Richmond Green's Winter Weekends Run on Three Nights, and Devonsleigh Sits Right Beside All of Them

Richmond Hill's Merry Marketplace returns to Richmond Green Park on five Saturdays this year: November 14, 21 and 28, then December 5 and 12, each from 4 to 8 p.m. The market is the biggest event of the season, but the City schedules more than the market. Drop-in skating at Tom Graham Arena runs on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Saturday evenings belong to the market. Together they repeat as a three-day pattern every week until the market's last night.

For a household in Devonsleigh, on the north side of Elgin Mills Road East between Bayview and Leslie, that pattern is a short drive away at 1300 Elgin Mills Road East. All three nights are a short trip from home.

The week at a glance

Here is the weekly schedule at Richmond Green and the nearest places to eat, using what the City and the businesses have posted as of mid-October 2026:

Tom Graham Arena is part of the Richmond Green complex, along with the indoor sports centre, the skate trail and the Boynton House Art Exhibition Space, according to the City's July 2026 announcement on the park's future. All of it sits on one site, so going on Friday doesn't mean learning a new parking lot on Saturday.

The weekend before any of it starts

The first market night is still three weeks off, but Richmond Green already has something on this coming weekend. Paisley Studio's exhibition Ceramic Stories in Clay: Hand, Fire & Soul is listed at Boynton House from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25, 2026. The City lists no public viewing hours for this show. Shows at Boynton are run by the groups that book the space, and permit holders can use it between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Check with the organizer before you walk over.

That weekend also starts the routine for the weeks ahead, since the drop-in skating season at Tom Graham Arena has been running since September 28 and continues to March 31, 2027. The ice is already open on Fridays and Sundays, so from late October those two nights work as a trial run for the busier weekends in November.

Friday is the arena's night

On Friday at Tom Graham Arena, public skating runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and drop-in ringette follows from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. The City marks the ringette session as new this season. One family could fill both sessions back to back: younger skaters take the public skate, and anyone who wants a game stays for ringette. A 10-visit ringette card costs $78, compared with $8.70 per visit. That works out to $7.80 a session, so the card pays off from the ninth visit. Starting October 23, a player who comes every Friday reaches that ninth session on December 18, and the drop-in season runs well beyond that.

For an early dinner before the 7 p.m. skate, Pi Co at 10785 Leslie Street, near Leslie and Elgin Mills, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Subway at 1500 Elgin Mills Road East, Unit A104, stays open later, until 10 p.m. most nights, closing at 8 p.m. on Mondays and 9 p.m. on Sundays. Subway is the one nearby option still open after ringette ends at 9:30.

Saturday from 4 to 8

The Merry Marketplace is the reason the calendar fills up. The City lists it as an outdoor market and notes that dates and times may change. Destination Ontario lists the same five Saturdays in its guide to the province's holiday markets. That puts Richmond Green on the same regional list visitors use to plan trips, so the park gets traffic from well beyond the neighbourhood.

The City hasn't published the 2026 program yet. Last year's market had artisan vendors, food concessions and warm drinks, crafts and contests, parade-style entertainment, Santa and Mrs. Claus, photo spots, a fire-pit warming station and live performers, according to the City's November 2025 announcement. That gives a fair idea of the format, but the 2026 lineup is the City's to confirm. The vendor list depends on the City's selection process, and applying does not guarantee a spot.

The lights stay up after the market closes. The City's Merry Marketplace page says the winter lights at Richmond Green Park stay on daily through January until 10 p.m. The 2025 announcement said the same about last season. If this year follows that pattern, Devonsleigh households can see the lights on a quiet Tuesday without the Saturday crowds. Market visitors from farther away are less likely to come back on a weeknight.

For Saturday errands before 4 p.m., Healthy Planet's Richmond Hill East store at 10775 Leslie Street, Unit A401, opens at 9:30 a.m., and the company's store locator shows it closing at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 p.m. on Sundays. York Region reported that the store took over the former Mark's space near Elgin Mills as the chain's second Richmond Hill location. Paris Baguette at 1500 Elgin Mills Road East, Unit A105, is in the same plaza as Subway. Confirm its hours before planning a stop on the way in.

Sunday is the gentler afternoon

Sunday public skating at Tom Graham Arena runs from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the same prices as Friday. It's the easiest session for younger kids or grandparents who would rather skate in daylight. Sunset Grill at 1500 Elgin Mills Road East serves from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. That closing time suits a late breakfast or early lunch before the 2:30 skate, though it rules out dinner.

The outdoor option is the Richmond Green Skate Trail, a free 250-metre loop with evening lights and plenty of parking. It needs no registration and operates from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily when the weather allows. The City permits wheelchairs on the ice as long as the person accompanying them wears skates. As of mid-October, the City's outdoor skating page still shows the 2025–2026 season as closed, and no opening date for 2026–27 is posted. Until it opens, Tom Graham Arena is the only ice at Richmond Green.

How the park is set to change over the next few winters

The weekly pattern above is how Richmond Green works now. Council has approved the Richmond Green Revitalization Master Plan, which the City announced on July 17, 2026, and several of its items would change winter at the park. The plan includes an upgraded skate trail for winter skating. It also calls for a new or renovated Agricultural Building with concessions, washrooms, a picnic pavilion and storage to support large events, plus more walking trails linking the buildings, the park and the surrounding neighbourhoods. A 12-court pickleball hub is also in the plan, with design expected to start in 2027 and construction in 2028.

Some work on site is already underway. The City's capital projects list shows asbestos abatement at the Richmond Green Sports Complex to prepare for future improvements, with completion expected by fall 2026. The listing says the work is meant to keep the building safe for staff and visitors, and it does not describe any closures.

Living close to Richmond Green is one of the things that sets Devonsleigh apart, and it's the kind of detail a careful valuation picks up. If you'd like to know what your home is worth in today's market, Kevin Lin and the team can walk you through it. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation.