Comox has two big holiday evenings this year. Christmas at Filberg opens on Saturday, Nov. 21, and the Downtown Comox Mayor Tree Lighting follows on Friday, Nov. 27. Most of the season, though, happens after those nights. Filberg Park keeps its lights on every evening through Dec. 31. A harbour seal moves through downtown shops for two weeks after the tree lighting. The downtown winter market has moved indoors and now runs over two weekends. If you miss a kick-off night this year, you haven't missed much.
Here is the season in order:
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Filberg Lodge tours start, running Thursdays from noon to 3 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 20: the Filberg Gift Shop opens for the season.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Christmas at Filberg Kick-Off and Outdoor Winter Market, 3 to 7 p.m.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Mayor Tree Lighting and Gather Market downtown, 3 to 7 p.m. The Seal on the Shelf hunt starts the same day.
- Nov. 27–28 and Dec. 4–5: The Gather Marketplace, upstairs from The Mill Coffee.
- Dec. 5–6: Comox Valley Makers Market Decorates Christmas, Upper Hall, Comox Legion.
- Through Dec. 31: Filberg Park's lights, every evening until 9 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Filberg starts six weeks of evenings in the park
The Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park Association holds its Kick-Off and Outdoor Winter Market on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 3 to 7 p.m. There will be artisan vendors, warm food and drinks for sale, kids' crafts, entertainment, and a visit from Santa. The Filberg Gift Shop will be open for holiday shopping.
Entry is by donation, and the money goes toward ongoing restoration and maintenance of Filberg Lodge and Park. Santa photos run from 5 to 7 p.m. They're free if you take them on your own phone, or you can buy professional photos from the on-site photographer for $10, cash only. Bring a bill if you want the printed version.
The kick-off is a single evening, and the six weeks after it are where the park earns its place on the calendar. From Nov. 21 to Dec. 31, the park stays open until 9 p.m. every evening, and the light displays are free. The lights go on the heritage buildings and along the fences. The association suggests bringing a flashlight and bundling up for an evening walk.
So you can save Filberg for a quiet Tuesday in mid-December after work, when visiting family wants something to do or the kids need some air before bed. It costs nothing, and you can go as many times as you like.
The lodge in daylight: Thursday tours and a weekend gift shop
The lodge has its own schedule, and none of it falls on the kick-off night.
- Lodge tours: Thursdays from Nov. 19 to Dec. 17, noon to 3 p.m. You don't need an appointment. Volunteers lead the tours and take you through the history of the lodge and the property, and donations are welcome.
- Filberg Gift Shop: Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. The shop sells gently used fine china, crystal, linens, silverware, jewellery, glass, flatware, pottery and art, set out through the rooms of the lodge.
The gift shop also accepts donations of those kinds of items. If you have a cupboard of china you've been meaning to clear before the holidays, call the shop at 250.941.4414 to book a drop-off time.
Put these together and you can do a full Filberg loop in one Thursday or Friday. Tour the lodge or browse the gift shop in the afternoon, then come back after dark for the lights.
Friday, Nov. 27 on Port Augusta starts two weeks downtown
The Downtown Comox Mayor Tree Lighting is at 215 Port Augusta on Friday, Nov. 27, from 3 to 7 p.m. According to the Downtown Comox event page, Santa arrives at 3:15 p.m. and Comox Mayor Nicole Minions lights the tree at 5:15 p.m. There will be live entertainment and fire pits along Comox Ave. My Comox Valley Now reported the same times on Nov. 3 and said the evening also includes a holiday market and the Red Carpet Treat Trail.
If you have small children, plan around two times. Santa arrives early, at 3:15 p.m., and the tree lights two hours later, at 5:15 p.m.
The Red Carpet Treat Trail is for that evening only. Participating Comox BIA businesses will have a small holiday treat or festive surprise for anyone who walks in during the tree lighting. The participating shops are:
- Castaway Used Books
- Coast Surf Shop
- Eyes On The Harbour Optometrists
- Mountaintop to Beach Giftware
- Panacea Massage & Wellness
- Relish Blinds, Shades & Awnings Inc
- Roam Store + Studio
- The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy
- Wildflower Mercantile
Seal on the Shelf goes on longer. Starting Nov. 27, a small harbour seal will turn up at participating downtown businesses for two weeks. When you spot it, scan the QR code beside it and fill out a short online form to enter for a weekly prize or the grand prize. The seal is visiting the same shops as the Treat Trail, except Panacea Massage & Wellness.
The prizes are weekly, so a seal hunt fits ordinary errands, like a prescription pickup at The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy or a stop at Castaway Used Books on a Saturday, better than it fits one crowded Friday. The event's partners are the Comox BIA and the Town of Comox. The title sponsor is Comox Centre Mall, and the champion sponsors include Tidal Café, Comox Valley Airport and Coastal Community Credit Union.
Where the market went: upstairs, and over two weekends
This is the biggest change this year. The Comox BIA says its winter market is moving indoors. Arts and crafts vendors from past downtown Comox events are invited to sell through The Gather Marketplace, located upstairs from The Mill Coffee.
It runs over two weekends:
- Nov. 27–28, the tree lighting weekend
- Dec. 4–5
The setup works differently from a row of outdoor tables. Vendors drop off their goods. The Gather team builds the shop, curates the collection and handles every sale. Vendors get 100 per cent of their profit at the end of each weekend. The organizers say shoppers will see a rotating selection of locally made items.
For shoppers, this means the market is weatherproof, as the BIA puts it, and the stock can change between the two weekends. If you browse on Nov. 28 and don't find the right gift, the Dec. 4–5 weekend may have different pieces. On a December evening on the Comox waterfront, an indoor market also means nobody's paper bags get soaked.
The second Gather weekend overlaps with another market. The Comox Valley Makers Market Decorates Christmas is on Dec. 5 and 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Upper Hall at the Comox Legion. YANA says the organizers chose it to receive additional vendor fees and the proceeds from the event's fundraiser.
Line up the dates and Saturday, Dec. 5 has two markets in Comox: the second Gather weekend and the first day of Decorates Christmas. Both are indoors, so one Saturday can cover a large part of a local gift list.
Daylight at the marina, evenings at Filberg
Many winter afternoons in Comox are short, and one change from this past spring helps fill them. In March, the Town of Comox opened the main dock at the Comox Municipal Marina, beside Marina Park, to the public for the first time. CHEK News reported that the dock is now open seven days a week.
The winter schedule matters this time of year. From mid-September to April 30, the gates are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Summer hours, from May 1 to mid-September, are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Town asks visitors to follow posted signage and safety guidance on the docks. In CHEK's report, Mayor Minions said opening the gates means the shoreline "remains a welcoming space for residents and visitors."
The marina gates close at 4 p.m. and Filberg's lights stay on until 9 p.m., so the two make an easy pairing. Walk the dock in the late-morning light, warm up downtown over lunch and a seal hunt, and save Filberg for after dark. Out-of-town guests get a full day in Comox without anyone needing to plan around a ticketed event.
In Mack Laing Park, the Town's Oct. 22 update put the estimated completion of the Mack Laing viewing platform at early January 2027, depending on the weather. That makes it something to look forward to in the new year.
If you're expecting visitors this December, especially family coming out for their first Comox Christmas, I'm always happy to share the spots I'd show them, from the Filberg fences after dark to the walk down to the marina. I grew up in this valley, and the season here is one of my favourite things about it. Whenever you'd like to talk about the Comox Valley, now or in the new year, Tina Vincent is only a message away. Let's Connect.
