New Christmas village in Gatineau

For three years, we have been secretly dreaming of a project that speaks to our inner child: a Christmas Village in the heart of downtown Gatineau. And in 2026, it will become a reality. We’re going to transform the exterior of the Canadian Museum of History into a winter playground, with magic at every turn. This isn’t the first time we’ve been tasked with transforming a space for the holidays, but this time, it’s on another level.

More than just a pretty postcard

We didn’t want to just “decorate.” The idea is to create a small village centered around a huge 92-foot Christmas tree. With a real train. An outdoor movie theater. A cookie factory. Plenty of hot cocoa. The real Santa Claus. And a few surprises that we’re still keeping to ourselves. Our goal is for visitors to participate and interact with the space—not just look at it. We want to build a lively place that even looks like it has a bit of history. And that’s a challenge that our experience and identity teams took very seriously.

“The Village’s visual identity is designed to invite visitors to discover and marvel at the heart of a magical and enigmatic folklore. The badge designed for the event is a graphic key that secretly contains the visual foundations of the brand, a kind of experiential search-and-find. It is a visual identity that goes beyond its representational functions and contributes to the storytelling of the event by enriching it.” – Jonathan Crevier, artistic director.

A project that brings people together

We hope that the Christmas Village will become Gatineau’s new holiday destination. We already know that we have the best view in town thanks to an agreement with the Canadian Museum of History, which has agreed to host us. As for the rest, we really want to create something that appeals to everyone, regardless of age. Standing in front of such a huge tree, we all feel like kids again anyway.

Just a little more patience. See you in 2026 to discover this village that we are building with a lot of heart, creativity…and way too much chocolate. Help us.