For roughly 15 years, the nearly one-acre lot at 4765 Corrales Road held only abandoned buildings and growing piles of weeds and dirt. Over the decades it had been an event space that hosted high school dances, then an archery shop, then a French restaurant. A later owner, a local, planned a dinner restaurant there that never got going.
This December, that lot sits on the same route as the Starlight Parade floats, the Old Church craft show and the Village Complex tree. The Corrales holiday season has always been small, and most of it happens on Corrales Road. Much of it is run by village organizations, and much of the money spent goes back into village landmarks. The Station Corrales is the first new stop on that route in a long time. The calendar below follows the route.
What opened at 4765 Corrales Road
The Albuquerque Journal reported in October that the Kilcup family bought the property in April 2025. The family includes five Corrales natives. They spent months on renovations and about $2 million turning it into The Station Corrales. The family also owns FacilityBUILD, the commercial construction company that handled the design and construction.
Four shops opened there in September, all owned by women who live in Corrales:
- The Village Refillery: bath-and-body products, sold as refills
- Moonflower Botanicals: flowers, plants and nature-themed gifts
- The Enchanted Boxcar: a toy store focused on heirloom-quality toys
- The Bitty Burrow: stationery and gifts
That lineup matters for the season. Corrales already had places to buy local food, art and crafts during the holidays. The Station adds toys, stationery, plants and bath goods in one spot, and those cover a big share of the small, everyday gifts on most December lists. Co-founder Cailyn Kilcup told the Journal that the family wanted "somewhere we can bring our children, meet a friend, shop from a local business, run into your neighbors and stay awhile." The site also has seating areas built so that people of different ages can gather and linger.
More is planned. The same article said a brunch restaurant and an ice cream truck are expected to join The Station in January and March 2027. This holiday season belongs to the four shops already there.
Where the season lands, weekend by weekend
Here are the season's main dates, gathered from Corrales MainStreet's event listings, the Corrales Growers' Market and the Corrales Historical Society.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Growers' Market Holiday Market | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | 500 Jones Road |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Los Caballos Parade & Food Drive | 1 p.m. | Corrales |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Small Business Saturday | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. | Village-wide |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Christmas Tree Lighting | 7–9:30 p.m. | Corrales Village Complex, 4324 Corrales Road |
| Fri.–Sun., Dec. 4–6 | 38th Annual Juried Winter Craft Show | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. daily | Old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Road |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Starlight Parade, then St. Nick's Nite | Lineup 4:30 p.m., parade 5:30 p.m. | Wagner's to the Recreation Center, then the Jones Center |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Growers' Market Holiday Market | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | 500 Jones Road |
| Sat.–Sun., Dec. 12–13 | Festival of Nativities | Opens 10 a.m. Saturday, closes 5 p.m. Sunday | Old San Ysidro Church |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Growers' Market Holiday Market | 11 a.m.–1 p.m. | 500 Jones Road |
Seen together, the calendar has two busy weekends with quieter Sundays in between. Those two weekends say the most about how the village does December.
November 28 is one long day on Corrales Road
Corrales MainStreet lists Small Business Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the village. The Christmas Tree Lighting at the Corrales Village Complex, 4324 Corrales Road, starts at 7 p.m., the same hour shopping ends, and runs until 9:30.
The two listings fit together. You can spend the day shopping on Corrales Road and finish at the tree without changing plans. The Village Complex and The Station are both on Corrales Road, so they work as the evening and daytime ends of the same outing. This is The Station's first Small Business Saturday, and for its four owners it is the first holiday shopping day they have had in Corrales.
The first weekend of December carries the most
December 4 through 6 is the busiest stretch of the season, and it has the clearest link between what you spend and what it supports.
The Corrales Historical Society and the Corrales Society of Artists put on the 38th Annual Juried Winter Craft Show at Old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Road, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Sales support the preservation and upkeep of the Old Church. A gift bought there helps maintain one of the village's best-known buildings. The Historical Society's own calendar shows how much work goes into it. Setup, the show and teardown take up the whole week of December 1 through 7, and the calendar also lists a Fine Arts Show from December 3 at 10 a.m. through December 6 at 5 p.m.
On Saturday, December 5, the village comes back out after dark for the Starlight Parade. Floats line up at Wagner's at 4:30 p.m., and the parade starts at 5:30 p.m., heading to the Recreation Center. Afterward comes St. Nick's Nite at the Jones Center, behind the post office, with music, treats and hot air balloons. The parade is open to entries. Corrales MainStreet's page has a participant waiver to fill out ahead of time, and extra forms will be at the lineup.
That puts a full Saturday in one place. You can spend the day at the craft show on Old Church Road, then join the parade route on Corrales Road and finish at the Jones Center. On Sunday morning, the Growers' Market holds its second holiday market at 500 Jones Road from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. That is the same Jones Road area where St. Nick's Nite was held the night before.
The Old Church holds the season's quieter end
The Old Church hosts again the following weekend. The Festival of Nativities at Old San Ysidro Church runs December 12 and 13, opening at 10 a.m. Saturday and closing at 5 p.m. Sunday. The craft show draws a crowd of buyers. The nativity festival is the slower weekend, when you can visit the building for its own sake.
The Growers' Market wraps up the season on Sunday, December 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 500 Jones Road. It is the last of its three holiday markets. The first one, on November 22, shares its afternoon with the Los Caballos Parade & Food Drive at 1 p.m., right when the market closes. That makes the Sunday before Thanksgiving a chance to bring something for the food drive along with a market bag.
A quieter walk by the river between events
For a break from the crowds between these weekends, there is one change along the river. The Corrales Comment reported that the Bureau of Reclamation finished its Corrales River Mile 199 Project in September. The project stabilized about two miles of riverbank that had been moving toward the levees and canals. Reclamation plans to replant the area with native vegetation, working with a local nonprofit, and to keep monitoring the site. This winter that stretch of bank is in place and waiting for its plantings.
Short answers for planning
Which Saturday has the most going on? December 5. The Winter Craft Show is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Starlight Parade starts at 5:30 p.m., and St. Nick's Nite follows at the Jones Center.
Where do the Growers' Market holiday markets meet? At 500 Jones Road, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on November 22, December 6 and December 20.
Is The Station's restaurant open? The brunch restaurant was expected in January 2027 and the ice cream truck in March 2027. The four shops opened in September.
Event schedules can change, so check the organizer's page before you go, especially for the parade.
I've watched Corrales Road change for a long time, and it's good to see a lot that sat empty for 15 years back in use. If you're wondering how new places like The Station affect what property along Corrales Road is worth, or you're thinking about a move between Corrales and the mountains, Misty K Strickland is glad to talk it through. Call or email Misty for a personal market consult.
