Fire Service Day in San Gabriel (Photo – SGFD)
Having fun while honoring our firefighters, learning new cycling skills, enjoying outdoor markets, indoor concerts and more are all on hand to keep your weekend hopping.
By Melanie Hooks
Click on highlighted event titles for more information.
Caltech Jazz Band joins classical ensemble onstage Friday & Saturday nights at Ramo Auditorium (File Photo)
Friday, May 8, 2026
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)
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Arboretum Library Knitters and Makers gathers together local fabric crafters to create in the peaceful environs of the LA Arboretum, outdoors or inside dependent on weather. RSVP required. (@LA Arboretum, Arcadia)
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 Classical and Jazz Share Free Bandorama Stage. Classical meets jazz onstage at Caltech for a free set of performances, Friday and Saturday evenings. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena)
JFed Players present the comedy Southern Fried Funeral (Photo – Kerr Lordygan)
Saturday, May 9, 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 – 11:00 am: Garvey Ranch Park Monthly Free Compost Giveaway. Monterey Park residents are invited to pick up 1-2 bags of free compost at the west entrance of Garvey Park for lawn use. (@Garvey Ranch Park, Monterey Park)
8:00 am – 12:00 pm: Pasadena Certified Farmers Market at Victory Park features direct produce sales and goods from growers. This week, look for a Pop-In Booth from Pasadena Water & Power to enter a waterwise giveaway. (@Victory Park, Pasadena)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Community Legal Clinic at Robinson Community Center. The Community Legal Clinic, co-sponsored by All Saints Church, is open the second Saturday of every month and is staffed by experienced attorneys assisting with a variety of legal issues, including housing, family law, bankruptcy/consumer debt, probate, civil matters, public benefits, expungements, and more. (@Jackie Robinson Community Center, Pasadena)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Beginners Bagel Ride. Part of Pasadena Bike Month, the group ride focuses on basic riding and commuting skills, including bike safety, locking up, and traffic rules. Stop for bagels along the way. (@See event details for location, Pasadena)
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)
9:00 am – 2:00 pm: Pasadena Fire Service Day honors professional firefighters and offers the community a chance to interact with them and their equipment in a family-friendly event, complete with demonstrations and activities spread between the park and nearby library. (@Jefferson Training Center, Pasadena)
10:00 am – 3:00 pm: San Gabriel Fire Service Day Open House offers the public a behind-the-scenes look at daily operations, with meet-and-greets, station tours and live demonstrations. (@Fire Station 51, San Gabriel)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Second Saturday Sketching gives local artists the opportunity and free materials to wander the world-class museum and be inspired by their favorite pieces of art. Meet in the lobby. Free with admission. (@Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena)
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Homeboy Art Academy Student Exhibition features works in the mediums of photography, cyanotype and graphic arts. Homeboy Art Academy students from the ages of 18-25 confront the theory of future, while addressing the concepts of identity, emotion, culture and community. Opening reception with eats, sips and tunes. (@North Figueroa Bookstore, Highland Park)
7:30 pm: Pasadena Folk Society: Kalos Trio. The trio Kalos, known for its fluid and ever-evolving approach to traditional music, will perform in Pasadena, offering audiences a concert shaped by spontaneity and deep-rooted folk influences. (Knox Presbyterian Church, Pasadena)
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Caltech Classical and Jazz Share Free Bandorama Stage. Classical meets jazz onstage at Caltech for a free set of performances, Friday and Saturday evenings. (@Ramo Auditorium, Caltech, Pasadena)
8:00 pm: Southern Fried Funeral, a comedy presented by the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys’ JFed Players, the play follows a beloved small-town Mississippi resident who dies in a most embarrassing way, and the resulting funeral, and social fallout, that ensues. (@Ahiah Center, Pasadena)
LACC Concert Choir (Photo – Ricardo Mendoza)
Sunday, May 10, 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)
9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Rose Bowl Flea Market happens every second Sunday of the month. Experience over 2,500 vendors full of antiques, vintage clothing, local art, and specialty products. (@Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena)
10:00 am – 5:00 pm: “Convergence: Contemporary Artists of Armenian Descent” Exhibit. The ongoing exhibit features artists of Armenian descent exploring these artists contribute a kaleidoscope of individual perspectives that bring the Armenian experience into focus. (@Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale)
11:00 am – 5:00 pm: USC Pacific Asia Museum Free Admission. The collection holds more than 15,000 objects, spanning more than five thousand years and the region extending from Persia to the Pacific Islands. Free admission to museum and grounds every second Sunday. (@USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena)
4:00 pm: Restoration Concert Series Finale: Thies & Wilkie. The final concert of the Restoration Concert series, held in the beautiful Friends Library Room, features two world-class musicians: Steinway Artist Robert Thies on the piano and LA Chamber Orchestra Concertmaster Roger Wilkie on violin for a full afternoon of classical magic. (@South Pasadena Library, South 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)
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