A moose, a Mountie, a beaver, a canoeist and a skate go around under glass at the corner of Enterprise Boulevard and Birchmount Road. They are among 44 rideable sculptures on the Pride of Canada Carousel, and each was built from recycled and repurposed materials. On Monday, December 7, the carousel will also take payment in a different form. A new, unwrapped toy gets you a free ride.
That trade sums up the first week of December along Highway 7 west of Walden Pond. From Saturday, December 5 to Monday, December 7, each of the three main events between Austin Drive and Birchmount Road comes with a giveaway or a donation built in. The best deal of the three is the toy-for-a-ride offer, which runs for nearly two weeks after the evening it launches.
Here is how the calendar lines up across those three days.
| Date | Where | What happens | What's given or asked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Dec 5, 6 to 8 p.m. | Markham Civic Centre Skating Rink | Christmas Tree Lighting and Skate Party, with the tree lit at 7 p.m. | Free hot chocolate from Enbridge |
| Sunday, Dec 6, before the mall opens | CF Markville, Grand Court | Sensitive Santa visit | $10 booking fee, with all proceeds going to Autism Alliance Canada |
| Monday, Dec 7, 5 to 8 p.m. | Pride of Canada Carousel, 8080 Birchmount Road | CTV Toy Mountain collection | One new, unwrapped toy |
The Saturday and Monday evenings are about two days apart and a few stops apart on the same stretch of Highway 7. The Sunday morning between them is at the mall Walden Pond residents can already walk to.
The City of Markham's Christmas Tree Lighting and Skate Party takes over the Markham Civic Centre Skating Rink from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, and the tree is lit at 7. The City's event page lists free hot chocolate from Enbridge, live holiday entertainment and festive colouring activities. The City also posted a photo album from the 2025 edition, so you can see how the rink looks once it's full.
The 7 p.m. lighting is the main moment. If you arrive at 6, you can get a hot chocolate and settle in before the crowd builds for the countdown.
CF Markville holds its Sensitive Santa appointments before the mall opens on November 29 and December 6. They are planned as a quieter, calmer visit for people with sensory needs. The booking page lists a $10 fee that includes five digital photos, with all proceeds going to Autism Alliance Canada. The mall warns that space is very limited.
Regular Santa visits in Grand Court run through December 23. Tickets are $17.50 for five digital photos, and the set is new this year, styled as Santa's Mail Room. From November 22, hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The $7.50 difference between the two visits is less important than who each one is designed for. The Sunday morning slot is the one built around a quiet room, and every dollar from it goes to a charity.
Downtown Markham's Toy Mountain evening runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday, December 7, at the carousel pavilion. It supports the CTV Toy Mountain campaign in partnership with The Salvation Army, and CTV News at Six will carry it live from 6 to 7 p.m. The organizers ask for new, unwrapped gifts for all ages and say toys for older children and teens are especially welcome.
Donating a toy gets you one free ride on the carousel, and Downtown Markham says the offer lasts until December 19. The carousel's posted hours are weekends only, weather permitting. So after the Monday collection, the riding happens on Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13, and Saturday, December 19, which is the last day of the offer.
A regular ticket gives you something to compare against. The carousel's page lists these prices:
The free ride is worth one $3 ticket, and the toy you bring will likely cost more than that. Downtown Markham presents the ride as a thank-you to donors.
The Remington Group commissioned the carousel as the centrepiece of its public art program in Downtown Markham. Canadian sculptor Patrick Amiot made the 44 figures and Brigitte Laurent painted them. To find materials, Amiot drove across Canada collecting scrap metal and abandoned objects that stood for the country's places and people. Household items are still visible inside the finished sculptures. The Downtown Markham page quotes Amiot on why he leaves those parts recognizable:
"This hubcap, or whatever piece of metal, from the day it was manufactured until now, has an important history. And I like to think the spirit of all these things lived incredible lives. If they could talk to you, they could tell amazing stories. That's something I don't want to hide."
Daniel Horenberger of Brass Ring Entertainment built the structure. His other carousels include Disney's King Arthur Carrousel and a solar-powered carousel for General Electric. He finished the Pride of Canada in spring 2016. York Region's launch coverage described the ride as a 50-foot, solar-powered merry-go-round in an open glass pavilion, with a theme honouring the provinces, territories and the people who live in them.
Before or after you drop off a toy, look for a sculpture called "Ride On Dan" in front of the pavilion. Amiot and Laurent made it in Horenberger's honour.
Walden Pond's corner at Highway 7 East and Bullock Drive has several transit lines stopping right there. Downtown Markham describes the carousel as sitting along a Viva Rapidway, beside the Downtown Markham Presentation Centre and Terre Rouge Craft Kitchen. The same page mentions a free public outdoor skating rink beside the pavilion, maintained by The Remington Group. The Markham Civic Centre is at 101 Town Centre Boulevard, so both evening events are on the Highway 7 corridor that runs west from Austin Drive.
The Sunday visit is the easiest of the three, because CF Markville is the mall Walden Pond residents can already walk to. The mall has another change coming next month. Amuse Ground plans to reopen as Artbox in December, with the same team in a larger Level 2 store next to Telus, near Entrance 3. That store and the T&T move mean Markville's lineup keeps shifting toward Austin Drive's daily routines.
If you're only planning one outing, the toy drive has the most flexibility. You can drop a toy on Monday evening and use the ride any weekend up to Saturday, December 19, weather permitting. If you'd like to see Saturday's tree lighting from the rink before the countdown starts, plan to arrive at 6 p.m.
Our team at Walker Parker Real Estate lives and works on this stretch of Highway 7 too. We follow its calendar the same way we follow its condo buildings. If the holiday season has you thinking about what comes next for your home at Austin Drive, we'd be glad to sit down with you over a coffee before the tree goes up. Book a Consultation whenever it suits you.
Walker Parker Real Estate sweats the big stuff, the small stuff, and everything in between, and believes your Buying or Selling experience should be as seamless as possible from start to finish. We ensure your best interests are being served at all times, and are deeply invested in every step of your real estate journey, because you deserve it. Get in touch - we would love to chat!