Verrado Marketplace’s outdoor dining and entertainment district opened Thursday in Buckeye, beginning a four-day public celebration and the next major phase of the 500,000-square-foot shopping center at Interstate 10 and Verrado Way.
The opening gives residents access to the project’s central gathering area, called The District, after the center’s first wave of large retailers began opening earlier this year. The project is at 1509 N. Verrado Way, immediately north of I-10.
According to the official District Fest schedule, free activities run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Sunday, Oct. 18. The plaza includes a central lawn, performance area, splash feature and restaurant patios.
Dining arrives in phases
SALT Tacos + Tequila and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream were promoted as the first restaurant openings tied to Thursday’s district debut. Other dining and entertainment tenants remain on separate schedules, an important distinction for visitors expecting the full project to be operating at once.
See’s Candies has an opening celebration scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Shake Shack is scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 1505 N. Verrado Way, Suite 102. The West Valley Regional Chamber listing says a ribbon cutting will begin at 9:15 a.m. and the restaurant will donate $1 from each burger or sandwich sold that day to St. Mary’s Food Bank.
Target, Bath & Body Works, Famous Footwear, Marshalls, HomeGoods and Ulta Beauty are among the stores the marketplace currently lists as open. The official tenant directory also identifies Safeway, Harkins Backlot, OHSO Brewery, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Paris Baguette and other businesses as part of the broader project, but their presence in the directory should not be read as confirmation that every location is operating now.
Four days of opening events
Thursday’s program includes live music by Rock Lobster from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday features Desert Dixie during the same hours, followed by Chucky Baby & the All-Star on Saturday. Sunday’s schedule includes mini golf, carnival games, airbrush tattoos and a DJ.
The festival is free. The center advises visitors arriving from I-10 to use Exit 120 at Verrado Way.
A major Buckeye retail milestone
Vestar and DMB Associates broke ground on Verrado Marketplace in November 2024. The developers described it as a 500,000-square-foot destination with more than 50 planned retailers and restaurants. A developer announcement put the project investment at $275 million and projected more than 1,500 permanent jobs and $50 million in Buckeye tax revenue over 10 years. Those employment and revenue figures are developer projections, not completed results.
The District opening marks a change in status from a shopping center with phased store openings to one with an operating public gathering and dining area. Additional anchors and restaurants will continue opening separately, so visitors should confirm individual business hours before making a trip.
West Valley Post is tracking the remaining tenant openings and project milestones in the Buckeye Development Tracker.
Image: Representative editorial illustration created for West Valley Post. It does not depict the actual Verrado Marketplace design or site plan.
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