Downtown Chandler's Theater Is Back, Its Park Is Half Done, and the Holiday Calendar Is Built Around Both

Two of Downtown Chandler's best-known public places are coming back from renovation on different timelines this season. Chandler Center for the Arts reopened Oct. 17 after a $3 million renovation. A few blocks south on Arizona Avenue, Dr. A.J. Chandler Park is still mid-construction. The City expects the west side to be finished "prior to the 2026 holiday season" and the east side by early spring 2027.

So this holiday season runs on a fully restored theater and a half-rebuilt park, and the calendar puts the heaviest load on both at once. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting, the Parade of Lights, Santa's House and two Nutcracker performances all fall on the same day, within walking distance of each other. Here's how the pieces fit, starting with the side that's finished.

What $3 million changed inside the theater

The money went into the rooms you sit in and the stage you watch. Chandler Center for the Arts says the renovation brought new theater seating, refreshed interior finishes, and upgrades to the stage and rigging in a venue that is nearly 40 years old. ABC15's reopening coverage also lists new carpet and upgraded sound systems.

The schedule held through a monsoon. ABC15 reported in early September that a mid-August roof leak added repair work, and the City said the project was still on schedule. Reopening week began with the 13th Annual Center Stage Gala, "Murder on the Tumbleweed Express." It continued with a free storytelling night led by Artist-in-Residence Ashli St. Armant, the first shows on the renovated Steena Murray Mainstage with Shanghai Ballet and Sara Evans, and a free community open house on Oct. 24.

The theater also has a new leader. Julianna Crespo, the center's new general manager, described the reopening in the center's announcement:

"We want everyone to come through these doors, see what's changed and feel that this is their Center."

The new seats matter for the holidays because the local groups that grew up on this stage are back on it. Ballet Etudes staged its first Nutcracker at the center and is presenting its 40th-anniversary production there this season. C.A.L.L.E. de Arizona returns for its 27th Annual Mariachi and Folklórico Festival. The 33-year-old Chandler Symphony Orchestra starts its first season under newly named conductor Chuck Stewart.

Down the street, a park rebuilt around events

The theater got refreshed. The park is being rebuilt to carry a much heavier event load than it was designed for. Dr. A.J. Chandler Park was last renovated in 1986. Since then, Downtown Chandler has added apartments, offices, shops and restaurants, and the park now hosts more than 100 events a year, according to the City's renovation announcement.

Phase one is mostly about event space and shade. It removes the old water features and adds:

• event lawns and seasonal plazas with seating
• two park pavilions and two restroom buildings
• two large shade canopies, plus below-ground soil work so new shade trees can grow
• new park lighting, power infrastructure and relocated and new public art
• a new crosswalk signal at the Arizona Avenue pedestrian crossing

Willmeng Construction is building it. City staff worked with the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership and local property and business owners on the design, the timing and how to manage construction impacts.

As of this week, the west side is in its finishing stage. The City's live project update says crews are coating the west canopy roof, then adding lighting and paint into late October or early November. Wood finishes inside the south canopy and the west restroom continue into early November. Pavers at the new crossing were scheduled for the week of Oct. 19, and landscape crews are working on soil and irrigation into mid-November. The east side is still at the steel-truss and electrical stage.

So for this season, the west half of the park is the half expected to be ready to use.

The season, in order

Here's the downtown calendar from Halloween through Dec. 19. It mixes events at the theater and in the park, and the busiest day is near the end.

Spooktacular on Friday, Oct. 30, is an easy first look at the park mid-renovation. It includes a Catwalk Costume Parade at 6:15 and 7:30 p.m., trunk-or-treat stations stocked with more than 300 pounds of candy, carnival games and a DJ. Downtown Chandler's Holiday Magic page lists the display from Nov. 28 through Jan. 3. Its Prancer's Pajama Party is set at "Dr. A.J. Chandler Park West," which puts the newly finished side to use right away.

December 5 is when both are fully booked

The tree lighting, the parade, Santa's House and two Nutcracker shows all land on the first Saturday in December this year. Here's how the day stacks up:

1. 1 p.m. The Nutcracker matinee at Chandler Center for the Arts.
2. 4:30 p.m. The Tumbleweed Tree Lighting opens downtown and runs until 9 p.m. A second Nutcracker performance starts at the same time.
3. Evening. Santa's House opens at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park on the first of its four dates.
4. 6:45 to 8 p.m. The Parade of Lights moves along Arizona Avenue from Frye Road north to Erie Street.

Visit Chandler lists the tree lighting at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park, with the same date and hours as the City's listing. The City named the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting as one of the park's signature events when it announced the renovation, along with the weekly farmers market. If the west side finishes on schedule, this year's lighting will be the first held with some of the new canopies and plazas in place, while the east side across the avenue is still under construction.

If your family wants both the ballet and the tree lighting, the 1 p.m. matinee leaves the evening free for the park and the parade. The 4:30 p.m. show overlaps with the start of the tree lighting.

Getting downtown while half the park is fenced

Arizona Avenue has less parking right now. The City says parking along the avenue is limited during construction and a few angled spaces on San Marcos and Arizona Place are unavailable. While crews run electrical work on the east side, the northbound curb lane next to the park is restricted on weekday daytimes for about two weeks.

The parking garages fill the gap. For Spooktacular, the City points visitors to free parking east of Arizona Avenue in three garages:

• City Hall Parking Garage, Chicago and Washington streets
• Johnathan Parking Garage, Buffalo and Washington streets
• Alexander Parking Garage, Boston and Washington streets

On Dec. 5, the parade route runs right along the stretch of Arizona Avenue that passes the park. A spot in one of the Washington Street garages keeps you walking distance from the tree, the parade and the theater, so you won't need to move the car between events.

What carries into spring

The east side of the park is the main unfinished piece, and the City expects it done by early spring 2027. The theater has its own spring milestone. Ashli St. Armant's three-year residency at Chandler Center for the Arts ends in March 2027 with the world premiere of her new theatrical work, The Yellowroot: A Juke Joint Cabaret.

Our family has spent decades going to hometown parades, tree lightings and first-weekend ballet shows, and a downtown that works for those days is one of the things we look at closely when we help families choose a home. If you're thinking about a place within walking distance of Arizona Avenue, or just want to know how this renovation affects the blocks around it, Kristi Newman would be glad to talk it through with you. Schedule a free consultation and we'll start with what matters most to your family.