25 Things To Do This Weekend: May 15-17

six women in evening gowns join hands onstage

Hers Musical Ensemble gives the First @Third free concert in May (Photo – hersmusic.org)

From community birthdays to new plays, spring concerts to handcrafted specialties, the greater Pasadena area offers plenty of delights this sunny May weekend.

By Melanie Hooks

Click on highlighted event titles for more information.

people gathering at a park listening to music

Library Park, Monrovia (Photo – City of Monrovia)

Friday, May 15, 2026

9:00 am – 10:30 am: Free Produce Distribution at Pasadena Senior Center. Monthly giveaway of produce on a first-come, first-served basis. Sponsored by The Order of Malta Mobile Ministries. (@Pasadena Senior Center)

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Sierra Madre Senior Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class. Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula. Bring a lei, flower skirt, or just your desire to dance. (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Thrive Food Bank Free Farmer’s Market. Volunteer organization offers fresh locally sourced fruits and vegetables to food insecure populations. All welcome. (@Iglesia de Nazareth, Pasadena)

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Monrovia Street Fair and Market takes place every Friday evening in Old Town Monrovia! (@500 Block of Myrtle Ave. between Lemon Avenue and Colorado Boulevard)

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Monrovia Days. Join the commmunity birthday party that raises money for talented local youth. Enjoy Carnival rides, food and games, 5:00 pm youth performances and 7:00 pm Motown band Stone Soul. (@Library Park, Monrovia)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Caltech Tai Chi Club. Learn and practice Hao-style tai chi chuan. Additional practice includes Yang-style tai chi, kung fu, and other bare-hand and weapon forms. Free event. (@Hameetman Center, Caltech, Pasadena)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: DBSA San Gabriel Valley Support Alliance. The San Gabriel Valley Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance helps attendees fight isolation with support groups, which can change the gene expression that triggers Bipolar Disorder and Depression. (@See event description for location, Pasadena)

8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Caltech Glee Club Spring Concert features favorites from American composers like Aaron Copeland, spirituals arranged by Undine Moore and William Dawson, and the beautiful Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen, performed with orchestra. In addition, the Chamber Singers will perform Italian Renaissance and modern madrigals and the lively Bach motet Lobet den Herrn. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena)

graphics of a man and a woman by moonlight

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Photo – Sierra Madre Playhosue)

Saturday, May 14, 2026

8:00 am – 10:00 am: Altadena Cars and Coffee. Cruise into the parking lot of Gelato and enjoy a morning of community around classic autos. (@Bulgarini Gelato, 749 East Altadena Drive, Altadena)

8:00 am – 12:00 pm: Pasadena Certified Farmers Market at Victory Park features direct produce sales and goods from growers. (@Victory Park, Pasadena)

8:00 am – 2:00 pm: Monterey Park Fire Service Day. Begin the day with homemade pancakes at $10/plate, followed by family fire safety activities, including equipment demos and truck close-ups. (@Fire Station 61, Monterey Park)

9:00 am – 12:30 pm: Tour d’Allée Pasadena. Meet in Big Bang Theory Way to begin the bike tour of 13 alleys. Part of Pasadena Bike Month celebration. Reserve your spot on Eventbrite. (@See Event description for details.)

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: San Gabriel Farmers Market. In front of the Mission Playhouse and steps from Blossom Market Hall, indulge in a wide variety (over 20 vendors) of fresh local produce, artisan foods, baked goods, flowers, and more. (@outside Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel)

10:00 am. – 5:00 pm: Artazan Handcraft Market brings together over 200 artisans from around the nation. Attendees will find a wide range of work, from artisan jewelry and hand-thrown ceramics to textiles, fine art, home décor, clothing, and specialty foods. (@Pasadena Convention Center)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Short Version) by Will & Company. The streamlined performance offers a vibrant and engaging take on the classic tale, brings audiences into a magical forest near ancient Athens. Designed to appeal to both children and adults. (@Sierra Madre Playhouse)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Artist & Curator Cha-Rie Tang Hosts Pasadena Museum of History Exhibit Tour. Visitors can expect to see a diverse range of works, including vibrant fused glass creations, high-relief ceramic tiles, and framed sketches and designs (@Pasadena Museum of History)

12:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Monrovia Days. Join the commmunity birthday party that raises money for talented local youth. Enjoy Carnival rides, food and games, 5:00 pm youth performances and 7:00 pm Motown band Stone Soul. (@Library Park, Monrovia)

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Omega Sci‑Fi Project Live Readings in Pasadena. Six standout student stories—including the Green Feather Award winner and The Tomorrow Prize finalist pieces—will be performed live on stage by a roster of well‑known actors. (@Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena)

2:00 pm: BCP New Play Reading Festival: “Agape” by Agyeiwaa Asante. A moving, deeply funny coming-of-age story about the pressures of college, crises of faith, arrested development, and reckoning with not having all the answers. (@Boston Court Pasadena)

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Caltech Glee Club Spring Concert features favorites from American composers like Aaron Copeland, spirituals arranged by Undine Moore and William Dawson, and the beautiful Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen, performed with orchestra. In addition, the Chamber Singers will perform Italian Renaissance and modern madrigals and the lively Bach motet Lobet den Herrn. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena)

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Third @First Concert: Hers Music Ensemble. A newly formed group dedicated to the empowerment and uplifting of female identifying musical artists. Monthly free concert. (@First United Methodist Church, Pasadena)

8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Caltech Orchestra Onstage: Four Great Film Composers. The free concert features cinema music favorites by four Hollywood heavyweights — Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, and Michael Giacchino. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech Pasadena)

crafter in an apron smiles as he shapes wavy clay

Artazan Handcraft Market (Photo – Artazan)

Sunday, May 17, 2026

8:30 am – 1:00 pm: Alhambra Certified Farmers Market. Find a wide assortment of affordably priced fruits, vegetables, honey, herbs, bread & more from local growers and vendors. (@ 100 South Second Street, Alhambra)

9:30 am: Altadena Walk Club. The group will meet at Unincorporated Coffee before heading out on a light neighborhood walk featuring a new route. Participants will loop back to the café afterward for coffee and conversation. (@Unincorporated Coffee Roasters, Altadena)

12:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Monrovia Days. Join the commmunity birthday party that raises money for talented local youth. Enjoy Carnival rides, food and games, 5:00 pm youth performances and 7:00 pm Motown band Stone Soul. (@Library Park, Monrovia)

2:00 pm: BCP New Play Reading Festival: “The Frankenstein Project” by E.M. Lewis. This new work explores the monsters we battle, the monsters we create, and the monsters we sometimes become. (@Boston Court Pasadena)

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Caltech Orchestra Onstage: Four Great Film Composers. The free concert features cinema music favorites by four Hollywood heavyweights — Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, and Michael Giacchino. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech Pasadena)

3:00 pm: Mt Lowe Chamber Players Celebrate Black Composer Harry Burleigh’s Tie to Antonin Dvorak. Famous within his own lifetime first as a singer, then as a composer and even more popular arranger of Black American music, Burleigh fused the traditional tunes of his childhood with European-style classical compositions as well as producing popular “art songs” and hymns like “Deep River,” “O Perfect Love,” and “Wade in the Water” that endure in American culture. (@Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Los Angeles Children’s Choir Spring Concert brings more than 400 choristers from 6 different choirs together for two Sundays of soaring choral works in the beautiful vaulted space. Free, no tickets or reservations required. (@Pasadena Presbyterian Church)

25 Things To Do This Weekend: May 15-17

From community birthdays to new plays, spring concerts to handcrafted specialties, the greater Pasadena area offers plenty of delights this sunny May weekend.