"Epic Fail": Vancouverites slam "terrible" Stanley Park Christmas Train ticketing
Stanley Park Christmas Train is once again running for the holidays, but many excited fans will be left at the station during the winter season.
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation announced today that the popular winter activity completely sold out of tickets just 90 minutes after going on sale this morning.
However, many Vancouverites took to social media to slam the ticketing process that some described as “incredibly frustrating.”
View this post on Instagram
- You might also like:
- Robson Square Ice Rink reveals opening date for free skating in Vancouver
- Lights of Hope fireworks return to St. Paul's Hospital to brighten the holiday season
- VanDusen Festival of Lights returns to Vancouver this holiday season
Cat_Blue on Instagram says, “Tried for an hour and a half… so sad, I got into the site, and it wouldn’t let me book any day or time, when I finally got one date/time, it only allowed me to buy 1 ticket… So incredibly frustrating.”
“Wasted my morning trying all dates/times and got NOTHING … computer bots or WHAT? not fair as was on waiting at 9 am,” added danniemacarthurshaw.
While the tickets sold out before many people could get their hands on them, at least one person is looking at the bright side, saying this is great news for the Burn Fund.
Another user pointed out this is similar to getting tickets for TSwift show.Ā 
The Park Board posted an update on social media, notifying everyone that tickets for the Bright Nights Train were sold out and thanking everyone for their patience.
“The demand for train tickets was unprecedented, with more than 23,000 tickets sold in under 90 minutes,” Vancouver Park Board told Daily Hive in a statement. “We appreciate the tremendous interest in the train and recognize the challenges that some users encountered while trying to buy tickets.
“We share in the collective disappointment that not everyone was able to secure tickets and we will be reviewing our ticketing process going forward. At this point, we do not anticipate releasing additional train tickets as we have reached capacity.”
Univaded Fox/Flickr
The company operating the ticket sales, Showpass, has put out a statement on X that said demand for Bright Nights Train tickets far exceeded available inventory, and that “the event sold out quicker than the Stanley Park Railway could have anticipated.”
A note on Stanley Park Railway’s Bright Nights: pic.twitter.com/59A1d0oBUN
ā Showpass (@showpassevents) November 9, 2023
The Park Board and Showpass added that the holiday lights display and the activities in the plaza will still be open and are free to the public.
Bright Nights and Bright Nights 50/50 are the single largest fundraiser each year for the Burn Fund, which provides life-saving, life-supporting, and life-enriching services to people in BC. The Park Board has donated over $2.5 million to the Burn Fund since 1998.
Programs supported include Burn Camp and the Home Away Program, which provides accommodations to survivors, firefighters, and their families who must travel to Vancouver for medical treatment.
Approximately 800 firefighters from across BC donate 6,400 hours of their time to help set up and take down almost 3 million Christmas lights and displays at Bright Nights.
Bright Nights at Stanley Park 2023
When: November 30, 2023, to January 1, 2024 (closed on December 25)
Time:Ā 4 to 10 pm
Where:Ā Pipeline Road in Stanley Park, via the West Georgia Street park entrance
Admission:Ā Train tickets are sold out. Free to visit the holiday lights display and festive activities in the plaza
Follow Channels and Categories