This week, the grounds around Goodyear City Hall are covered in flags. Veterans Week runs November 2 through 7. It starts with the Tribute Flag Garden, the Patriotic Art Murals and the Banners of the Brave display at City Hall, and it builds toward a festival on Saturday. The city's plan called for six Arizona artists to each paint one military branch on an 8-by-8-foot double-sided wall. The back of each wall is a Community Gratitude Wall where anyone can leave a message during the week.
The square holding those murals is the same square where Goodyear's wish list is starting to show up. From October 1 through November 15, 2025, the city ran a retail survey asking residents what shopping, dining and entertainment they wanted. A year later, the answers are arriving around Civic Square at two speeds. Restaurants arrive on lease timelines, and some run into 2027. The city's own calendar already offers several of the entertainment requests for free this season.
What the survey asked for
The Litchfield Park / Goodyear Independent reported the results in February 2026. Whole Foods, AJ's Fine Foods and Sprouts were the most requested grocery brands. The most requested restaurants included The Cheesecake Factory, Postino, Yard House, Flower Child and In-N-Out Burger, along with Italian, pizza and Korean barbecue concepts.
The entertainment list is the part that matters for the next two months. The Independent reported that the top requests included sports-focused entertainment, arcades, bowling, mini golf, live music and performing arts spaces, nightlife, and "indoor recreation such as ice or roller rinks."
City officials said the results would guide retail recruitment and their talks with developers and site selectors. GSQ is the 150-acre mixed-use development growing up around Civic Square, and that is where recruitment has produced named tenants.
Which names are actually coming, and when
AZ Big Media's October 20 roundup quoted Mike Ebert, managing partner of RED Development, which is co-developing GSQ. He said Sephora, Postino, Flower Child and Spinato's Pizzeria all ranked in the survey's top 10. Only one of those four opens before the end of 2026.
| Name | Tied to the 2025 survey | Status at GSQ as of early November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Flower Child | Top 10 | Opens December 8, near Postino's future spot |
| Postino | Top 10 | Opening in 2027, 4,500 square feet |
| Sephora | Top 10 | Opening in 2027, next to J.Crew Factory Outlet |
| Spinato's Pizzeria | Top 10 | Opening in 2027, across from the south parking garage |
| Firebirds Wood Fired Grill | Not among reported names | Open at 14848 W. McDowell Road |
| Magdaleña | Not among reported names | Expected this fall or winter, between High Tide and Over Easy |
Flower Child has the firmest date. What Now Phoenix reported that the Goodyear restaurant opens December 8 as the chain's 49th location, three weeks after its Peoria opening at The Trailhead on November 17. Both will open with the fall menu, which includes a Miso Glazed Salmon Bowl and a Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with dine-in, online ordering and takeout. The Goodyear building has an exterior mural reading "Let Your Soul Shine." Inside are three hand-sewn pieces by Alegre Lopez based on Sonoran Desert plants.
Firebirds is already serving. Arizona Foothills reported it open in mid-October. It sits on McDowell Road near Trader Joe's. Magdaleña comes from the team behind Pa'La. It will serve Latin American food cooked over live fire in a 2,462-square-foot space, and its opening is still described only as "fall/winter."
The rest of the top names land next year or later. Miel de Agave, a Mexican fusion restaurant, plans to open along Goodyear Way near Fogo de Chão in spring 2027 as its fourth Valley location. Lovesac is due the same season, between Cava and California Fish Grill. The Cheesecake Factory, Yard House, In-N-Out and the three requested grocers aren't among the tenants GSQ has announced so far.
So for the restaurant side of the list, this holiday season brings one new survey name, Flower Child. Most of the rest comes in 2027.
The requests the city's calendar already covers
The entertainment side of the survey moves faster, because the city runs most of it on the same square, free.
Live music is part of nearly every city event this fall. The rink request has an answer too. The Rinq is Goodyear's synthetic ice-skating rink at Civic Square, and it returns this year with free admission and free skate rental. This is its third season. The 2026 season is the first to run into January, and it is also the longest:
- 2024: weekends from December 6 through December 29
- 2025: December 5 through December 28
- 2026: December 4, 2026, through January 3, 2027, with December sessions Friday through Sunday and two January dates on Saturday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd
That extra weekend falls after Christmas, when a lot of households have family in town and free evenings to fill.
Holidays on the Square has gone the other way, from three Friday nights in 2024 (December 6, 13 and 20) to two in 2025 and again two this year. Each night has its own theme. December 4 is Yule Y'all, with country-style entertainment. December 11 is Jingle Jam, a sing-and-dance-along night of holiday music. Both start at 5 p.m. The city's main events page lists an 8 p.m. end, while the individual event listings run to 9 p.m.
So the two December Fridays on the square both open the rink and host a themed party. Three days after Jingle Jam, Flower Child will have been open almost a week, a short walk away.
Getting through November first
Before any of that, the square has a full November. Saturday, November 7 covers most of the day if you want it to:
- Morning, Estrella Mountain Community College. The 13th Annual West Valley Veterans Ceremony and 5K/1-mile Run/Walk is hosted by EMCC with Goodyear and Avondale. Warm-up starts at 7:45 a.m., the 1-mile at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 8:15 a.m. The ceremony follows at 10 a.m. The campus is at 3000 N. Dysart Road in Avondale, and the ceremony is on Estrella North Plaza.
- Late afternoon, Civic Square. The free Veterans Day Tribute Festival runs 4 to 7 p.m. It has live patriotic music, arts and crafts, veterans resource booths, food trucks, and beer from Saddle Mountain Brewery. Every veteran gets a free meal.
If this reaches you on Thursday, November 5, there's something tonight too. The Make Believe Library Fine Art Show artist reception runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Georgia T. Lord Library, 1900 N. Civic Square, with live music, refreshments and audience voting on the art. The next morning, Goodyear Ballpark holds its First Friday Food Truck Show on November 6.
The following Saturday the city moves south. Chalk Art in the Park runs November 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Goodyear Recreation Center, 420 Estrella Parkway. APS sponsors it, and it includes art stations, a live DJ and food trucks. The ballpark's Farmers Market follows on November 15. On December 5, the same weekend the Rinq opens, the ballpark hosts the Fairytale Finds Winter Market, with more than 200 small businesses.
Before you head to the Rinq
The rink is first-come, first-served, so a few details help on a busy night. From the city's events page:
- Sessions last 30 minutes and start at 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m.
- No preregistration. Sign The Rinq's waiver on-site before skating.
- Bring socks. Skates are provided in sizes from toddler 7 and youth 8 through adult 15.
- Free parking is in the North Civic Square Parking Garage. During events, an extra lot north of the library opens.
- Questions go to 480-843-4496 during operating hours.
The season dates on that page start December 4, while its December schedule lists weekend sessions beginning December 5. The Yule Y'all crowd will be on the square that Friday night, so check the page that week before you lace up.
As GSQ fills in through 2027, you may start wondering how being close to Civic Square fits your own plans, whether that means staying put, rightsizing or helping a parent move closer. If so, Catherine Abeel is happy to sit down and go through it with you, one step at a time. Let's Connect.
