Start at 1745 Solano Avenue, where Sue Johnson Custom Lamps & Shades sits at Modoc, and walk toward The Alameda. Along the way you pass the storefront at 1758 where Santa will be, Sole Terra Shoes at 1774, Fern's Garden at 1831 at Colusa, and Of All Places Market at 1841 at Fresno. On Sunday, December 6, that short stretch is the part of WINTER on Solano built for families. The former Starbucks at 1799, on the Colusa corner, sits in the middle of it.
The Solano Avenue Association describes WINTER on Solano as covering the full mile from The Alameda to San Pablo Avenue, across both Berkeley and Albany. Its 2026 program still points families to one end. The Kids Fun Zone, the event's headline attraction, is set at 1820 and 1830 Solano. Santa is at 1758. If you live in Thousand Oaks, the most kid-focused part of the day is at your end of the avenue.
Seven addresses between Modoc and Fresno
Here is what the association has posted for the upper end so far. Its map and full program are still marked pending, so expect more participants by early December.
| Address on Solano | What's there on December 6 | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1830 Solano | Free face painting by Laura L. | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| 1830 Solano | Solcar Choo Choo Train | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| 1820 Solano | The Big Bubble People | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| 1758 Solano | Santa on Solano | Noon to 3 p.m. |
| 1841 Solano at Fresno | Of All Places Market, participating business | Varies by business |
| 1831 Solano at Colusa | Fern's Garden, participating business | Varies by business |
| 1774 Solano at Modoc | Sole Terra Shoes, participating business | Varies by business |
| 1745 Solano at Modoc | Sue Johnson Custom Lamps & Shades, participating business | Varies by business |
The posted music is at Peralta Park, 1559 Solano, about 260 address numbers from the kids zone. The Albany Jazz Big Band plays there from noon to 2 p.m., and the Berkeley Community Chamber Singers perform at 3 p.m. A family that wants the train, the bubbles and a choir can plan an afternoon that starts near Colusa and ends at the park. Another option is to stay near Colusa and skip the music.
Some practical notes from the association's page. WINTER on Solano is free, family-friendly and wheelchair accessible, and it happens rain or shine. It is not a street closure like the Solano Stroll, and Solano Avenue stays open to cars all afternoon. Kids moving between 1820, 1830 and 1758 will be walking sidewalks next to normal traffic, so plan to cross at the corners. The event is sponsored by the City of Albany and the Upper Solano BID.
Santa keeps a longer calendar than the event
The December 6 visit at 1758 Solano is one stop in a longer run. Santa on Solano is at the same address on three December weekends: December 5 and 6, December 12 and 13, and December 19 and 20. Each day runs noon to 3 p.m. Photos are free, and you take them with your own camera.
That gives Thousand Oaks families six afternoons on their own end of the avenue. December 6 is the busy one, with the Fun Zone running next door. If you'd like a quieter photo, the Saturdays and the two later weekends have Santa without the crowds the train and bubble performers bring. The 3 p.m. finish holds every day, including December 6, when the rest of the event goes until 5.
The corner at Colusa is between tenants
On your way from 1758 to the Fun Zone you pass a storefront that has been dark for more than a year. The Starbucks at 1799 Solano, on the corner of Colusa, closed for good by September 28, 2025. Berkeley Eats wrote that it had been a neighborhood cafe for 31 years. The same piece named Signal Cafe and Peet's as other coffee options on this stretch of Solano.
The space has a planned next tenant. In September, the Albany Scanner reported that Mohamed Alwadai, whose family has run Eunice Gourmet Cafe at 1162 Solano since 2003, is one of three owners planning a new cafe at 1799 Solano called Kayf. Alwadai told the paper the menu will lean toward traditional Arabic chai and pastries, unlike the more Western menu at Eunice. He also explained that kayf means comfort in Arabic.
The Albany Scanner said there was no set opening date, only a hope to open before the end of the year. Berkeley Eats repeated that year-end target on September 16. So on December 6, the corner at Colusa could be a new cafe pouring its first cups of chai or a storefront still getting ready. Either way, it sits right in the middle of the event's busiest blocks.
The Alameda corner already has its new tenant
Keep walking past Fresno toward The Alameda and you reach the end of Solano, where a new tenant is already settled. Berkeleyside reported in June 2025 that Khana Peena had closed its restaurant at 1889 Solano, on the corner of The Alameda. According to Oaklandside's January openings roundup, Pochys Home Style South Indian has since moved to 1889 Solano and reopened as Bangalore Blues.
The new name matches a sharper focus. Oaklandside reported that the menu centers on dishes common in the Indian state of Karnataka. That includes chicken biryani, masala dosa, idli and ghee dosa, all made from scratch. The room is done in deep blue, down to the plates. On a cold December afternoon, it's a warm-food option at the far end of the walk, a short way past the Fun Zone.
So both corners near the upper Solano blocks lost a longtime tenant in 2025. The Alameda corner reopened with a new restaurant in January 2026. The Colusa corner is waiting on Kayf. WINTER on Solano's family programming runs between them.
A December 6 route from The Alameda end
For Thousand Oaks households arriving on foot from The Alameda, here's one way to string the afternoon together using the posted addresses and hours:
- Start at 1889 Solano at The Alameda. If you want to begin with a meal, check Bangalore Blues' Sunday hours first.
- Next, 1841 and 1831 Solano. Walk past Of All Places Market at Fresno and Fern's Garden at Colusa, both listed as participants.
- Then 1830 and 1820 Solano. Face painting, the Solcar Choo Choo Train and The Big Bubble People run until 5, so you don't have to rush.
- Before 3 p.m., 1758 Solano. Santa's hours end at 3 on December 6, two hours before the rest of the event. Go to Santa first if your kids care more about him than the train.
- Optional, 3 p.m., Peralta Park at 1559 Solano. Keep walking toward San Pablo for the Berkeley Community Chamber Singers, or turn around and head home.
The one hard deadline is Santa's 3 p.m. finish. If December 6 gets too busy, the weekends of December 12 and 13 and December 19 and 20 bring Santa back to the same doorway at 1758 with the same noon-to-3 hours.
If you're mapping out the season around the Colusa corner and want to know how changes like the empty 1799 storefront fit into the bigger picture for Thousand Oaks homes, Spencer Mills can help. Let's get started. Reach out to build a plan for your next move in the East Bay.
