Glendale Glitters 2026: Murphy Park Returns, Civic Center Stays
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
The 33rd Glendale Glitters will be the biggest one Historic Downtown has staged in years. The lights are coming back to Murphy Park, and the Civic Center site that filled in during construction is staying too. The city's event listing calls this a "triumphant return to Murphy Park." The Glendale Independent adds a detail the listing leaves out. The renovated City Hall campus will join the Civic Center as a display site, and the city's main Christmas tree stays just west of the main Civic Center entrance.
So this year's holiday map has two anchors. What changes is the stretch between them, and the downtown merchants who sit along it.
The move started in 2023. ABC15 reported that the remodel of City Hall and the amphitheater pushed Glitters' main lights and attractions out in front of the Glendale Civic Center. Downtown manager Daniel Sabillon told the station the Murphy Park trees everyone was used to seeing lit "will not be the case," though tree trunks around downtown would still be wrapped.
The fix was meant to be temporary, and it lasted three seasons. In 2024, the city held the official tree lighting in front of the Civic Center, with kickoff nights November 29 and 30. In 2025, KTAR reported that the two-night kickoff was back at the Civic Center on November 28 and 29, with the display running through New Year's Eve. The Glendale Chocolate Affaire was also held at the Civic Center in February 2025.
Three seasons was long enough for the Civic Center to work well as an event site. It also kept that part of the event when the park came back. The next Chocolate Affaire is already listed at Glendale Civic Center for February 13 and 14, 2027.
The park that reopens this winter has been rebuilt. The city finished a three-year, nearly $100 million rebuild of its downtown civic campus, covering City Hall, Council Chambers, the E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre and Murphy Park. It held the ribbon cutting on June 18, Glendale's 116th birthday, and a community party in the park on June 20.
Holly Street Studio, the design architect, describes the park's new layout as clearer paths, new gathering areas and more native planting. The landscape now faces City Hall and the amphitheater, and the amphitheater is the focal point of the campus. Okland Construction built it. The amphitheater has a grass seating bowl, according to photos the Glendale Independent published from the June opening. The design team also included Schuler Shook as amphitheater consultant and NV5 Technology & Design for AV, IT and acoustics.
The city's June 22 announcement says the amphitheater "is intended to be an element to drive excitement downtown," and it quotes City Manager Patrick Banger calling downtowns "the living room of a community." So far, only one show has tested that goal. On opening night in June, Glendale Summer Band and DSB: A Journey Tribute Band played the new stage. Glitters will be the park's first winter.
Most of the layout is still a draft. In an August 25, 2026 update to City Council, Parks and Recreation Director John Kennedy showed maps for vendors, food vendors, a beer perimeter and road closures, all marked tentative. The vendor map is labeled along Glenn Drive and 58th Avenue. The lights themselves may get bigger too. The slides say larger-scale features are under consideration and that the contractor, Christmas Light Decorators, has submitted preliminary concepts. The slides also say every concept is still under review.
The timeline for vendors is set. Applications opened September 1 and closed October 9, and the city plans to notify approved vendors by October 23. The Glendale Independent counted at least 90 applications before the deadline, six of them from downtown merchants. The recruitment plan named Catlin Court and downtown merchants as the first audience, ahead of crafters, home-based businesses and food vendor operators.
The final booth layout will probably be published closer to November. What's already settled is that the event spans two sites, with storefronts in between.
The rebuilt park gets used before Glitters starts. Here's the downtown calendar from now through New Year's, with dates from the City of Glendale and the Historic Downtown Glendale merchants:
November 28 stands out. Small Business Saturday shoppers arrive at 10 a.m., and Glitters' second kickoff night opens at 5 p.m. That leaves a full day of downtown traffic on one date, with the shops in the middle of it.
Downtown's food and shops line the blocks between the two sites, and a two-site Glitters gives people more reasons to stop along the way.
Start with something savory. Cornish Pasty Co. opened in January 2026 in the historic Gaslight Building at the southeast corner of Glendale and 58th avenues, after a projected opening of spring 2024. This will be its first Glitters season. Up 58th Avenue, Bitz-ee Mama's at 7023 N. 58th Ave. serves family-recipe Mexican-American dishes, and Don Juan's Mexican Grill at 7013 N. 58th Ave. has dinner entrees and cocktails. Cubanita's Kitchen at 5704 W. Glendale Ave. covers Cuban sandwiches.
For something warm after dark, Homage Coffee at 7021 N. 57th Ave. and The Black Sheep at 5717 W. Glendale Ave. both serve coffee and tea. Blue Corn Cafe & Bakery at 7015 N. 58th Ave. makes its baked goods and quiche from scratch, and it celebrated four years downtown on October 1. For dessert, Packer Family Ice Cream at 7146 N. 58th Ave. has dairy-free and vegan flavors alongside its premium scoops. Cerreta Candy Company, the multigenerational handmade-candy maker, is farther east at 5345 W. Glendale Ave.
Two tea rooms on 59th Avenue take reservations, which can help on crowded nights. The Spicery in Our 1895 Home, 7141 N. 59th Ave., serves lunch, scratch breads and quiche, and offers a three-course tea by reservation only. The Pink Door Tea House, 7153 N. 59th Ave., offers breakfast, lunch and a signature afternoon tea. Both work well before a 5 p.m. kickoff.
For gifts, 2 Share A Unique Boutique at 5805-5807 W. Glendale Ave. carries vintage and antique pieces along with handmade goods. Pink House Boutique at 7009 N. 58th Ave. sells local makers and independent designers. Cactus VHS at 7011 N. 58th Ave. specializes in vintage and Y2K clothing, and The Scribbled Hollow at 5719 W. Glendale Ave. stocks books and fandom merchandise.
Downtown merchants kept their doors open while the campus was under construction. In 2024, merchants association president Lorraine Zomok told KJZZ that dozens of businesses remained open during the work and were "here to stay." This year, Glitters will draw crowds to both ends of the district.
At Frank Realty Group, we follow how projects like the Murphy Park rebuild change the blocks around them. If you own a home near downtown Glendale and want to know how a renovated civic campus, a bigger holiday footprint and new storefronts figure into your property's value, request a free home valuation and renovation plan. We'll walk through it with you.
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