"Everybody is used to having the trees [at Murphy Park] lit up, that will not be the case here because of that construction," Downtown Glendale manager Daniel Sabillon told ABC15 in November 2023. That year Glendale Glitters turned 30. Work on City Hall and the amphitheater pushed its main lights and attractions over to the Glendale Civic Center, and the station reported that performances couldn't take place at the amphitheater.
That stage is back for 2026, and it changes more than where the ceremony happens. With the rebuilt E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre available again, the city has set up this year's Glitters as a run of four event weekends with named headliners, a movie night and 71 approved vendors, up from the "over 20" the city promised for 2025. The lights still come on Thanksgiving weekend, and now the programming continues through December.
Three winters at the Civic Center
The move in 2023 lasted longer than one season. In 2024 the City of Glendale again held the tree-lighting ceremony in front of the Civic Center. The city's 2025 announcement kept the ceremony there, set for 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 28. It promised "over 20 unique vendors" and put Santa's Village at 5836 W. Palmaire Ave. on Fridays and Saturdays from Dec. 5 through Dec. 20, with $5 photos.
All three years were shaped by the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project. On June 18, 2026, Glendale's 116th birthday, the city marked the end of what it called "a three-year, nearly $100 million transformation" of the downtown civic campus, including City Hall, the Council Chambers, the E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre and Murphy Park. Two days later, the America 250 Celebration filled the new amphitheater with the Glendale Summer Band and DSB: A Journey Tribute Band, followed by a drone show. In the city's release, the amphitheater is described as "intended to be an element to drive excitement downtown." Glitters is its first holiday season.
The footprint returns to the old blocks
A June 2026 council presentation set this year's event footprint as a return to the "pre-DCRP footprint," meaning 57th Avenue to 59th Avenue and Glendale Avenue to Myrtle Avenue. The same document lays out the season. Lights run from November 27, 2026, to January 1, 2027, there's a traditional light-switch kickoff on Nov. 27, and there are four event weekends in total with vendors, music, entertainment and activities.
On the City of Glendale events page, the kickoff runs Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27 and 28, from 5 to 10 p.m. The official lighting ceremony is at the E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre in Murphy Park at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and the event is billed as 33 years of Glitters. After that, the lights stay on nightly from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. That's one night past last season's Dec. 31 finish, so the display is still up on New Year's Day.
Opening night follows a set run of show from the city's Oct. 27 council update:
- 5:30 p.m.: Opening ceremony
- 6:00 p.m.: Lights on
- 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.: Community performance
- 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.: Community performance
- 8:45 to 9:15 p.m.: Community performance
- 10:00 p.m.: Evening concludes
What the stage adds after Thanksgiving
The schedule for the weeks after kickoff is where the amphitheater matters most. The Oct. 27 council update fills three more weekends with dance studios, youth theater and three evening bills under the LiVE! @ Murphy Park name. The city labels the schedule subject to change.
| Date | On the schedule | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Marilyn's Dance Academy, Lori Ford's Vocal Studio, St. John Paul II Catholic High School Cheer | 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | The Dance Shoppe Performing Group, Spotlight Youth Theatre, Fiesta Mexicana Dance Company, Creative Edge Dance | 6:00 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Purely Dance Performance Team | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | LiVE! @ Murphy Park: Mega Ran Presents: Buddy's Magic Holiday | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Movies by Moonlight Presents: Elf | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | LiVE! @ Murphy Park: A Winter's Evening With Ryanhood | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Michaela's Dance Magic, Cachito Dance Project | 6:00 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | LiVE! @ Murphy Park: New Destiny | 7:00 p.m. |
Each December Saturday has one evening headliner at 7 p.m., and the Friday before it goes to local studios or a family movie.
More vendors, spread across more weekends
The vendor numbers show the same shift. The 2025 announcement promised "over 20 unique vendors," named Nothing Bundt Cakes, Visualize Creativity, KTT Concessions and Island Noodles, and focused vending on kickoff. For 2026 the city received 150 applications, six of them from downtown merchants. It approved 71, noted that not all of them will be there at the same time, and sent approval notices on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21. The June plan says approved vendors can take part in the kickoff and the event weekends that follow, with no vending on weekdays.
The city is also enforcing the footprint more firmly this year. The October update includes a statement to vendors who weren't selected: "only vendors with written City approval may sell within the designated event footprint (or downtown Glendale)." The September planning maps also show a beer tent with a marked beer perimeter, security positions, food vendor locations and restroom locations inside the footprint.
Santa's holiday display has a new home too. The September council update makes the Murphy Park gazebo its weekend location, so it sits inside the park this year. In 2025, Santa's Village was on Palmaire Avenue.
Four weekends means four rounds of road closures
Longer programming also means more closures downtown. The city's September update sets two closure windows inside the footprint:
- Kickoff weekend: Roads close Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 6 a.m. and reopen Sunday, Nov. 29, at 6 a.m.
- Each later event weekend: Roads close Friday at 6 a.m. and reopen Sunday at 6 a.m.
With the published weekend dates, that works out to closures running Friday morning to Sunday morning on Dec. 4–6, Dec. 11–13 and Dec. 18–20. The Thanksgiving-week closure starts the day before the holiday. If your Wednesday errands or Friday commute normally cut through 57th to 59th Avenue between Glendale and Myrtle, those are the dates to plan around.
The merchants start before the lights do
Downtown's own holiday season begins nearly two weeks ahead of the city's. The Downtown Glendale Merchants Association holds its 30th Annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m., across the Old Towne and Catlin Court shopping districts. Plans include handcrafted 8-foot nutcrackers, decorated shop windows, a new downtown charm, make-and-take stations and ornaments for the community tree. Two weeks later, Small Business Saturday falls on Nov. 28 from 10 a.m., so the second night of the Glitters kickoff follows a full day of shopping. The association counts more than 70 independently owned shops downtown and points visitors to the Arizona Information Center at 5836 W. Palmaire Ave.
Because the footprint is back on the old blocks, the light display once again runs right past the restaurants inside it. The merchants association's dining directory lists several within a short walk of the park:
- Bitz-ee Mama's, 7023 N. 58th Ave.
- Blue Corn Cafe & Bakery, 7015 N. 58th Ave.
- Packer Family Ice Cream, 7146 N. 58th Ave.
- A Touch of European Cafe, 7146 N. 57th Drive
- The Pink Door Tea House, 7153 N. 59th Ave.
- The Spicery, 7141 N. 59th Ave.
The shop directory adds antique and gift stops along the same streets, such as ABD Antique Appraisers at 5809 W. Glendale Ave., Auntie Em's & Smilin' Jack's Pedal Cars at 5625 W. Glendale Ave., Bears & More at 7146 N. 58th Drive and 2 Share A Unique Boutique at 5805–5807 W. Glendale Ave.
Planning a December evening around it
The merchants association lists free covered parking at the Palmaire Parking Structure, 5835 W. Palmaire Ave., just inside the event blocks. On kickoff Friday, the opening ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. and the lights come on at 6:00 p.m.
The December Saturdays allow a later start. The headliners begin at 7 p.m., so there's time for dinner on 58th or 59th Avenue first, and the lights stay on until 10 p.m. On Friday, Dec. 11, Elf starts at 6:30 p.m. For a quieter visit, try any weeknight from Nov. 30 through Jan. 1. The lights run every night from 5 to 10 p.m., and vending is limited to the event weekends.
If you have family in town over the holidays and want to see Glitters in Murphy Park around the new amphitheater, our team at Dream Living AZ is happy to share the downtown Glendale spots we like most for dinner and a walk before the 7 p.m. Saturday shows. Request a private consultation, and we'll help you plan the evening.
