On Saturday, Oct. 17, the ofrendas, mariachis and Catrina contest of the McKinney Día de los Muertos Festival will set up at TUPPS Brewery, at 402 E. Louisiana St. For the past five years the festival was held at Dr. Glenn Mitchell Memorial Park. Its organizers say they left the park for a venue with more space.
It's one change, but it fits a larger shift. In 2026, McKinney's fall calendar has two downtowns. The historic Square still hosts the city's biggest events. A few blocks east, across SH 5 and the rail line, the four-acre Mill District around TUPPS has become where community-run events go when they need room.
The Festival That Chose a Brewery Over a Park
The organizers explained the move on the Visit McKinney event listing:
"If you have spent any time in McKinney lately you already know that TUPPS has become one of the most beloved gathering places in our community. More space, more room for the moments you love, and a venue that has shown again and again that it knows how to bring McKinney together."
The venue is fairly new. TUPPS moved from 721 Anderson St. and held its ribbon cutting at the East Louisiana site on March 9, 2024, as Community Impact reported at the time. The brewery describes the property as a restored grain mill with a taproom, restaurant and brewery. Around it are an outdoor stage and music lawn, a covered beer hall, retail shops inside the silos, a soccer pitch, a cornhole and bocce area, the Grain Room restaurant and the East McKinney Learning Garden.
A downtown park can't offer that mix of a stage, lawn, food, restrooms and covered space for an all-day event that runs into the evening. That is why the festival schedule has moved to this property in a little over two and a half years.
Nine Days, Three Events, One Address
TUPPS's October calendar shows how much of the month now runs through this one property.
- Friday, Oct. 9: Hops & Shops. A market on the brewery grounds.
- Saturday, Oct. 10: Ratrodtober Fest, 10th anniversary. Rat rods, hot rods, classic and muscle cars, motorcycles, live music, food and local vendors. TUPPS lists registration at 7:30 a.m. and the show at 9 a.m., followed by performances, awards and a ride-out. The two official listings give different hours. TUPPS says 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Visit McKinney says 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check with the organizer before you plan your afternoon around it.
- Saturday, Oct. 10: TX/OU tailgate and afterparty. Same day, same grounds, after the car show.
- Saturday, Oct. 17: McKinney Día de los Muertos Festival. Free, noon to 9 p.m. TUPPS's schedule lists traditional dance, mariachis, the Catrina contest, a DJ and artisan vendors. Havana NRG closes the night on the CUTX Stage from 8 to 9 p.m.
The brewery also lists weekly trivia, a run club and an open mic. Those regular nights are what keep the site busy between festivals.
The Flour Mill Next Door Opened in the Mornings
Across East Louisiana, the McKinney Flour Mill has mostly worked as a private event space. Its website markets a hall, a garden and a speakeasy for weddings, corporate events and rehearsal dinners, with seating for up to 250. Unless you had an invitation, you probably had no reason to go in.
That changed this summer, when Cafe LaFaye opened inside the Mill at 407 E. Louisiana St. It serves coffee, tea and pastries, including muffins, banana bread and beignets, according to Community Impact. It's a small opening, but it gives the east side something it lacked: a reason to come by on a weekday morning, before the brewery's afternoon crowd shows up.
Bigger plans for the Mill are still just plans. In December 2024, Community Impact reported a proposed 35-room hotel, restaurant and bistro cafe at the Flour Mill, with a multi-year build expected to start in early 2025. We found no confirmation that the hotel or restaurant has opened.
On the Square, Most New Openings Are Shops and Activities
The historic Square has had a busy late summer too. Most of what opened there gives people something to do or buy, and few are restaurants.
- The Cipher Lounge opened Aug. 12 at 101 S. Chestnut St. It pairs two escape rooms with a cocktail lounge.
- XO GiGi opened Aug. 26 at 216 N. Tennessee St. It sells art supplies and artisan goods, has a gallery of work by local artists, and hosts classes and workshops.
- Sam's Rug Corner opened in late August at 213 N. Kentucky St. It buys, sells and trades rugs and offers washing and repair.
- Grace+Emma opened Sept. 1 at 101 E. Louisiana St., Ste. 100, selling women's clothing and accessories.
- Cadence Cyclery announced in August that it planned to move in October from 119 S. Tennessee St. to 210 N. Tennessee St. As of this writing, we haven't confirmed that the move is finished.
On the dining side, LOYO Burger closed its 216 W. Virginia St. location on Aug. 19. The Local Yocal concept said it hopes to return at a new location.
Most of McKinney's new restaurants opened farther west. Tin Star Tacos opened Sept. 24 at 8801 Eldorado Parkway. Two days later and a few doors down, KFC opened its experimental "Open House" restaurant at 8751 Eldorado Parkway, with table service and new menu items the chain is testing. Arwa Yemeni Coffee is set to open Oct. 16 at 1935 Prestwick Hollow Drive, Ste. 900. At Hub 121, the 137-room AC Hotel McKinney and its fifth-floor Good & Proper Wood-Fired Bistro are now aiming for mid-November at 7600 SH 121, with room reservations starting Nov. 15. In June, the target was mid-October.
That leaves a clear split. West McKinney is adding places to eat along the main roads. Downtown is adding places to spend an afternoon, and its big community events are moving a few blocks east to where there's more room.
The Square Still Hosts the Biggest Weekends
None of this means the Square is losing its place. McKinney Oktoberfest ran Sept. 25–27 in Historic Downtown McKinney, and entry to the festival grounds was free. Home for the Holidays returns to the Square Nov. 27–29, the Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving. The tree lighting is listed for Friday at 6:15 p.m., per Downtown McKinney.
The division is getting easier to see. Events tied to the courthouse and the old storefronts stay on the Square. Events that need a stage, open lawn and food on site for nine hours are going to the Mill District.
What Could Eventually Connect the Two
Right now, getting from one side to the other means crossing SH 5. Two projects in the city's pipeline would change that, though neither is close to finished.
The first is the Cotton Mill at 610 Elm St. A January 2026 McKinney Community Development Corporation meeting covered a $13.63 million grant request for infrastructure tied to the Cotton Mill District, submitted by Presidium Group. At the same meeting, Millhouse described its 2026 arts festivals, special events and makers markets at the Cotton Mill. On July 21, the City Council voted 4–3 to waive $2,946,900 in roadway impact fees for the Presidium Cotton Mill project. Under the deal, the developer pays when a construction permit is issued and is reimbursed once the project is complete, Community Impact reported. The plan includes 1,140 apartments east of SH 5, plus office space and parkland. It's approved but not built.
The second is Lower 5 Plaza, a proposed public park and pedestrian crossing over SH 5 between East Virginia and Louisiana streets. The most recent timeline we found is from December 2024. It expected design work in mid-2026 and showed construction slipping to 2028. We couldn't confirm the current schedule.
Until then, a full Saturday in downtown McKinney this month means two stops a short walk apart: TUPPS in the afternoon and the Square in the evening, with SH 5 in between.
If you own property near the Mill District or the Cotton Mill site and want to think through what the east side's growth could mean for your plans, GO Real Estate can help you connect leasing, management and long-term value decisions to what's actually happening in the area. Let's Talk Strategy.
