Santa Arrives at Currents on November 7. What Else Is New Around Ambleside This Winter?

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, Santa makes his entrance at Bass Pro Shops on Currents Drive. There will be a tree lighting, seasonal treats and a free mini reindeer plush while supplies last. Every fixed date on this season's calendar around Ambleside sits along Currents Drive and Windermere Way. Since mid-September that stretch has added two restaurants, and it now has a holiday schedule printed down to the day. The Greater Windermere Community League's snowbank rink and two toboggan hills have no posted start date. Here's what each one looks like this year, in the order it reaches you.

The one date already on the calendar

Santa's Wonderland is at the Bass Pro Shops store at 6150 Currents Drive NW at Currents of Windermere. According to Bass Pro Canada's Santa's Wonderland page, the 2026 season runs like this:

1. Saturday, November 7, 5 p.m. Santa's arrival, tree lighting and seasonal treats. The arrival activities are free, and the plush giveaway lasts while supplies do. Bass Pro's own advice is to come early.
2. Sunday, November 8. Free 4x6 photos with Santa begin, each with a free shareable video.
3. Wednesday, November 11. No photos on Remembrance Day.
4. Thursday, December 24. Last day for photos.

Reservations open November 1. The photo window runs about seven weeks, from November 8 to December 24, so if you have a particular Saturday in mind, book once reservations open.

Bass Pro's page is the only holiday listing for this corner with real dates on it so far. Currents of Windermere's own events page has no holiday events posted. Its most recent listing was a Harvest Festival on October 17, which has already happened. If the centre adds anything for December, it will go up on shopcurrents.ca.

Two kitchens, four days apart, on Windermere Way

Santa's arrival is the one-night event. The longer-lasting change this fall is on Windermere Way SW, where two restaurants opened within four days of each other in September. Both are second locations from operators whose first Edmonton spot built a following, and both picked this street for that second store.

Taproot Edmonton's September 22 food roundup reported Rob's opening on September 17. That's later than the September 1 target in Daily Hive's earlier preview, which the outlet had flagged as subject to schedule. In the same preview, Daily Hive spelled out the full five-level heat range: Plain Jane, Original Nashville, Hot, Extra Hot and Cluckin' Hot. If you're feeding a table with mixed spice tolerance after toboggan time, that ladder is a big help.

Daily Hive's coverage of Kinton gives the timeline: a soft opening September 21, takeout starting September 29, and noon-to-9 hours seven days a week. The company's reasons for choosing this street appeared in Retail Insider's September 30 report, which quoted Kinton marketing director Trista Jorgensen: "Windermere is a growing residential and amenity-focused area of Edmonton, making it a natural fit for Kinton Ramen as we continue to expand." The same report covered Kinton's fall limited-time bowls. Golden Sesame Ramen is back, with thick noodles in a pork broth blended with white sesame paste. There's also a new Black Sesame Ramen with wood ear mushrooms. Limited-time menus rotate, so call the Windermere location at 780-757-8686 before you go if you have your heart set on one.

If you live on the Ambleside side of Windermere Boulevard, there's a practical upside to both openings. They give you two more sit-down options on a winter weeknight without crossing the Henday or heading into the Terwillegar corridor. They also pair easily with a Bass Pro visit. Santa photos, then dinner, all within one stretch of the Windermere commercial area.

The winter with no date on it

The community-run side of winter in this corner runs through the Greater Windermere Community League. It doesn't publish dates the way a retailer does, so plan around the places themselves. GWCL lists three spots:

• Snowbank rink at Washburn Park, at Washburn Drive and 5A Avenue.
• Small toboggan hill at Ambleside Park, off Ambleside Drive, inside the neighbourhood itself.
• Large toboggan hill at Glenridding Park, 1315 163 Street SW, for kids who have outgrown the small hill.

So far, nothing on the league's site says when Washburn Park will have ice. Its events calendar shows no posted events, even though the Family Day Winter Carnival is on its list of usual community events. The City's outdoor ice page still lists all outdoor surfaces as closed for the season, and it points residents to community league rinks separately. A snowbank rink is built with snow, so the cold and the first real snowfall decide when skates come out, not the calendar. The league's site and social pages will have the opening. If you'd like to help build the rink, the league is the place to ask.

Santa's arrival is booked for 5 p.m. on a named Saturday, and Kinton opens at noon every day. Washburn Park is ready when the snow is. For a family planning November weekends, that puts the commercial strip in the early part of the season and the league's outdoor spots in the deeper part, whenever it shows up.

If the Ambleside Park hill gets crowded, GWCL also points to City-maintained toboggan hills across Edmonton, including Emily Murphy Park, Gallagher Park and Government House Park. They're a drive from the southwest, though, so they make more sense as a day out than a quick after-school run.

The grocery question, which belongs to 2027

One more change is coming, but not this winter. Taproot Edmonton's October 20 food roundup reported that No Frills is planning a store at 17015 Hiller Road SW in Keswick, the neighbourhood next door, based on building permits cited by Daily Hive. In the same roundup, Taproot reported that Loblaw, the parent company, would confirm timing in 2027 and gave no opening date.

So this season's grocery runs stay the same. The plan is on record and the timing isn't, and the next real update is expected sometime next year. Building permits are an early step, and a store can take a long time to go from permit to open doors.

Putting a November weekend together

Here's how the dated pieces line up for the weekend of November 7 and 8:

• Saturday, November 7, before 5 p.m.: Get to Bass Pro early for Santa's arrival and the tree lighting.
• Saturday evening: Kinton at 1217 Windermere Way SW is open until 9 p.m., and Rob's is on the same street at 1319.
• Sunday, November 8 onward: Free Santa photos begin, booked through the reservations that open November 1.
• Whenever the snow sticks: Kids start with the small hill at Ambleside Park, move up to Glenridding Park's big hill, and wait for GWCL to open Washburn Park.

Our earlier guide to an ordinary Ambleside week covers the routines that repeat all year. Everything on this list is new for this season or tied to it. For more on the area, our Ambleside neighbourhood page has the bigger picture.

A new restaurant on Windermere Way, or a grocery store on the way in Keswick, changes what living nearby is like day to day. Over time, changes like that show up in how buyers think about the southwest. At The Anderson Co., we keep track of what opens, what's still only planned and where it sits relative to your street. If you'd like to know how this fall's changes affect what your home is worth, get a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it.