Aldershot Lights Plains Road From Both Ends This November, and the Old Highway Fills the Days Between
Business cards cover the ceiling at Easterbrook's Foot-Long Hotdogs on Spring Gardens Road, and some date from before postal codes or telephone area codes. Spring Gardens Road was once part of Highway 2. In 1926 Mabel Easterbrook opened a tea house there to catch the passing traffic, and by 1930 it had become a hot dog stand. Her great-grandson Blake runs it today, as Hamilton City Magazine's July 2026 Plains Road profile tells it.
That old highway still holds Aldershot's holiday season together. This November the season starts at two addresses on Plains Road, five days apart. The Aldershot Village BIA lights its tree on the east side on Saturday, Nov. 21. Royal Botanical Gardens opens Winter Wonders in Hendrie Park on the west side on Thursday, Nov. 26. Between those two dates, the restaurants that grew up along the highway decades ago take you from one to the other.
The 2026 Aldershot Village Tree Lighting is on Saturday, Nov. 21. The BIA's event page lists it from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. According to BurlingtonToday, the event is at Sun Country Plaza, 355 Plains Rd. E. It will have an outdoor vendor market, local choirs alongside live musicians, coffee and hot chocolate, and a visit from Santa. The tree lighting itself is at 6 p.m.
Start times vary between listings. BurlingtonToday gives 2:30 p.m., and the Burlington Food Bank's page lists 3:30 to 6 p.m. Every listing agrees the tree is lit at 6, so that's the time to plan around. The BIA says it will post more details on its Instagram account as the date gets closer.
Bring a non-perishable item if you can. Donations go to the Burlington Food Bank.
The location is the same as last year. The BIA's 2025 announcement put the event at 355 Plains Road E. with the lighting at 6 p.m., and called the ceremony the moment "when Plains Road officially lights up for the season." That year also had hot dogs from the Aldershot Lions Club and the Cram-a-Cruiser Food Drive. The 2026 listings don't mention either one yet, so watch the BIA's updates before you count on them.
Several food stops are on the same stretch of Plains Road East:
The stretch between the two lightings is where Plains Road's age shows. Several of its restaurants have outlasted the businesses that once shared their sites.
Russell Williams Family Restaurant, at 20 Plains Rd. E., traces back to 1932. That year Russell Williams opened the first restaurant in his Bright Spot chain, in Hamilton. The Plains Road location is believed to date from the 1950s, and it is the only one of the chain still open. Owners Chris and Mary Plessas keep the all-day breakfast at the center of the menu. Hamilton City Magazine notes the occasional lineup at the door.
West Plains Bistro, at 133 Plains Rd. E., is in its next chapter. Founder Irene Burns ran it for decades and retired in 2023. New owners Sarah and Ed Catley renovated the space and kept some signature dishes. Dinner includes schnitzel, coq au vin and beef tenderloin.
Rose Garden Family Restaurant, at 1124 Plains Rd. W., stands on a site that has had a restaurant since the 1940s. The Rendezvous and then Louie's West Side Grill were there before chef John Choi opened Rose Garden in 2010. The menu runs from meatloaf and a hot turkey sandwich made in-house every day to Choi's Korean dishes, including bibimbap.
If you're hosting this season, The Platter Company Gourmet Food Market, at 175 Plains Rd. E., takes pre-orders for holiday meals. It also does catering and stocks grab-and-go freezers, and it offers gluten-free options. For gluten-free baking, Turtledoves Bakery at 645 Plains Rd. E. makes breads, cakes and pastries. The newest operating information for these businesses is from summer 2026, so call or check online for holiday hours before you go.
Winter Wonders runs from Nov. 26 to Jan. 3 in Hendrie Park, 680 Plains Rd. W. It's open mostly Thursday to Sunday, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and every ticket has a timed entry slot. Tickets went on sale Oct. 28.
Prices before HST and a $2 service fee:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | $25 |
| Child, age 3 to 12 | $21 |
| Infant or toddler, age 0 to 2 | Free |
| RBG member | $15 |
Members get a set number of discounted tickets per event day. A Family membership covers up to 2 adults and 6 children, and a Family Plus covers up to 4 adults and 6 children.
Three interactive installations are new this year:
The Singing Tree and Lantern Alley are back. Indoors there's the Botanical Train Display, an Atrium bar with live entertainment, and holiday plant displays in the Mediterranean Garden.
If you're local and usually walk Hendrie Park in the afternoon, the event changes your routine. RBG closes the park at 4:30 p.m. on event days so staff can set up. Dogs aren't allowed at the event, but service dogs are. You can arrive any time in your half-hour entry window and stay as long as you like. RBG suggests planning for one to two hours.
Winter Wonders runs on a set weekly pattern, with a few changes around the holidays:
It's closed Dec. 24, 25, 26 and 31, and Jan. 1.
Santa's Brunch falls on the second and third Winter Wonders weekends, Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13, at the RBG Centre. There are two seatings, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Tickets are $85 for adults and $35 for children, plus HST and a service fee, and children up to age 2 are free. Tickets went on public sale Oct. 21, so check availability early.
On those four days, the same Plains Road address is busy from brunch through the evening Winter Wonders entries. For a casual meal on the west side, Easterbrook's is at 694 Spring Gardens Rd. It sells more than a dozen 12-inch hot dogs, including the BBQ Banger, along with scooped ice cream, milkshakes and sundaes.
If you'd like to talk about what life along Plains Road looks like through the seasons, the team at Robertson Kadwell would be glad to share what we know about Aldershot. You can also request your complimentary home valuation whenever the timing suits you.
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