.  Dundarave Village and Dundarave Beach open the holidays with Christmas on an olympic scale featuring Chef Don Guthro's fresh air barbeque, crafts and games for kids provided by Santa himself, a craft market, and -- because Christmas wouldn't be epic without them -- fiercely festive Morris dancers.  Join us for the countdown at dusk when we officially light up the trees.  To keep kids safe at the heart of the Dundarave Christmas Fair, Dundarave Village will be closed to vehicle traffic.
• The Dundarave Nativity, Saturday December 5th 11:00 am to 3:00 pm  Head down to Dundarave Beach for music and a chance to meet master carver Bill Seminoff.  Through months of painstaking work, Bill rescued and restored the life size carvings of the Dundarave Nativity.  The origin of these figures depicting the story of the First Christmas remains a mystery, even though they've been on display at Dundarave Beach every holiday season for decades.  Carved of old growth cedar by an Aboriginal artist, the Dundarave Nativity is a powerful testimony to the rich cultural heritage of our community.
• Music in Dundarave Village, Saturday December 12th 11:00 am to 3:00 pm  Dundarave Village stays bright with the sounds of Christmas, with live music in the intimate performance spaces of Dundarave's shops, restaurants and coffee houses.
• Festival Bonfire Night, Sunday December 20th 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm  Warm up the longest night of the year with family and friends as we gather again at Dundarave Beach around a 20 metre bonfire.  This night will be rich with great music and food to keep the chill away.  The passage of Carol Ships on this night, the embrace of our forest of festive trees and the torrent of sparks rising from the bonfire will help bring the best spirit of the season home to you and the people you love.
  

Dreaming of a Bright Christmas

West Vancouver's luminous celebration of the true spirit of the season returns for its 18th year.  The Dundarave Festival of Lights brings the light and life of Christmas to the heart of our community, lighting up Dundarave Village and Dundarave Beach with a forest of festive trees.

For the first time in its history, the Festival last year raised $25,000 to combat homelessness on the North Shore through the generous support of families, community groups and businesses like yours.  Nothing keeps the season, as Scrooge himself discovered, like feeding the hungry and housing the homeless.  This Christmas, there's glory and joy enough for all as we gear up to beat this record.

It has never been easier to participate as a tree sponsor.  Two quick steps will get you there.  First, sign up with a festival fee of $100 per tree payable to the Dundarave Festival of Lights.  Second, make a charitable gift to the Lookout Emergency Aid Society-North Shore Shelter as a Bronze ($250 - $499), Silver ($500 - $749), Gold ($750 - $999) or Diamond ($1,000+) donor.  You will receive a charitable tax receipt from the Shelter and recognition of your level of sponsorship at the Festival.  West Vancouver's Firefighters made Festival history last Christmas for the largest single donation to the Shelter, setting a very festive $3,000 as the number to beat this year for Diamond sponsors. 

Heaven's Kitchen

Through the generous support of tree sponsors, the Festival's record breaking donations helped the North Shore Shelter create its North Shore Culinary Training Program.  Under Chef Don Guthro, this innovative professional kitchen and restaurant training program gives essential life and employment skills to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.  Your donation through the Dundarave Festival of Lights will keep Christmas bright all year, by making sure the Shelter's kitchen remains a life changing, soul nourishing place.

To reserve your tree and make this Christmas bright, email us at festivaloflights@shaw.ca, or use the form below.  Be sure to confirm your level of sponsorship -- bronze, silver, gold or diamond.

We will not share your name or email address with or sell them to anyone else without your consent.  We will use the information you give us only for the purposes of organizing an amazing Dundarave Festival of Lights.