Light Up the Village / Early Season Campaign
“Light Up the Village” is an Early Season Campaign focusing on driving visitation between mid-November to mid-December, before peak holiday season begins. It showcases the opportunity to enjoy a pre-festive getaway in Whistler, the anticipation and excitement of winter getting underway, early-winter events and festive experiences. Visitors are encouraged to explore the Village, take in seasonal light displays, get a head start on holiday shopping and experience Whistler’s unique winter wonderland ahead of peak winter.
Highlights include events like Whistler Winterlight (Nov 27-29), Whistler Film Festival (Dec 2-6), Artisan holiday markets including Arts Whistler Holiday Market and Bespoke Market, the opening of Whistler Blackcomb for skiing and snowboarding, seasonal lights across the Village, and holiday shopping.
- Target Dates: End November - Mid December.
- Marketing Focus: Lower Mainland and the Greater Seattle area. Details of the Early Season marketing campaign are found here.
- Campaign Webpage: whistler.com/lights
If you have any questions or have a new idea to explore, please contact Eve Verberne, Coordinator of Destination Experience, at everberne@tourismwhistler.com or (604) 938-2748.
Retail Sector members are invited to sign up as a Shopping Credit location.
To drive visitation for early winter season: we are renewing our Shopping Credit promotion in which customers booking 3+ night stays on Whistler.com for arrivals November 19 - December 20, 2026 are eligible to receive a $100 Shopping Credit to use at participating locations. Booking dates are from now - December 20, 2026.
In order to participate, all credit locations must agree to the following:
- Be a current member in good standing of Tourism Whistler
- Be open for the duration of the initiative (minor scheduling modifications permitted i.e. closed Mondays)
- Accept credits at the full value, without restrictions, through our digital credit platform
- There is no cost to participate! Participating locations will be reimbursed 100% for all vouchers accepted at their location
- Additional offers, promotions, festive decorations or experiences at each location are encouraged
- A minimum of 20 participating retail locations is required to move forward
- Credit expires December 24, 2026
About our digital credit program:
Our digital credit platform allows users to redeem their non-transferable credit via a mobile device. Each retailer will be issued training instructions and a unique password that will validate credit at their location. Once the credit is "redeemed," the retail staff can credit the customer bill $100. Credits will have no cash value, so no change should be given. Weekly reporting will be provided to all locations to assist in tracking, and full reimbursement will follow the program completion.
Further details will be sent to all interested businesses - please sign up by contacting promotions@whistler.com.