Anyone who has lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a while likely knows how charming Garland’s Downtown District has always been. Locals—and not-so-locals—know this is where to go for eclectic shopping and unique dining experiences. After an extensive two-year redesign, Downtown Garland is now better than ever. You are invited to experience this reinvigorated entertainment hub yourself to help usher in Garland’s new era.
It is the culmination of years of planning and work to elevate the visitor’s experience in Downtown Garland. In 2019, the City of Garland passed a $423 million bond package—encompassing renovations to Downtown Garland—which would go toward city-wide improvements, including libraries, parks and recreation centers, a new animal shelter, and other community amenities. With this carefully planned redesign, Garland has achieved something many Dallas suburbs haven’t—implementing modern changes without losing historic integrity
The redesign spans farther than the Downtown Square. You’ll find updates for 14 surrounding blocks, which include new building facades, expanded sidewalks (some doubling in width), and modern cohesive street lighting, which, combined, truly create a sense of place and invite pedestrians to linger in Downtown a bit longer. The Downtown District is at the heart of the Bankhead Cultural Arts District, a recently awarded cultural designation by the Texas Commission on the Arts. Garland is one of only two cities in Texas to receive this coveted designation in 2023.
On track to become a can’t-miss destination for festivals, live music, and special events, the Downtown Garland Square renovation includes an expansive recreational lawn, a tree house playscape within a larger imaginative play area for kids, a shade pavilion for impromptu concerts, starlit patios, an urban water feature, and a distinctive vertical prism gateway feature that illuminates at night. The prisms will also serve as a colorful background for live music on the Square. Garland’s traditional annual music and holiday events that took place outside of Downtown for the past few years, such as Christmas on the Square and the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, will return to the Square in late 2023 and 2024, reestablishing Downtown as the heart of Garland.
All restaurants in and around the Square will offer take-out and dine-in services so patrons can grab lunch or dinner and/or beer or wine to enjoy in the new park area. Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery has already made this concept easy—head to the outdoor walk-up counter, place your order, and enjoy dinner and drinks on one of the Square’s many outdoor tables. Coming soon to the Downtown District are new outdoor murals from Austin and Garland artists, more art installations at the pocket park 506 Art, a New Haven-style pizza restaurant from the owners of Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House, and a wine/general store concept.
“The Downtown Garland stakeholders—residents of Garland, business or property owners, and the City itself—have been committed to going all in on this project,” said Letecia McNatt, Downtown Development Manager for the City of Garland. “This speaks to the authenticity, ambition, and tenaciousness that make up this district. What’s so cool about Downtown Garland is that if you don’t live in Garland, you have to go out of your way to get here. But once you are here, you’re coming back after you learn this is a community of unique, creative, and real people who want to create memorable experiences for their guests.”
Follow Visit Garland for a complete listing of grand opening celebration activities. You can also go to Visit Garland’s Events Page to keep up with annual and new events, including concerts, that will take place in the redesigned Downtown District throughout the year.
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