The City of Peoria is about to hold Downtown Peoria's busiest stretch in years, and it scheduled most of it on purpose. Between this weekend and December 12, the city is moving its biggest Halloween event downtown, finishing a $3 million restoration of a 1906 schoolhouse, and opening a city-built shipping-container food hub on Jefferson Street. The Schoolhouse grand opening is expected on the night of the Peoria Holiday Festival, which brings the whole stretch to a close. If you live in Peoria and think of Old Town as the place with the theater and a coffee shop, the next eight weeks are when that changes.
The city is the developer on this block
Most downtown revivals happen one storefront at a time, as private owners take chances. Peoria's is different because the city is the developer. The city says it has budgeted nearly $15 million since 2022 for Historic Downtown, bought land in strategic spots, and in late 2023 tore down the old NAPA building to clear the lot that became Jefferson House. On April 2, 2024, the City Council unanimously approved two restaurant, retail and event projects on city-owned land. Phoenix New Times reports that the city built both of them, the smokehouse and the container complex.
The first of the two is already open. Caldwell County BBQ opened its first West Valley location on April 1, 2026, on Washington Street between 83rd Avenue and 83rd Drive. The building is about 6,600 square feet and sits near the Fire House Event Center. The second one, and the Schoolhouse, are the reason the calendar matters. The city also runs the downtown events calendar, and it is lining up its biggest nights with these projects.
October puts the crowd downtown first
The first move comes this Saturday. Peoria's Halloween Monster Bash is on Saturday, October 24, from 5 to 9 p.m., at a new location, the Peoria City Hall Campus and Centennial Plaza, 8401 W. Monroe St. The evening includes trick-or-treating, a costume contest, kids' games, food vendors and community booths. In the city's announcement, Arts and Culture Event Supervisor Marlo McCrea said that moving to City Hall "gives us an opportunity to create a whole new Halloween experience in the heart of downtown Peoria."
That's a family crowd, out on a Saturday night, a few blocks from the new restaurants. The theater is on the same schedule. TheaterWorks opens The Addams Family at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts on October 23, and the show runs through November 8. The theater is at 10580 N. 83rd Drive, in historic Downtown Peoria. That makes Halloween weekend a natural double bill, with a Friday or Sunday show plus Monster Bash on Saturday.
The Schoolhouse is changing at the same time, behind fencing. Construction started April 13, 2026, and the city has estimated completion for the end of October. The building opened in 1906 as Central School, a two-room schoolhouse in the Mission Revival style. It is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Peoria Register of Historic Places. The restoration turns it into an Arts and Cultural Center with exhibition space, classrooms, a reception area and a new annex for restrooms, storage and offices. The public opening isn't expected when construction wraps up. The city has tied it to the December Holiday Festival.
November belongs to Jefferson House, if the date holds
Jefferson House is at 8310 W. Jefferson St., at 83rd Avenue and Jefferson in what the project calls Downtown Peoria's Arts District. Its own FAQ says it is under construction and "targeting November 2026." Treat that as a target, not a promise. In September 2025, Phoenix New Times reported a projected June 2026 opening. Its October 13, 2026 update says the design shrank from two stories to one and construction delays pushed the opening back. Duncan, who is involved with the project, told the outlet, "With a project of this size and scale, there's just more parts and pieces."
What's inside is set, even if the opening day isn't. New Times lists the tenants:
| Tenant | What it is | Where you may know it from |
|---|---|---|
| Stoop Kid | Bagels and smash burgers | The Churchill in downtown Phoenix, since 2020 |
| Local Hive Pizza Co. | Wood-fired pizza, often finished with hot honey | Family-run mobile pizzeria |
| Hope's Frybread | Sweet and savory stuffed frybread | Hope Peshlakai's Mesa restaurant, open since 2022 |
| Chewk's Cookies | Warm, soft cookies served à la mode with soft-serve | Uptown Phoenix shop |
| JOOS | Cold-pressed juice, smoothies, wellness shots | Started at Arrowhead Farmers Market |
| Good Trouble | Bar with 20 beers on tap and specialty cocktails | New to the project |
| The Book Haul | Fantasy, romance and fiction titles | Shop |
| Lovely Goods | Vintage and secondhand housewares, furniture, clothing | Curated by photographer Sarah Day |
| Fade & Blade Studio | Barbershop and hair salon | Salon |
Stoop Kid owner Steven McMillen told New Times the team is "stoked to bring burgers and general nonsense west." Peshlakai said she plans to share "a taste of Navajo culture and tradition" in Peoria.
