Like belting out holiday music in front of complete strangers? Like to look at Christmas lights? Fancy doing both things while inside a wooden trolley racing through the streets of downtown Vancouver?

Well, you’re in luck.  One of Vancouver’s more unusual holiday traditions is back for another year.

The Karaoke Christmas Lights Trolley will be crooning its way across the city once again, starting Dec. 11.  As the name suggests, the unique tour combines the joys of karaoke with a trolley ride to some of Vancouver’s best seasonal light displays.

Passengers hop on board the festively decorated trolley parked outside Canada Place for the three-hour, singing tour.  As you whiz past downtown’s city lights, the on-board karaoke machine is fired up and the mic gets passed around.  And just when your ears are about bursting with holiday cheer, the party on wheels pulls up to stop number one:Bright Nights at Stanley Park.

More than three million twinkling lights are hung from the trees as part of the annual display, now in its 16th year.  At the miniature train plaza, live music and entertainment, seasonal snacks and, of course, the big man in red himself lend proceedings a festive air. But don’t wander too far – There’s more karaoke in your future.

Hop back in the trolley for a few more tunes and a dash across town to Vancouver’s other glittering, glowing light spectacular: the Festival of Lights. The 55-acre VanDusen Botanical Garden becomes the setting for this elegant display, with millions of twinkling lights – choreographed to “dance” to holiday music – strung on trees around Livingstone Lake.  

Stretch your legs while mingling with the creepy Scandinavian Christmas gnomes, Svend and Jens, enjoying shadow puppet performances, listening to three different community choirs or jumping on board the Candy Cane Express model train.

Finally, it’s back in the trolley for the return trip and – just maybe – a rousing round of the mother of all holiday ballads: the 12 Days of Christmas.

The three-hour Karaoke Christmas Lights Trolley runs Dec. 11-Dec. 30, with pick up at 6:30 p.m. outside Canada Place.  Tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for children and $35 for students and seniors.  A portion of the proceeds go to the B.C. Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund.