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Food
Ricky’s Family Restaurant-Parksville: December 25th 8am to 2pm. Receive an individual Chicken Pot Pie and a coffee to go at no charge.
Community Christmas Dinner presented by Nanaimo 7-10 Society: Wednesday December 24th, 1pm to 4pm at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Take away also available.
Christmas Day Free Turkey Dinner for Women and Children: Presented by Rising Hope Community Kitchen and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 256. December 25th 2pm to 6pm. Santa visit, food, gifts, games, winter wear exchange. Located at 1630 E Wellington Road. Seating is limited. RSVP by Dec 23rd to this link: https://forms.gle/QG1e8uiCHbWHevAG6
Christmas Day Turkey Dinner: Thursday Dec 25th 4pm to 7pm. Harvest Church. 6553 Portsmouth Road.
Events
Ladysmith Festival of Lights: From Nov 27th until the second Sunday in January, walk or drive down First Avenue for a Christmas Light display.
City of Nanaimo Winter Wonderland 2025: December 24, 26-31. FREE drop-in skating sessions at Frank Crane Arena. Includes skate and helmet rentals. Visit the link for schedules.
2025 Christmas Lights Map presented by Nanaimo News Now
66th Annual Frank Ney Memorial Polar Bear Swim: December 26th at Departure Bay Beach. Registration begins at 11am at the Kin Hut. FREE. Plunge at 1pm. Presented by Royal LePage Nanaimo Realty.
Happy Noon Year 2026 in Parksville: Wednesday December 31st 10:30am to 12:30pm. Special version of a New Year’s celebration for families, kids and everyone who has that New Year’s spirit! DJ dance party, cupcake decorating, and face painting, all at Memorial Plaza in downtown Parksville. Plus a Happy Noon Year countdown and balloon drop at noon!
Nanaimo Area Land Trust Christmas Bird Count 4 Kids: Saturday January 3rd, 10am to 11:30am. Oliver Woods Community Center in the Tree Frog room. For kids aged 5 to 12. Short presentation about birds, then walk around the nearby marsh. Bring binoculars if you wish. RSVP to stewardship@nalt.bc.ca
50th Anniversary of the opening of Beban Park Pool and Frank Crane Arena: Special swim and skate with admission costing only $0.76!
-Swimming/Weight Room at Beban Pool, 12-4 pm
-Skating at Frank Crane Arena, 12-3 pm
Limited capacity, so admission is on a first come, first served basis.
Chapters Nanaimo Winter Play Days: January 2, 3 and 4th at 11am. Registration required. Cost is $5 but every attendee receives a $5 Chapters Gift Card.
Visits with Santa
Cabela’s/Bass Pro Shops Visit with Santa: Free 4×6 Photo. Pre-book slot online. Also offering free kids craft kits.
Other supports
Gogo’s Christmas Tree Farm: Any single mothers who had a rough financial year can get a free Christmas Tree of their choice. Please call Mike Gogo at 250 754 2276 or email at mikegogo@shaw.ca
Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo 