"Officials initially said the first phase of the shopping and dining area would open to the public in fall 2026, but that date has been pushed back until spring 2027." That line comes from The Desert Sun's August 6, 2026 report on Cotino Bay Beach, Dining, Shops. Seven months earlier, KESQ's look at what Rancho Mirage could expect in 2026 told viewers to "expect the opening of Cotino Bay Beach," with a swimmable lagoon, a public beach, waterfront dining and retail.
So the season Rancho Mirage was told would be different is shaping up like the ones before it. Most of the programming Cotino plans to host on the north end of its 24-acre lagoon is still taking place this fall at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater on San Jacinto Drive, at the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory, and at The River. As of October 1, the new town center is still something to plan around. The older venues are where to actually make plans.
What is waiting at the north end of the lagoon
The town center sits off Monterey Avenue between Gerald Ford and Frank Sinatra drives. Storyliving by Disney's August 6 announcement added six tenants. Most already have a following somewhere in the valley.
- SottoSopra comes from the team behind SottoVoce Cafe in Palm Desert and Palm Springs. It's planned for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with pastries, paninis, ossobuco, risotto giallo and Italian wines.
- Asada Cantina + Kitchen brings its San Clemente Mexican kitchen and cocktail program as a sit-down restaurant open daily for lunch and dinner.
- Mojave Flea Trading Post, known for its Palm Springs and Yucca Valley shops, plans a rotating lineup of makers from the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree and beyond.
- La Dolce Piccola Gelateria, a family-owned shop and a Palm Desert favorite, will serve house-made gelato, coffee and baked goods.
- Big Juice brings its smoothies, cold-pressed juices and breakfast and lunch menu.
- It Refills, already open in Palm Desert and Indio, will sell refillable soaps, cleaners and personal care products.
These join tenants announced in late 2025. Elevare is a waterfront restaurant planned around "refined American cuisine." Artigiano, a Vancouver-based coffee company, will open its first U.S. location here. On the Mark Fine Foods & Provisions will add a location to its downtown Palm Springs sandwich shop, and Khaga Yoga, a Palm Springs studio, is on the list too. Storyliving's own Cotino Bay page also lists Mila's Kitchen and Sunglass Hut.
A pattern runs through that list. Much of the lineup is familiar El Paseo, Palm Springs and Palm Desert names opening a closer location. For Rancho Mirage, the change next spring is mostly distance. Gelato from La Dolce Piccola is already a short drive away on El Paseo.
Free to walk in, ticketed to swim
The Desert Sun reports that officials say the shops and restaurants on the bay's north end will be open to the public with no extra fee. Getting into Cotino Bay itself will cost money. The announcement says admission details will be released "at a later time." As of today, nobody outside the project can say what a beach day will cost.
The same release says the marketplace will host regular community events, including farmers markets with Coachella Valley growers, live music, art displays and seasonal events. No dates have been published for any of them. The live music, art and seasonal events on that list already have dated versions in Rancho Mirage this fall.
The programming Cotino promises already has a home
| Planned for Cotino Bay | Where it's happening this fall |
|---|---|
| Live music | Doug MacDonald Palm Springs Quintet at the Rancho Mirage Library & Observatory, October 7; Opera Under the Stars at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater, November 7 |
| Art displays | Desert Arts Festival at The River, 71800 Highway 111, November 27 to 29 |
| Seasonal events | Halloween Spooktacular on October 24 and Día de los Muertos Celebration on October 28, both at the library |
| Evening gatherings outdoors | Into the Woods, October 23 to 25, and Disney's The Lion King JR., November 21 and 22, both at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater |
The library is also in its 30th year. KESQ reported in January that the Library & Observatory planned a year of special programming, and its birthday celebration was held January 7. Its September through November guide covers music, lectures, observatory programs and seasonal family activities, and it lists the youth production of The Lion King JR. alongside them.
October and November, in order
- Tuesday, October 6, 10 a.m. to noon. Diamond Art Leaves Trio, an online craft event on the library's calendar.
- Wednesday, October 7, 7 to 8 p.m. The Doug MacDonald Palm Springs Quintet at the library.
- Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October 25. Desert Theatricals stages Into the Woods at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater, 71560 San Jacinto Drive. The city's visitor calendar lists a 7:30 p.m. curtain on opening night.
- Saturday, October 24. Halloween Spooktacular at the library, the same weekend Into the Woods runs.
- Wednesday, October 28. Día de los Muertos Celebration at the library.
- Thursday, October 29. The Observatory Public Exploration Night on the library calendar is marked canceled.
- Saturday, November 7, 7 p.m. Opera Under the Stars. The Coachella Valley Symphony and the Palm Springs Opera Guild perform music from Strauss's Die Fledermaus at the amphitheater, with John Mario DiCostanzo conducting.
- Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, 7 p.m. Disney's The Lion King JR. at the amphitheater. Doors open an hour before curtain.
- Friday, November 27, through Sunday, November 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Desert Arts Festival at The River, with free admission and free parking.
The logistics of an amphitheater night
The opera night has its own rules. The Coachella Valley Symphony's listing says doors open at 6 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. Complimentary valet is available in the West parking lot. Food and drinks are sold on site, outside food and beverages aren't allowed, and only service dogs may attend. The East Gate is closed for general entry, so everyone enters through the West Gate. Attendees with disabilities can request individual accessibility accommodations at the East Gate.
With first-come seating and a single public entrance, arrival time decides where you sit. Doors open an hour before the music starts. For The Lion King JR., Desert Theatricals uses the same one-hour lead before its 7 p.m. curtains.
Late October is the busiest stretch. Into the Woods runs Friday through Sunday, and the library's Halloween Spooktacular falls on that Saturday. Four days later comes Día de los Muertos. Anyone hoping to use a telescope that week should know the October 29 observatory night will not happen.
Spring, with the developer's own caveat
Storyliving's current Cotino Bay page still shows spring 2027. The press release says plans "are subject to change or cancellation, in part or whole, at any time without notice." One opening date has already slipped once, so spring 2027 is a target, not a promise.
More is coming. Cotino officials expect to announce more town center tenants in the coming months, and later phases call for added dining and retail plus a resort hotel. Until the first of those tenants opens, the dated events in Rancho Mirage this season run through November 29, when the Desert Arts Festival closes at 5 p.m. at The River.
A waterfront town center opening a few miles away next spring is the kind of change that can affect how buyers see nearby homes. If you'd like to know where your home stands before Cotino Bay opens, Sarah & James Pearce are happy to walk you through it. Get a Free Home Valuation.