The layout tells you who the city has in mind. New Times describes a courtyard, a splash pad and a concert-ready sound system. Jefferson House's site describes a stage facing a courtyard with more than 300 seats and a patio along Jefferson Street. Planned hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Each kitchen and shop sets its own hours within that window. A splash pad and a 9 a.m. Saturday start draw families with kids. A Friday close at 1:30 a.m. with a 20-tap bar draws the late crowd. Jefferson House is built to hold both.
The rest of November keeps the theater busy. TheaterWorks has The Nevermore Revue on October 27–28 and November 3–4, then The Drowned Compass from November 6 to 8. Peoria's 2nd Saturdays, a free monthly festival in the Arts District, returns November 7. If Jefferson House opens on time, that Saturday could be its first big crowd.
December 12 is when it all comes together
The city's July notice about the Schoolhouse spells out the plan. Construction would finish in late October, and the grand opening is "anticipated in December during the Downtown Peoria Holiday Festival." The 2026 Holiday Festival is set for Saturday, December 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. in Downtown Peoria. That's also the date of December's 2nd Saturdays. If the schedules hold, one evening brings together:
- The Holiday Festival, 5 to 9 p.m.
- The December 2nd Saturdays in the Arts District.
- The expected public opening of the restored Schoolhouse Arts and Cultural Center.
- A full holiday-season crowd at Jefferson House, if it opens in November as planned.
- A Christmas Carol, which TheaterWorks runs from December 4 to 20 at the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts.
Two cautions about that list. The Schoolhouse opening is something the city "anticipated" back in July, and no specific date has been announced since. The festival page also says details and the performance schedule are still to come. Last year's tree-lighting time and program were for 2025 and won't necessarily carry over. Check the city's page in early December before you plan around a specific moment.
After that weekend, TheaterWorks lists a city event with the Phoenix Brass Collective at the performing arts center on December 16. Once the Schoolhouse opens, the city expects to program it with classes, art experiences, performances and meet-and-greets. Downtown will have a reason to draw people on ordinary weeknights, not just on festival nights.
The walking map for the next eight weeks
Everything here is within a few blocks of 83rd Avenue. Jefferson House's site points out that public lots and street parking surround its block, just off Grand Avenue and Loop 101.
- Driftwood Coffee Co., 8295 W. Jefferson St. Coffee, pastries and tea. Jefferson House's site lists it as a neighbor.
- Jefferson House, 8310 W. Jefferson St. Targeting November 2026.
- Caldwell County BBQ, Washington Street between 83rd Avenue and 83rd Drive. Open since April 1.
- Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, 10580 N. 83rd Drive. Home of TheaterWorks.
- City Hall Campus and Centennial Plaza, 8401 W. Monroe St. Monster Bash on October 24.
- The Schoolhouse, Downtown Peoria. Grand opening expected with the December 12 festival.
If you want to watch the sequence play out, a simple plan works. Grab coffee at Driftwood and walk past the Schoolhouse fencing before it comes down. Bring the kids to Monster Bash on October 24. Follow @jeffersonhouseaz for construction updates until the doors open. Then save December 12 on your calendar.
At Openshaw Real Estate Group, we pay attention to what's actually opening and when, because that's what the neighborhoods we serve feel like day to day. If you'd like to talk about what Downtown Peoria's next chapter could mean for your street or your plans, we're glad to help. Let's Get Started.
