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Holiday light display has raised $146,000-plus for children's charity

Joel DuPlessis holiday lighting for 2025 The holiday lights display built each year by long-time BC Hydro employee Joel DuPlessis thrills visiting families and raises funds for the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. This year it’s on December 1 to January 4 at 8222 Burnlake Drive in Burnaby.

Wildly popular light show in Burnaby raises funds for BC Children's Hospital Foundation

The last time we checked in with Joel DuPlessis, he was trying to find a way to hit a new annual target of $10,000 in fundraising for the BC Children's Hospital Foundation.

The good news is that the Burnaby homeowner and long-time BC Hydro employee, whose legendary holiday display is a major stop on many families' lights tours each year, has since blown that goal out of the water. Thanks to smaller individual donations and a couple really big corporate donors, he has eclipsed the $35,000 mark the last two holiday seasons.

The bad news is that, as he preps for the 2025 show, a few "locals" have invaded his lawn.

"The crows and raccoons have ripped up half of my front yard," says DuPlessis in mid-November, barely two weeks shy of when he's due to open the amazing light display to thousands of visitors starting December 1. "I'm trying to figure out a solution to make my yard look presentable. I'm getting creative with sand and white tarps to make it look like snow."

DuPlessis will get it done, as he always has over the past 27 years. Families will flock to see it, kids will be absolutely delighted, and countless dollars will be raised for a great cause.

Annual display is a labour of love

At age 16, DuPlessis stumbled upon a woodworking book that inspired him to build a mechanical sleigh and reindeer for the roof of his mom's East Vancouver home.

"It was just something to do, and not exactly what every teen does," recalls DuPlessis.

Many years later, DuPlessis has his own home and ever-growing plans to wow anyone who drives up during the holiday season. He takes up to a month off from work each year to set up thousands of lights, decorations, and inflatables, and choreographing it all to a holiday soundtrack you can tune into from the comfort of your vehicle.

"Probably the best part about this kind of a hobby is that it brings joy during the holiday season," he says.

For some families, arriving as early as 4 p.m. at what's known as the DuPlessis Family Christmas Display, has become tradition. The lights go on at 4:30 p.m. and you can listen to a 12-minute soundtrack – both outside the home and on HoHoHo Radio at 92.3 FM – each day of December.

DuPlessis urges the thousands visiting the display to donate to the BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Heading into this holiday season, he has raised more than $146,000 for the charity over the years.

"Each year, I hear stories – often heartbreaking – from people about what the Children's Hospital has done for their family and kids," he says. "It helps keep me going."

See our list of other holiday lighting gems in B.C.

Joel DuPlessis holiday lighting from 2024 Joel DuPlessis changes things up each year. Here’s the view from the street in 2024.

What's the electricity bill in December?

The DuPlessis Family Christmas is lit up entirely by LED lights. He got rid of the last inefficient incandescent strings over the past few years. Just don't ask him how many individual bulbs are in his display in 2025. DuPlessis says that while tallying the number of lights "used to be a thing" – kind of like bragging rights among the holiday lighting enthusiasts – he stopped counting long ago.

And when asked how much all that lighting costs him each December, he's quick with the answer.

"My answer to that is always '12 equal payments'," he says, referring to BC Hydro's equal payment plan option. "I've always said if it came to the point where the cost worried me, I wouldn't be doing this. I'm fortunate to be able to do this as my hobby and bring joy to the neighbourhood."

A few holiday lighting events from across B.C.

Here are some holiday light displays to check out – residential and commercial – in regions across B.C. See your local news sites for the latest in your area.

Across B.C.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Holiday Train Tour, multiple locations across B.C., from Sparwood to Port Coquitlam

Victoria and region

See the Times Colonist's holiday lights map for 2025

Vancouver Island (outside Victoria area)

South Coast

18 places with dazzling holiday light displays in Metro Vancouver (604now.com)

B.C. Interior