Burnaby Village Museum is a ten-acre open-air museum tucked inside Deer Lake Park, built around a recreated village from the 1920s. More than thirty heritage and replica buildings line its streets, from a working blacksmith shop to a general store, a print shop, and a schoolhouse, each staffed by costumed interpreters who demonstrate the trades and daily routines of the era.
The museum operates seasonally, with its main summer season running from early May through early September, plus special openings for Haunted Village in October and Heritage Christmas from late November into the new year. A restored antique carousel sits at the heart of the site, along with a vintage interurban tram car that visitors can step aboard.
Photo Gallery
Step Into a 1920s Village
The village streets are laid out the way a small Lower Mainland community might have looked a century ago, with wooden storefronts, a church, a school, and family homes set among mature trees. Costumed staff work in several of the buildings throughout the day, so visitors might catch the blacksmith shaping metal at the forge, hear a printing press running at the newspaper office, or watch bread being made in an old-fashioned kitchen.
Because the site spreads across ten acres, most visits take a couple of hours to see at a relaxed pace, with plenty of benches and shaded paths along the way.
The C.W. Parker Carousel and the Interurban Tram
The museum’s carousel is a genuine piece of history: a hand-carved wooden carousel built in 1912 in Leavenworth, Kansas, by the C.W. Parker Company. It travelled through a Texas circus, spent decades at Vancouver’s Playland and the old Happyland amusement park, and was nearly sold off horse by horse at auction in 1989 before local volunteers raised the funds to save it. It found its permanent home at Burnaby Village Museum’s Don Wrigley Pavilion in 1993, and it still turns today, carrying riders on hand-painted horses for a small per-ride fee.
A short walk away, a restored 1912 interurban tram car recalls the B.C. Electric Railway line that once connected Burnaby to New Westminster and Vancouver, and visitors can step inside to see how the cars were fitted out for passengers a century ago.
Both are popular stops for families, and the carousel line tends to be shortest right after the museum opens or later in the afternoon.
Shops, Trades, and Treats
Several buildings along the main street double as working shops. A general store stocks the kind of goods a 1920s household would have relied on, a barber and salon show off period grooming tools, and a small bakery counter sells baked treats that make for a good mid-visit break. Watching the tradespeople explain their work is often a highlight for older kids and history-minded adults alike.
Inside the Heritage Homes
Several of the houses along the streets are furnished the way a family home would have looked in the 1920s, right down to the table settings in the dining room and the patterns on the wallpaper. Peering into these rooms gives a much closer sense of daily life than reading a plaque, and it’s often where younger visitors slow down and start asking questions.
Events Throughout the Year
Burnaby Village Museum runs a full calendar of seasonal openings on top of its regular summer hours:
- Family Day (February) Free admission on the Family Day statutory holiday, with regular exhibits and demonstrations running.
- Spring Break (mid to late March) The village opens daily for the school break, with free admission and unlimited carousel rides included on select days.
- Summer Season (early May to early September) The main operating season, open Tuesday to Sunday with full exhibits, costumed interpreters, and daily demonstrations.
- Haunted Village (October) A family-friendly Halloween event with trick-or-treating stations, live entertainment, and seasonal decor across the village. This event requires paid admission.
- Festive Village / Heritage Christmas (late November to early January) The village lights up for the holidays with free admission, seasonal entertainment, and food from local vendors. See below for details.
Festive Village: One of the Best Free Christmas Light Displays in Metro Vancouver
From late November through the start of January, the village transforms into Festive Village (also known as Heritage Christmas), and it’s one of the best places in the region to see holiday lighting without paying admission. Thousands of lights cover the heritage buildings and trees along the streets, and the whole site takes on a warm, old-fashioned holiday atmosphere after dark.
Carol singers and roving performers move through the village on select nights, especially on weekends, and Father Christmas makes regular appearances for photos. The season usually opens with a tree-lighting celebration, and carousel proceeds during that evening typically go toward a local holiday charity.
For food, Mai’s Cafe serves warm meals and drinks to help visitors thaw out, and a seasonal kettle corn vendor sells fresh popcorn and other sweet treats along the paths, a favourite stop for kids wandering the lights. The museum is closed on Mondays, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and because it’s free and popular, entry is sometimes paused briefly during peak evenings, so weekday visits or early evenings tend to be quieter.
General admission is free year-round, so budget only for carousel rides, food, and parking if it applies. The site covers ten acres of mostly flat, paved and gravel pathways, so comfortable walking shoes make the visit easier, especially with a stroller.
Hours and open days change with the season, and the museum is closed on Mondays outside of statutory holidays and special events. It’s worth checking the official schedule before visiting, particularly around Heritage Christmas and Haunted Village, when hours and crowd levels shift the most.
Carousel pricing and event details can change without notice. Check the official Burnaby Village Museum website for current rates before visiting.
Walking through Burnaby Village Museum feels less like touring an exhibit and more like wandering into a town that simply kept going about its day a hundred years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, general admission is free. The carousel charges a small per-ride fee, and special evening events may have their own admission model.
During the main summer season, from early May to early September, the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 4:30 pm, with last entry at 4 pm. It’s closed on Mondays outside of statutory holidays. Hours shift for spring break, Haunted Village, and Heritage Christmas, so it’s best to confirm the current schedule before visiting.
The most direct route is the 144 bus from Metrotown Station on the Expo Line, which drops off close to the museum entrance. Free parking is also available on site for those driving.
The museum closes to the public for most of the winter but reopens for the Heritage Christmas event from late November through early January, featuring seasonal lighting throughout the village.
Carousel rides typically cost a few dollars each. Exact pricing can change, so it’s worth checking the museum’s website for the current rate before your visit.
The C.W. Parker Carousel was hand-carved in 1912 and has been at Burnaby Village Museum’s Don Wrigley Pavilion since 1993, after local volunteers raised the funds to save it from being sold off piece by piece.
Yes. Carol singers and roving performers appear throughout the season, especially on weekends, and Father Christmas makes regular appearances. Mai’s Cafe serves warm food and drinks, and a seasonal kettle corn vendor sells popcorn and sweet treats along the paths.
Plan the rest of your day in Burnaby, or pair your visit with a stroll around Deer Lake Park, right next door to the museum.
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