St. Albert Christmas Market 2026: Plan Your Visit to Red Willow Place

"It's not a matter of competition," Jarrett Delaney of Confections Cake Co. told the St. Albert Gazette in June. "You all feed off each other, and when you make the community want to be downtown as a whole, everybody wins."

In that same piece, he and Brittany Delaney said a recent downtown night market had brought people in and made the area walkable. Jarrett hoped for events like it once or twice a month, and Brittany said she would like to see the Chamber bring a market closer to downtown.

Five months later, the Chamber's holiday market has a new address downtown. The St. Albert Christmas Market is leaving the Enjoy Centre greenhouse for Red Willow Place on Taché Street. Its first Saturday falls the morning after the Snowflake Festival lights up Perron Street. That puts the season's kickoff in the city centre on both Friday night and Saturday morning, with the Arden, the gallery and Perron Street's restaurants all within the same downtown blocks.

What changed between last year and this one

The 2025 market ran inside the Enjoy Centre greenhouse at 101 Riel Drive. A free shuttle ran from Naki, and the Gazette reported a lineup of 225 vendors over five straight Saturdays. The 2026 version, as posted on the St. Albert Farmers' Market Christmas page, looks like this:

One practical warning. The City of St. Albert's event calendar listing for the market still shows last year's dates at the Enjoy Centre. If a friend sends you that link, the organizer's page is the one to trust. The Enjoy Centre is still open. The Gazette reported this fall that the Edmonton Reptile Expo was back there October 3 and 4. It just isn't hosting the Christmas market this year.

The organizer's page doesn't say why the market moved or why the season dropped from five Saturdays to three. Vendor listings and a market map are marked "coming November 2026."

Friday night belongs to Perron Street

The weekend starts the evening before the market. The St. Albert Kinsmen present the Snowflake Festival on Friday, November 27, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. It spreads across Perron Street, St. Thomas Street and St. Albert Place.

Here's what's on the 2026 list:

• Horse-drawn sleigh rides from Lonestar Ranch Wagons & Sleighs
• A visit from Santa
• Train rides and a petting zoo
• Street hockey and craft areas
• Food trucks, plus a nudge from organizers to grab a hot meal at a downtown restaurant

Organizers say they've added more hands-on activities this year. Inside St. Albert Place, the Art Gallery of St. Albert and Musée Héritage Museum are offering free holiday art-making, family activities and warm drinks during the festival. On a cold night in late November, that's a handy place to warm up between sleigh rides.

Saturday morning at Red Willow Place

The market's new home doesn't usually host big events. Red Willow Place is the St. Albert Seniors Association's 16,495-square-foot community facility for people 50 and older. It has programs, room rentals and a bistro. The City owns the building, which sits south of the Sturgeon River on Taché Street, right beside Lions Park. It reopened in 2016 after more than a year of renovation that cost $3.47 million.

That location is what keeps the whole weekend downtown. Coming from Friday night's festival, Saturday's market is still in the city centre.

Before you go, the market collects for two causes. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army Toy Drive and a donation for the St. Albert Food Bank. Both drop-offs run all day. The organizers also promise live local music.

There's also a scam warning on the organizer's page. The Chamber only contacts vendors and shoppers from addresses ending in @stalbertchamber.com, and it no longer takes e-transfers for booth fees.

Where to sit down between the two

Fifteen Perron Street is a good place to start. Confections Cake Co. has been there since 2017 and swept Best Coffee Shop, Best Downtown Business and Best Ice Cream in this year's Gazette Readers' Choice Awards. Its coffee comes from Endeavour Brewing, and its skyscraper milkshakes are a signature. Next door are Jack's Burger Shack and WildRoots Bistro. The Delaneys told the Gazette the three businesses swap tips, tools and customers.

When the Gazette reported in January that Jack's was up for sale, its co-owner told the paper, "We're not closing."

For a quieter Saturday-morning coffee, the downtown business association's directory lists BreadLove at 46C St. Michael Street. Little Darling Coffee operates inside it, according to the Gazette's June story on BreadLove.

The Downtown St. Albert Business Association's food and drink directory lists more options within walking distance:

• Kaizen Japanese Restaurant, 100-21 Perron St.
• Rigani Greek Fusion Kitchen, 31 Perron St.
• SanRemo Italian Bistro, 10A Perron St.
• Luisa Risto, 104-8 Perron St.
• Grapevine Deli, 10 Perron St.
• La Crema Caffe, 44 St. Thomas St.
• Macarons & Goodies, 103-50 St. Thomas St.

The Perron District directory adds Whisk Bakeshop & Coffeehouse in Grandin Tower on Taché Street, the same street as the market. Directory hours can change over the holidays, so call ahead before a group lunch.

The rest of the season runs through the same blocks

The Christmas market is the newest piece, but most of the season's culture is already downtown. Here's the calendar from the end of October through the market's last Saturday:

1. Friday, October 30: Back to Black: A Celebration of Amy Winehouse at the Arden Theatre, 5 St. Anne Street. Thursday's God is a Scottish Drag Queen Halloween Spooktacular is already sold out.
2. Through November 21: Grid Makers by Kim McCollum at the Art Gallery of St. Albert, with an artist reception and talk on November 5.
3. November 3 to January 23, 2027: Held in the Weft by Négar Devine-Tajgardan at the gallery, with an in-person tour on November 13.
4. Tuesday, November 10: Brent Butt at the Arden. The same day, What's Underneath: Mining in St. Albert opens at the Musée Héritage Museum, with a reception on November 14.
5. Wednesday, November 18: William Prince at the Arden. The evening show is sold out, but a matinee is also listed.
6. November 26 to December 8: Anne of Green Gables at the Arden. Evening shows are listed from November 26 to December 7 and matinees from November 29 to December 8, so the run spans the first two market Saturdays.
7. November 27: Snowflake Festival. November 28, December 5 and December 12: Christmas market at Red Willow Place.

On paper, a household could go to the festival Friday, shop the market Saturday morning, eat on Perron Street and catch Anne that night without leaving downtown.

What's still waiting on a date

Lions Park, right beside Red Willow Place, is one of two spots where the City plans a skating freezeway "this winter." Rotary Park is the other. The City's rinks page doesn't give an opening date yet, and its conditions table still shows last season's March closures. Check the City's rinks page before you pack skates for market day.

Lions Park itself is in line for a redesign. The City says the project covers only Lions Park and won't change nearby land or public spaces. A What We Heard summary from public feedback is due in November 2026, and the final design is expected in early 2027. Construction depends on future funding approval and has no date yet. The City lists a paved parking lot next to the park. Combined with the market's promise of free parking, that should make the first Saturday easier than squeezing onto Perron Street the night before.

If you followed the farmers market through its Saturdays this past summer and fall, the Christmas market is the winter version of that routine, now on Taché Street.

If your holiday plans include figuring out what your place close to downtown St. Albert might be worth before spring, The Anderson Co. is happy to run the numbers over a coffee on Perron Street. Start with a free home valuation, or browse our St. Albert neighbourhood page between market Saturdays.