A Donsdale December: One Free Sunday on 177 Street, Four Weekends Across the River

Donsdale's holiday season has two fixed dates on opposite sides of the North Saskatchewan. On the west bank there's Christmas at Callingwood, one free afternoon on Sunday, December 6. On the east bank, the Edmonton Christmas Market fills Fort Edmonton Park from November 27 to December 20. A $28.2 million footbridge and a paved trail through Oleskiw connect the two, and the Fort Edmonton Footbridge was built to link this side of the valley to the other.

From the Wolf Willow Ravine side, a trip to the Fort Edmonton market can start on foot, along the paved trail that leads to that bridge.

Sunday, December 6, back on 177 Street

The Callingwood Farmers' Market wrapped up its 2026 season on October 11 and is already planning for 2027. The same 177 Street corner comes back to life for one afternoon in December. Christmas at Callingwood runs Sunday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Callingwood Professional Centre, 6650 177 Street NW. Admission is free.

The event page lists:

• Santa photos
• A horse-drawn hayride
• Carolers
• Crafts and refreshments

The organizers ask guests to bring a new, unwrapped toy or a cash donation for Santas Anonymous. The hayride depends on the weather. It may be cancelled if the temperature drops below −25°C. In an Edmonton December that can happen, so check the forecast that morning if the horses are why you're going. The page also has a map pin, which is worth opening before you head over.

It's four hours on one Sunday with no ticket. That makes it the opposite of what's happening across the river.

Across the river, four weekends at Fort Edmonton Park

The Edmonton Christmas Market started at ATB Place in 2019. CTV Edmonton was already calling the Fort Edmonton Park edition the fourth annual market in 2022. This year it runs November 27 to December 20, 2026 at 7000 143 St NW. That opens two days earlier and closes one day earlier than in 2025, which CTV Edmonton reported ran November 29 to December 21. The market is still a couple of weeks out, and opening day is Friday, November 27.

Here's what a visit costs and when the gates are open, from the market's ticket page and FAQ:

A family of four saves $10 by buying the family pack online, and each adult ticket is $4 cheaper online than at the door. The market is closed Monday to Wednesday. Opening weekend starts on a Friday, so the first Thursday session falls on December 3.

The 2026 schedule adds ticketed sessions on top of general admission. On Saturday, November 28, Stories & Songs: A Children's Christmas Workshop runs during the first weekend. On Saturday, December 5, there's a Classic Tourtiere Making Workshop with Chartier. The schedule also lists Winter Pairings with Blindman Brewing & Lakeside Farmstead, a Christmas Tea and the Candy Cane Cabaret.

You don't need December to visit Fort Edmonton Park. The Indigenous Peoples Experience is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through April 25, 2027, and it's the only part of the park open during that season. Admission is $20 for adults, $12 for ages 3 to 17, and $50 for two adults with up to three children. Indigenous Peoples get in free, and the City's Leisure Access Pass is accepted.

The bridge that puts the park on your side

The Fort Edmonton Footbridge is 250 metres long and 5 metres wide. The City believes it's the second-largest suspension bridge in Alberta. It was the first footbridge Edmonton had built since 1985, and it opened in spring 2011.

The City's fact sheet shows the bridge was only part of the project. Crews also built 2.5 km of new trail. They paved from the west end of the bridge through the Oleskiw lands to the Terwillegar Park footbridge and the dog park. They built new stairs at Patricia Ravine and a new walking bridge across the Wolf Willow Ravine. On the far side, the trail is paved from the east end of the bridge to Whitemud Road.

The City's Oleskiw park plan describes the same network from the ground. A paved multi-use trail links the Fort Edmonton and Terwillegar footbridges. A granular trail heads north to the Wolf Willow Ravine staircase and Westridge, and another granular route climbs the western slope toward Oleskiw.

That split between paved and granular trail decides your winter walk. Under the City's snow-clearing policy, paved river valley trails are Priority 2. Clearing starts once 2.5 cm of snow has fallen and is normally done within 72 hours. Gravel trails are left in their natural state all winter. The paved spine from the footbridge through Oleskiw is the dependable route a few days after a snowfall. The granular connections up toward Westridge and Oleskiw will be packed down by boots or not at all.

The Wolf Willow Ravine walking bridge from that same 2011 project had a busy fall. CTV Edmonton reported on September 18 that the City had closed the bridge between Westridge and Oleskiw for erosion repairs and new retaining walls. The City said the closure would last until the end of October, with landscaping to follow in spring. If your route uses that crossing, check the City's live Cautions & Closures Map on its river valley trail system page before you lace up.

The frozen river is no shortcut. The City warns that river ice is unsafe for walking or skiing because its thickness varies and the river keeps moving underneath.

Getting through the gate

The footbridge gets you to the Fort Edmonton side of the valley. You still enter the market at the park's Front Entrance, where tickets are scanned. The market's FAQ lists three ways to get there:

1. ETS Bus Line 4. It stops at Fort Edmonton Park & Fox Drive, right in front of the park.
2. Driving. On-site parking is free and first come, first served. Attendants send cars to the main lot or the on-site overflow lot. When both are full, the market points drivers to public lots just off Fox Drive.
3. The shuttle. It runs during festival hours and drops guests at the Front Entrance.

Fridays and Saturdays run until 10 p.m. If you're not driving, look up the Line 4 schedule for the trip home before you go. A late walk back over the footbridge in December means the dark and whatever the trail looks like after the latest snowfall.

One weekend that uses both banks

The calendar puts the two events back to back. The Chartier tourtière workshop is at Fort Edmonton Park on Saturday, December 5. Christmas at Callingwood is the next day, Sunday, December 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on 177 Street.

Here's one way to spend that weekend:

• Saturday afternoon or evening: Buy tickets online for the $4 adult savings and head to the market. On Saturdays it's open from noon until 10 p.m.
• Sunday late morning: Bring an unwrapped toy or a cash donation for Santas Anonymous to Callingwood. Go before 3 p.m. if you want Santa photos and the hayride.
• Any day after a snowfall: Wait until the City has had its 72 hours to clear the paved trails, then walk the Oleskiw trail out to the Fort Edmonton Footbridge.

The Callingwood afternoon happens once and is free. The Fort Edmonton market runs 15 days across four weekends and charges admission. Between them is the paved trail to the footbridge, which the City normally clears within 72 hours once 2.5 cm of snow has fallen.

Thinking about how close you'd like to be to the river valley trails, or wondering how your west-end home compares with what's selling nearby this winter? The Anderson Co. can walk you through it, trailhead and all. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll take it from there.