None of the restaurants Rancho Mirage has been waiting on will open this fall. Lord Fletcher's on Highway 111 now says "Coming 2027" on its own site. Most of what does start up again between now and December is free. That includes author talks, telescope nights, garden access and a multi-day cultural festival at Sunnylands. Price isn't what keeps people out of these events. Release dates, start times and seating rules are.
The openings are mostly scheduled for next year
The list of new places is long, but most of it is still on the way.
- Lord Fletcher's, 70385 Highway 111. The restaurant's site says "Coming 2027." In February, NBC Palm Springs reported that the new owners had tenant-improvement permits but no reopening date.
- Cotino Bay. Cotino's public commercial district has announced Mila's Kitchen, Asada Cantina + Kitchen, La Dolce Piccola Gelateria, SottoSopra, Mojave Flea Trading Post and Sunglass Hut. The district is projected to open to the public in spring 2027. The Desert Sun reported the tenant lineup on Aug. 6 and said the area opens to the public next year.
- Keke's Breakfast Cafe, 36101 Bob Hope Drive. A March report said the cafe would open in 2026 but gave no date. The landlord's late-August tenant roster still listed it as "Coming Soon."
- Koffi at Rancho Mirage Marketplace. This second Rancho Mirage location was announced in June as coming soon. It adds to the existing Koffi at 71-380 Highway 111 and doesn't replace it.
The one verified opening since summer is Aura House Yoga Studio, a heated yoga and wellness studio. Rancho Mirage Marketplace announced it open on July 14.
The fall season that is actually here runs on official calendars. Each venue has its own rule for getting in.
Sunnylands is free, but house tour tickets go on sale the 15th
Sunnylands Center & Gardens came back from its summer break on September 9. Through early June it is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Center, the gardens and parking are free. The historic estate itself is open only through ticketed tours.
The Historic House Tour is where timing matters. Tickets go on sale online at 9 a.m. Pacific on the 15th of each month for the following month. Each tour lasts 90 minutes, takes seven guests and costs $58.19 per person on the official tour page. At seven guests a tour, each month's tickets are limited. Under the 15th-of-the-month rule, November tours go on sale October 15, ten days from now.
There are two other ticketed options. The Open-Air Experience is $30.11 per person for 45 minutes. The estate birding shuttle tour is $41.55 per person and runs November through April. Both follow the same release rule, so anyone hoping to book a November birding tour should mark October 15.
The free Writers Series gives residents first seats
The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival's main event runs February 3–5, 2027, and is already sold out. Its free Writers Series runs through the fall at the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory, 71-100 Highway 111. All five fall talks start at 2 p.m.
The festival lists the Writers Series as one of the library's premier programs. Rancho Mirage residents and anyone who gives $100 or more a year to the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory Foundation get priority seating if they arrive early. The library also says eligible patrons should show their new library card for premier-program entry. That makes an up-to-date library card the closest thing to a ticket for this series.
| Date | Author | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Oct. 20 | Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host | 50 Movie Nights |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Catherine Grace Katz, historian | Shadow Before the Flame |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Claire Wadsworth and Nikki Hill | La Copine, their debut cookbook |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Ruta Sepetys | A Fortune of Sand |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Dr. Joshua Mezrich | Every Living Creature |
If you can't make a talk, earlier sessions are recorded and free to watch online.
Most other library programs are simpler to attend. Adult programs are free and usually need no ticket or library card, though some require registration in advance. The fall concerts include the Doug MacDonald Quintet on Wednesday, Oct. 7, Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas on Oct. 28 and Francesca Amari's Cabaret Jukebox on Nov. 18. Each starts at 7 p.m. The youth theater production of The Lion King JR. plays the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater Nov. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but you need a ticket.
Observatory nights start two hours earlier in November
The Observatory at the library is free and open to visitors from across the Coachella Valley. Public Exploration Nights are drop-in events on most Thursdays and Saturdays. You don't need to register, though you may wait in line.
The start time changes with the month.
- October, 8 to 9:30 p.m. Remaining dates are Oct. 8, 10, 17, 22, 24 and 31. The library's monthly calendar shows Oct. 29 as canceled, even though the event page still lists it.
- November, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dates are Nov. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21.
Someone who keeps showing up at 8 in November will find the session already over. As of this writing, the December Observatory calendar has no public nights posted. Before you go, check the library's calendar rather than assuming a Thursday is on.
Two programs this month work differently. Dark Sky Stargazing at North Shore Beach and Yacht Club on Friday, Oct. 9, 8 to 9:30 p.m., requires registration. SPACEducation, for ages 6 to 12, meets Oct. 16 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Registration opens Oct. 9 at 8 a.m.
Days of Los Muertos stays open until 9 p.m. one night
The biggest free event of the fall needs no reservation. Coachella Valley Days of Los Muertos runs Nov. 4–8 at Sunnylands with free admission and free parking. Garden decorations are on display from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6, is the day to plan around. Sunnylands stays open until 9 p.m., altars are lit from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Pixar's Coco screens at 6:30 p.m. That morning there is also a Spanish-language garden bird walk from 8:45 to 9:45. On Nov. 7, the Seed Mosaics workshop is free but requires registration. Aerial performances run Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Nov. 6 is the only night this fall when the Sunnylands gardens are open after dark. It also falls the day after the first November Observatory night, so you could do both on back-to-back evenings.
One more free show this month
Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage's current entertainment listing shows "Dolly – The Legacy Tour" as a free show on Saturday, Oct. 17. Other shows on the same listing include Brit Floyd on Oct. 9, the Ladies of Rock bill with Lita Ford, Vixen and Orianthi on Oct. 31, and Kool & The Gang on Nov. 21. The casino's calendar is updated often, so check it before planning around any date.
So for fall 2026, these are the dates to remember: Oct. 15 for November Sunnylands tours, 2 p.m. with a library card for the Writers Series, 6 p.m. instead of 8 for November telescope nights, and the evening of Nov. 6 at Sunnylands.
Timing shapes property value in Rancho Mirage the same way it shapes these events. Nick Miller is a Certified Residential Appraiser who prices homes against what is actually selling now, not last season's numbers. If you'd like to know where your home stands this fall, Get Your Home Valuation.
