About Janet Leigh Plaza
Janet Leigh Plaza is at the center of Stockton’s growing downtown entertainment scene and is often bustling with activity during the evenings in spring, summer and fall. The brown brick, open-air plaza is surrounded by four restaurants, an ice cream parlor and a coffeshop. Cafes and restaurants also are set to open in the adjacent B&M building and Hotel Stockton. But the plaza’s top attraction is City Centre Cinemas 16, a modern movie theater showing the latest box office hits. The cinema sells more than a million tickets each year and is one of the top performers in the West for the Regal theaters chain. Outside the cinema, the plaza is often buzzing with teens who head downtown to hang out with friends. In the summer, the plaza also is home to the Downtown Stockton Alliance’s Music in the Square concert series, which features weekly free performances by local musicians and entertainers and has drawn nearly 500 people for some shows. The alliance also holds its monthly downtown art walk in and around the plaza. It features local artists showing their photos, paintings and other work in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Trivia note: the plaza is named after actress Janet Leigh, a former University of the Pacific student who was raised in Stockton and is best known for her role in the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Psycho.” Her daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis, also attracted, attended the plaza dedication in October 2006.
