On Friday at noon, a building on East Stacy Road starts broadcasting to a League of Legends audience in more than 170 countries and regions. The Credit Union of Texas Event Center sits inside The Village at Allen at 200 E. Stacy Road. From Oct. 23 through Nov. 8 it hosts the Swiss Stage, quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2026 League of Legends World Championship. According to the City of Allen, no host city in the tournament's history has held all three of those rounds at one venue before. Earlier host cities include London, Paris, Seoul, Berlin, San Francisco and New York.
Once the semifinals end on Nov. 8, the same arena goes straight into Allen's holiday season: hockey, Disney On Ice, Watters Creek's tree lighting week and the city's Holly Jolly Celebration downtown. From now through mid-December, one venue's calendar sets the pace for the east end of Stacy Road, and that calendar is enough to plan a fall around.
Friday starts a global broadcast from Stacy Road
The size of the audience is why this matters locally. In its announcement, the city noted that the 2024 tournament drew 190 million hours watched worldwide, an average concurrent audience of more than 1.73 million viewers, and a peak of 6.86 million viewers for a single match. The semifinals decide who reaches the championship match. Those games are played in Allen. The Final moves to Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 14, according to LoL Esports.
Allen Mayor Chris Schulmeister called it "an incredible opportunity to showcase Allen on a truly global stage" in the city's release. The same release says earlier Worlds events produced an estimated $53 million in economic impact across North American host cities. That figure covers multiple cities, not a forecast for Allen alone. The city points to visitor spending at hotels, restaurants and shops, which produces sales tax that helps pay for parks, roads and public facilities. Brandy O'Keefe, director of the Allen Convention & Visitors Bureau, called it "a tremendous win for Allen" in that same announcement.
The city expects visiting fans to stay in local hotels and eat at local restaurants while matches run on 14 of the 17 days from Oct. 23 to Nov. 8. A resident planning a Friday dinner at The Village needs to know which afternoons the arena is busy.
The schedule, with the start times that changed
Riot Games posted revised broadcast start times on Sept. 22. Community Impact's October events guide, published two days later, still lists every Swiss Stage session at noon. The table below uses Riot's updated times.
| Dates | Round | Start time | Re-entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri. Oct. 23 to Mon. Oct. 26 | Swiss Stage | Noon CDT | Allowed |
| Wed. Oct. 28 to Fri. Oct. 30 | Swiss Stage | 3 p.m. CDT | Allowed |
| Sat. Oct. 31 | Swiss Stage | Noon CDT | Allowed |
| Tue. Nov. 3 to Fri. Nov. 6 | Quarterfinals | 4 p.m. CST | Not allowed |
| Sat. Nov. 7 to Sun. Nov. 8 | Semifinals | 4 p.m. CST | Not allowed |
October 27 and Nov. 1 and 2 are the only gaps. The clocks change in between, which is why the November sessions are listed in Central Standard Time. Tickets for the Swiss Stage were listed as on sale on the event center's Worlds page. The Community Impact guide listed tickets starting at $77.65.
Bag rules for this event are stricter than the arena's usual policy. The Worlds venue policy allows small bags under 4.5 by 8.5 inches and medium clear bags under 14 by 14 by 6 inches. It also states that the venue cannot check or store belongings. The arena's standing bag policy is a little looser and notes that individual events can set tighter rules. Worlds is one of those events.
The parking rule that affects The Village
According to the arena's directions and parking page, event parking is free in the South Parking Garage. On event days, event parking is not allowed in the uncovered retail lots around the arena. The route from US 75 is exit 37 to Stacy Road, then Andrews Parkway, then Event Center Drive. The garage is on the left.
That rule shapes the two Fridays when Worlds overlaps with The Village's own programming. Friday Night Live at The Grove runs on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. It features musicians from Melody of Hope, a North Texas nonprofit. The center suggests bringing a lawn chair or blanket and picking up takeout from one of its restaurants. On Oct. 23, matches start at noon. On Oct. 30, they start at 3 p.m. On both evenings, the concert and the tournament run at the same time a short walk apart, at 190 and 200 E. Stacy Road.
