Downtown Springfield's biggest changes in 2026 have come in its performance rooms more than its menus. A piano bar that ran for 22 years now has a stage and a theater calendar. A rum bar that has been on Park Central Square for more than a decade has announced a move across town. A 2,000-plus-capacity music hall on West Olive Street has pushed its opening to spring 2027. Even the mural that framed photos on the Square's southwest corner has been taken down so it can go up outside that music hall.
Put together, these moves show downtown's evening spreading out from the Square toward rooms built around a stage. The Square keeps the nights that bring all of Springfield downtown at once, and this year the Christmas Parade and Mayor's Tree Lighting share the same Saturday.
312 South Avenue Kept Its Name and Changed Its Purpose
Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar opened in 2003 and closed its downtown doors in early 2025, after 22 years on South Avenue, according to the Springfield Daily Citizen. Ethan and Hailey Brown took over the building at 312 South Ave. and set an Aug. 1 grand opening for Biggs Downtown, a live music and theater venue. The Browns already co-own Shot Shack and 417 Pedal Tours, two other downtown businesses. The Daily Citizen reported a five-year lease and a $70,000 initial investment.
The name is the only thing held over. The Browns told the Daily Citizen they have no affiliation with the original business. Ethan Brown described what drew them to the building:
"I think there was a lot of heart in the building, and we hope to continue to have that, and hopefully bring a little bit more life to downtown."
The room is set up for programming in a way the old piano bar was not. The Daily Citizen describes the performance stage as the main focus. The plan mixes touring and local acts with some dueling-piano nights, and it includes both ticketed concerts and cover-charge shows where the cover goes to the artists. Capacity is about 300. The Browns also named live theater as a goal and said they were excited to work with companies like Springfield Little Theatre, though that was a hope as of June and no joint production appears on the venue's posted calendar. Burlesque and other 21-plus shows fill out the plan.
The Biggs Downtown event calendar shows what that looks like this month. "Slashers: A Burlesque Bloodbath" runs Thursday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Oct. 25, and "Halloween ft. Jed Harrelson" is on Saturday, Oct. 31. No November or December shows were posted as of this writing.
A few doors down, Gabriela Cocina Mexicana Contemporánea soft-opened July 28 at 406 S. South Ave., in the same week the Springfield News-Leader counted new event venues opening downtown. The Springfield Business Journal reported that Gabriela replaced another Mexican restaurant. South Avenue now has a new dinner option and a new stage within walking distance of each other.
The Rum Bar Leaving the Square Is Following Its Own Neighborhood
The second move points away from downtown. Good Spirits & Co., parent company of Golden Girl Rum Club, plans to move the bar from 137 Park Central Square to 1426 E. Elm St. in the Rountree neighborhood, 417 Magazine reported on Oct. 8. The bar has been downtown for more than a decade.
Owner and business manager Joshua Widner explained the choice through the company's history on the east side. Cherry Picker Package & Fare opened in 2015, and the GS&Co. headquarters followed in 2023, both along the Cherry and Pickwick corridor. The Elm Street building has been vacant for more than 10 years. GDL Enterprises, LLC, is handling development, and Angela Houska of Hello, Have a Seat is leading interior design.
The new location is planned around daytime hours. Widner told 417 Magazine that rum will stay at the center of the program, with more classic cocktails and a less tropical feel. The kitchen will expand so the menu and hours fit the neighborhood better, including lunch and longer happy hours.
Nothing changes on the Square yet. Golden Girl will stay open as it is at 137 Park Central Square during construction, and no completion date has been announced. Widner said the Elm Street building should get fresh paint, a new roof, fencing, landscaping and parking lot restriping over the next few weeks.
Some of the Square's longtime bars are staying put with new owners. 417 Magazine reported that Sweet Boy's Neighborhood Bar, which it calls a downtown staple, has been led by Micah Pope and Ryan Smith since early summer 2026. On East Walnut Street, Debbie and Chris Wells bought Modern Sips Acai Bar at 323 E. Walnut St. from Michael Elder on June 1, and the shop kept operating, per the Springfield Business Journal.
West Olive Is Getting the Biggest Room, Just Not This Year
The most ambitious stage downtown is still under construction. The Holler Music Hall at 423 W. Olive St. was announced in March with a planned capacity above 2,000 and a goal of hosting its first concert in 2026, Ozarks First reported. The building is a former Route 66 auto garage. The Holler's own website now says "Opening in Spring 2027," which replaces the earlier 2026 target.
The table puts the two new stages next to the bar on the Square that is moving out.
| Venue | Address | Capacity | Status as of Oct. 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biggs Downtown | 312 South Ave. | About 300 | Open, October shows posted |
| The Holler Music Hall | 423 W. Olive St. | 2,000-plus planned | Opening in spring 2027 |
| Golden Girl Rum Club | 137 Park Central Square | Not reported | Open, relocation to 1426 E. Elm St. planned |
The planned Holler would hold several times more people than Biggs Downtown. One room fits about 300 for a burlesque run or a local act, and the other is meant for touring shows that need a crowd in the thousands. Springfield gets the smaller one this fall and the larger one next year.
The Mural Moved Before the Venue Opened
Better Block Springfield's "Make Something Where You Are" mural was painted on plywood panels at the Newberry building on the Square's southwest corner and had been there since 2024, KY3 reported in June. Better Block executive director Rachael Walsh told KY3 the moveable murals are meant "to come in during a phase of transition and to be temporary."
The panels are headed to The Holler. Walsh called the old garage "a perfect example of what the mural stands for," and local artist Meg Wagler was doing touch-ups while the panels sat in storage. In June, Better Block expected to reinstall the mural over the summer, back when The Holler was still aiming for a 2026 opening. That opening has since moved to spring 2027, and no follow-up report confirming the installation turned up in our research.
What Still Happens on the Square
The Square's evening role is shifting, and its shared nights are getting bigger. The Downtown Springfield Association has announced that the Christmas Parade and the Mayor's Tree Lighting will be held together on Saturday, Nov. 21. The DSA homepage says "we are combining forces this holiday season" and that more details are coming. The route and exact location had not been posted when this was written.
Here are the downtown dates left in 2026:
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Night of Pourers 2026 at The Coffee Ethic, a latte art competition and Halloween party that the downtown calendar calls the shop's annual Halloween event.
- Thursday, Oct. 22, through Sunday, Oct. 25: "Slashers: A Burlesque Bloodbath" at Biggs Downtown.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: "Halloween ft. Jed Harrelson" at Biggs Downtown.
- Friday, Nov. 6: First Friday Art Walk. The Springfield Regional Arts Council describes it as a free, self-guided walk held downtown and in the Commercial Street Historic District on the first Friday of each month.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Christmas Parade and Mayor's Tree Lighting, combined into one event this holiday season.
- Friday, Dec. 4: First Friday Art Walk, under the same first-Friday schedule.
The Art Walk dates above come from the council's first-Friday rule, not from separate 2026 announcements. Some December holiday market wording on the council's page still refers to the 2025 event.
Every change in this story has a lease behind it. A piano bar's building went to a couple with a stage plan, a vacant garage on West Olive is being turned into a music hall, and a decade-old rum bar is finishing an Elm Street building before it leaves the Square. Carrie's background in commercial leasing, asset management and acquisitions is built for that work. If you own a downtown storefront, are thinking about leasing one, or have a business idea that needs the right room, 417 Property Pros would be glad to sit down with you, walk through the numbers and help you plan your next step. Work With Us.
