Spreading holiday joy at YVR with Santa, sweets, holiday tunes and canine companions

This just in: Santa’s making appearances at various locations around YVR this holiday season – including in scuba gear. 

As part of the festive season, YVR is unveiling several holiday activities across the airport. 

And yes, visitors to Vancouver Aquarium at YVR may spot Santa cleaning the tank on December 19 from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. along with a certified dive team.  

That’s probably not enough to satisfy your yuletide cravings, so rest assured YVR’s offering plenty more festive activities throughout the month. 

The Seasons Treatings campaign kicked off December 13, and will see members of YVR’s team gifting cookies and YVR bucks (essentially gift certificates redeemable at YVR’s restaurants and retail shops), as well as kids’ activities (including colouring sheets and crayons for younger guests, and sticker sheets), doggie biscuits from Purebread Bakery, cream whiskey tastings, and more surprises across the terminals in both pre- and post-security areas. 

The Fairmont Vancouver Airport will host a Santa Parade in the pre-security areas of the domestic and international terminals on Level 3 on December 18, between 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon, and on Monday, December 23 (Santa’s schedule is pretty busy at this critical juncture, so stay tuned on the exact time!). 

If you haven’t been able to get your letter sent to Saint Nick, you can search out the Santa Chair in the Fairmont lobby on December 13 and 20, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. and have a photo taken with the big guy. (Maybe bring your list, too. No guarantees, but if you’ve been good this year, we like your chances.) 

YVR’s Less Airport Stress Initiative (LASI) dogs will also be on duty over the holiday travel season, sharing their comfort and good cheer with travellers, too.  

These trained therapy dogs, courtesy of the St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog Program, provide comfort and emotional support to travellers who may be feeling anxious about their journey, adding an extra layer of calm to the YVR experience.  

Keep an eye out for Freya (a friendly, costume-wearing Dachshund), Payton (a blind rescue dog from South Korea), and Boomer (a gentle favorite among kids), just a few of the 14 canine crewmembers. Handlers and dogs receive specialized respectability training to support neurodiverse passengers, and work in partnership with organizations like the Pacific Autism Family Network and Parkinson Society British Columbia. Our LASI team works daily from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 

For the full lineup of holiday programming, check YVR’s social channels for updates.