On Saturday, October 24, the Halloween Monster Bash sets up at City Hall Campus and Centennial Plaza, 8401 W. Monroe Street, from 5 to 9 p.m. Last year it was at Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 N. 83rd Avenue, on October 25. A few blocks from the new site, fencing still surrounds the historic Schoolhouse, and the courtyard at Jefferson House has a steel canopy and container shops but no announced opening day.
That mix explains this fall downtown. The City of Peoria is putting its own events on the blocks it has spent four years rebuilding, and it is doing so before the two biggest pieces of that rebuild are open. If you're planning weekends from now through December, the city calendar is the part you can count on. The new buildings are still on their own schedules.
The Lawn That Didn't Exist Last Halloween
The Monster Bash can move downtown because downtown now has room for it. In March 2026, the city unveiled a new City Hall front yard, a $2.4 million project built around a grassy oval berm meant to host community events. The project also added a new entryway with better ADA access and parking, and removed grass that wasn't used for events to cut water use.
The city's own explanation for the move is about space. Its event page calls City Hall Campus and Centennial Plaza a setting with "more room for activities, themed zones, entertainment, and festive fun for all ages." The 2026 program includes trick-or-treat trails with glowing pathways, costumed characters, interactive booths and costume contests for all ages.
The Bash isn't the only event moving onto that lawn. The Bombs Without Boundaries car show, which closes Somos Peoria on October 17, is also set for City Hall and Centennial Plaza. The front yard was finished in the spring, and the fall calendar is now using it.
What the City Finished First
The front yard is one of several downtown projects finished in the first half of 2026. The city says it has budgeted nearly $15 million since 2022 to support downtown revitalization, including buying land so new restaurants and retail could go in. The finished pieces, in the order they opened:
- City Hall front yard, unveiled in March 2026.
- Caldwell County BBQ, which the city lists as opening its first West Valley location on April 1, 2026, on Washington Street between 83rd Avenue and 83rd Drive. The restaurant is about 6,600 square feet and sits between the Fire House Event Center and the former downtown hotel site. Earlier city notices had advertised a February grand opening, so dates for this one vary depending on which city post you read.
- The digital water tower, switched on April 7, 2026, by Mayor Jason Beck and the City Council. It recalls the hand-dug well built at Grand Avenue and Washington Street in 1889, which became a water tower five years later.
The city controlled the timing on every one of these projects. Caldwell's and Jefferson House were both approved by the City Council on April 2, 2024, on city-owned land. One has been open since spring, and the other is still giving a target month.
October, Date by Date
Downtown's fall season starts next week. Here is the October lineup in order:
- Sunday, October 4. The Powerdrive concert at Osuna Park, part of the citywide Somos Peoria Hispanic Heritage Month program, which runs through October 17.
- Saturday, October 10. 2nd Saturdays returns downtown for the 2026–27 season. The standard hours are 4 to 8 p.m., but the Somos edition on this date is listed for 5 to 9 p.m., so check the hours before you go.
- Saturday, October 17. The Bombs Without Boundaries car show at City Hall and Centennial Plaza closes out Somos Peoria.
- Friday, October 23. TheaterWorks opens The Addams Family, which runs through November 8 at 10580 N. 83rd Drive.
- Saturday, October 24. The Halloween Monster Bash, 5 to 9 p.m., at its new City Hall location.
- Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27–28. The Nevermore Revue with its evening session cast at TheaterWorks. The afternoon session cast follows November 3–4.
The Addams Family opens the night before the Monster Bash, a few minutes' walk away. That puts two straight evenings of downtown activity back to back, something the Sports Complex location didn't allow last year.
The Two Buildings Still Behind Fencing
Both of the projects meant to give downtown a permanent draw are still under construction. Here is where each stands as of October 3:
| Project | Who's behind it | Stated timing | Confirmed so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historic Schoolhouse Arts Center | City of Peoria, $3 million restoration | Construction wraps late October; grand opening planned for December | Construction began April 13, 2026 |
| Jefferson House, 8310 W. Jefferson St. | Banquet Hospitality Group, The Churchill team, Driftwood Coffee owners | Targeting November 2026 | Canopy, container shops and signage installed; spaces still leasing as of July 25 |
The Schoolhouse is the older of the two buildings. Peoria residents formed the school district in 1889, and the two-room Central School was finished in 1906 in Mission Revival style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The restoration will add exhibition space, classrooms, a reception and event room, and an annex for restrooms, storage and offices. The city's update on August 31 said construction should wrap up in late October, but it didn't set the public opening for then. The grand opening is planned for December, during the Downtown Peoria Holiday Festival.
Jefferson House has already moved its date once. When the project broke ground in September 2025, Phoenix New Times reported a June 2026 target. The operator's July 25 announcement moved that to November 2026 and said the team had "been careful about not naming a date until we could stand behind one." As of that announcement, the kitchen suites and retail spots were still leasing. The homepage says tenant announcements "start soon." The only tenant named publicly so far is Novel Ice Cream, which WhatNow Phoenix reported in April as planning a fall 2026 opening there.
Once it opens, the plan calls for three chef-owned kitchens of 640 square feet each, six retail and eatery spots from 160 to 440 square feet, a courtyard bar, a live music stage, a 16-foot splash pad and seating for more than 300 under a canopy with heaters, fans and misters. The operator says every concept will be independent and locally owned. Posted hours run 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. The operator notes that individual kitchens and shops will set their own hours, so "not everything will be open the moment the gates are."
Why December 12 Is the Date to Watch
The fall schedules come together on Saturday, December 12. That evening is the third date of the 2nd Saturdays season and is paired with the Peoria Holiday Festival, which the city calendar lists at 5 p.m. The city has tied the Schoolhouse grand opening to the Holiday Festival. If Jefferson House hits its November target, December 12 would be its first 2nd Saturdays crowd.
The date the city controls is the festival. The Schoolhouse depends on construction wrapping in late October, and Jefferson House depends on leasing and buildout. Both are still targets, and Jefferson House has already moved once.
Planning Around the Fencing
For October and November, the dependable plans downtown are the city-run ones: 2nd Saturdays on October 10 and November 14, the Monster Bash on October 24, and the TheaterWorks run. Caldwell County BBQ is already open on Washington Street for anyone eating before or after. Jefferson House points to Driftwood Coffee, Caldwell's and the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts as its neighbors, and says public lots and street parking surround the block.
Expect some construction during your visits. The city has said parts of the Schoolhouse work need street closures for water and sewer lines, and that it will notify nearby residents and businesses before that work happens. Jefferson House says it will post construction progress and opening news on its Instagram account, @jeffersonhouseaz, until the doors open.
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