Nov. 9, the arena goes back to local events
The arena's calendar after the semifinals is almost entirely local. The event center's listings run like this:
- Tue. Nov. 10: Senior Citizen Expo
- Fri. Nov. 20: Allen Americans vs. Kansas City Mavericks, Military Night
- Sat. Nov. 21: Americans vs. Kansas City, Bluey Night at the Rink
- Nov. 25 to 29: Disney On Ice
- Thu. Dec. 3: Americans vs. Kansas City, December School Game 1
- Fri. Dec. 4: Americans vs. Tahoe Knight Monsters, Friday Night Hockey
- Sat. Dec. 5: Americans vs. Tahoe, Star Wars Night
- Sat. Dec. 12: Americans vs. Wichita Thunder, White Out Night
Nov. 20 is the Americans' Allen opening night. Community Impact reported that fans are encouraged to wear red and that the first 3,500 through the doors get rally towels.
The weekends with the most going on fall on the same dates the arena is busy. On Saturday, Nov. 21, Bluey Night at the Rink falls on the same day as Light the Night, Watters Creek's holiday kickoff. "Santa is Here" starts at Watters Creek that day and runs through Dec. 24. On Saturday, Dec. 5, Star Wars Night shares the evening with the city's Holly Jolly Celebration in downtown Allen. That event runs from 4 to 8 p.m., with the tree lighting and a drone show at 6 p.m., plus a 5K and fun run and a holiday market. On Saturday, Dec. 12, White Out Night lands on the same day as Merry Tuba Christmas, a free concert on The Village Green at Watters Creek.
Watters Creek also has weekly events through December, so Allen's holiday season doesn't depend on the arena:
- Kringle's Corner, at Blue House Too Art Space & Gallery, every Tuesday from Dec. 1 to 29
- Ugly Sweater Wine Walk, Thursday, Dec. 3, from 4 to 8 p.m.
- Santa Cares, at 911 Garden Park Drive, Sunday mornings from Dec. 6 to 27
- Santa Paws, Monday evenings from Dec. 7 to 28
The other end of Stacy Road has new stores
At the west end of Stacy Road, Allen Premium Outlets at 820 W. Stacy Road has spent the fall adding stores. Community Impact reported five recent openings:
| Store | Suite | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Timberland | 428 | Aug. 14 |
| Psycho Bunny | 174 | Sept. 3 |
| Toys R Us | 160 | Sept. 26 |
| Collector's Edition | 310 | Oct. 3 |
| Coach Coffee Shop, inside Coach | 190 | Oct. 8 |
Exotic Snack Guys first opened at the outlets in June and moved to Suite 154 in September. A Toys R Us opening about eight weeks before Disney On Ice and the start of Santa season gives Allen holiday shopping inside city limits. Collector's Edition sells collectibles and sports memorabilia, the kind of store that fits a hockey season and a crowd of visiting fans.
Away from Stacy Road, a few other changes fill in the fall. Barrio Burrito Bar opened Sept. 26 at 1480 N. Custer Road. Cookie Society plans to open in December at 906 W. McDermott Drive. At The Farm on Johnson Road, the developer told Community Impact that a new dining and entertainment venue is planned for the former site of The Hub, targeted for early 2027.
On Friday, the world's best League of Legends teams play their first matches on East Stacy Road. On Dec. 12, the same arena hosts the Americans' White Out Night, and The Village Green at Watters Creek hosts Merry Tuba Christmas.
Vesta Schneider keeps track of Allen's event calendar because it shapes daily life around Stacy Road. If you're thinking about what life near Stacy Road, Watters Creek or downtown Allen looks like through the year, explore her Allen neighborhood guide or reach out to Vesta Schneider. Let's Connect.
