Westgate Turns 20 This November, and Its Calendar Belongs to Concerts Now

Westgate's first retail and office phase opened in November 2006, built around a 20-screen AMC multiplex and anchored by the hockey arena and the football stadium next door. Twenty years later, the district has set aside all of November for its anniversary, and almost nothing on that schedule depends on a home team. Pup Fest, themed Wednesday nights, a weekday scavenger hunt, and a Tree Lighting with 20 prizes to give away fill the month. Across Loop 101, VAI Resort is still a construction site with no confirmed opening date.

The anniversary is a good time to look at what keeps Westgate busy now, because the answer has changed since most of us first parked there.

The hockey schedule left in 2022, and the arena filled it differently

For most of its life, the arena's year followed 41 regular-season NHL home games. The Coyotes played their last game there on April 29, 2022, ending a 19-year run in Glendale, as Cronkite News reported in May 2026. That August, the building became Desert Diamond Arena under a new naming partnership, according to ABC15.

The arena then rebuilt itself for concerts. General manager Nick Byer told Cronkite News the venue had completed a $42 million renovation with "today's concert goers in mind." In 2022, the arena booked 43 events, and 28 of them were Coyotes home games. By early May 2026 it had already hosted 20 events, with 30 more scheduled through early December. Cronkite News also cites Sports Business Journal figures showing gross sales up 156% and attendance up 119% from 2022 to 2023, the first full year after the team left.

You can see the change on the arena's current calendar. In the six weeks after Thanksgiving, Desert Diamond Arena lists:

1. Jonas Brothers, Nov. 27
2. RUSH, Dec. 1 and Dec. 3
3. Benavidez vs. Cieslak, Dec. 5
4. Gracie Abrams, Dec. 9 and Dec. 10
5. The Ugly Sweater Holiday Party with Sublime, Slightly Stoopid and Codefendants, Dec. 11
6. Pentatonix, Dec. 19

Earlier in November, the arena's events page also lists Cristian Castro on Nov. 6, the 90's Corridos Tour on Nov. 7 and Barbara Mason's Forever Tour on Nov. 21.

About the same crowd, spending a lot more

Cronkite News found that spending grew much faster than crowds. Combined attendance at the district's venues rose only slightly, from about 2.5 million visitors in 2019 to 2.7 million in 2025. Over the same years, Glendale's total sales tax revenue went from $172 million to $289 million, a 68% gain. The city points to that sales tax figure as its main measure of Westgate's performance, because concertgoers usually spend more on food and drinks than a typical hockey crowd did.

Those gains haven't reached every business equally. Just Sports, which Westgate counts among its "OG" tenants, told Cronkite News that concerts haven't replaced the retail sales hockey brought in, that paid parking has worked against the district, and that NFL game days still drive the business. The Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel & Spa took a different route. After losing visiting-team stays, it moved into corporate group business and now holds a steady base of 200 to 300 rooms a night for groups.

So football still matters a great deal next door. State Farm Stadium's schedule lists the Cardinals hosting the Rams on Nov. 15, the Commanders on Nov. 29, the Eagles on Dec. 6 and the Jets on Dec. 20. Ye plays the stadium Nov. 21, the Front Row Card Show runs Dec. 12 and 13, and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is Dec. 30. Venue calendars change, so check the official pages before you buy tickets.

The tenants who stayed, and the ones built for a night out

Westgate is honoring seven "Westgate OGs" this month, all businesses that have been there almost from the start: Cold Stone Creamery, AMC, Just Sports, Yard House, Shane's Rib Shack, Johnny Rockets and Kabuki Japanese Restaurant.

Most of the newer arrivals are places you go to do something, not just to eat. A sales director at the Renaissance told Cronkite News that Chicken N Pickle, Thirsty Lion and PopStroke gave the district "enhanced alternative fun options." Westgate's current entertainment directory also lists Carousel Arcade Bar, Escape Westgate, Stir Crazy Comedy Club, As You Wish Pottery and Fine Ash Cigars. On the food side, the ramen brand Mensho held its Westgate grand opening on Oct. 11, 2025, which the City of Glendale announced the day before. Mensho shares the dining directory with Tulum Modern Mexican, Manna Korean BBQ, Los Arbolitos de Cajeme, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, The Lola and Lil' Capo Pizzeria.

The free public spaces get a lot of use too. WaterDance Plaza is built around a $6 million dancing-water fountain inspired by the Bellagio, and Fountain Park, a public square across from AMC, has an interactive splash pad. Fountain Park is also where the Santa photos take place.

November and December, by the date

The anniversary schedule runs on the district's own calendar, not the arena's or stadium's. Most of it is free to attend.

Each Westgate Wednesday has its own theme: Frozen Fiesta on Nov. 11, Down Under Christmas on Nov. 18, Royal Christmas on Nov. 25, Elf Training Academy on Dec. 2, a Grinchmas Party on Dec. 16 and Fireside Christmas on Dec. 23. Westgate also plans an anniversary timeline display during November, and its anniversary page says the location, participating businesses and giveaway details will be announced as the month goes on.

The Tree Lighting offers free parking in a district where one longtime tenant named paid parking as a drag on business. That makes Nov. 24 the easiest night of the anniversary month to get to.

Across the 101, the neighbor without a date

South of State Farm Stadium, VAI Resort is still a construction site. The Arizona Republic described it on Sept. 14 as an unfinished orange roller coaster above a construction zone that has been five years in the making and covers dozens of acres around a central amphitheater.

ABC15 reported on Aug. 25 that the project started in 2020 under a different name, with a goal of finishing before Glendale hosted the 2023 Super Bowl. It was rebranded as VAI Resort in 2022. Mattel Adventure Park was being built separately next door by Epic Resort Destinations until VAI became its owner, developer and operator this year. According to ABC15, the amphitheater hotel's lobby, steakhouse and guest rooms are under construction, and the 157-room VAI Villas and the conference center along the 101 are close to structurally complete.

VAI's website lists planned dining concepts including Bar Mar, The Steakhouse and a Cigar Lounge, and the Mattel park plans include Hot Wheels go-karts and a Barbie Dream Closet. None of these are open. There's still no confirmed opening date. VAI told ABC15 it will announce an opening timeline about 12 months ahead, and that an announcement of some kind was expected in November. When VAI does publish an opening timeline, that 12-month lead means the date it names will be about a year away.

Twenty years of Westgate is also twenty years of West Valley homeowners planning weekends around Loop 101. At Inspired Living Real Estate Collective, we keep track of how changes like these shape daily life and long-term value across Glendale. If you live near Westgate and want to know what your home is worth with this much nearby, start with an instant home valuation and we'll take it from there.