What To Do This Weekend: August 7-9, 2026

For some competitors at the Cardboard Boat Regatta in San Gabriel, this weekend is sink or swim. But there’s a whole slew of free and low-cost events across the area that will let you sing, dance, illustrate, or quietly listen with no dog paddling required. Enjoy!

By Melanie Hooks

Click on highlighted event titles for more information.

Friday, August 7, 2026

8:15 am – 9:45 am: Friday Coffee Meetup: Join the monthly tech entrepreneur coffee clatch for a candid and highly practical session with Dr. Dmitri Kossakovski, an engineering and business leader’s talk: The Say-Do Gap: Why Execution Breaks Down—and How to Fix It. (Foundr Space Coworking, Pasadena)

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: Norton Simon Free Admission Day. Take advantage of the monthly late afternoon free admission into this world-class home of Old Masters and modern visionaries alike. (@Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena)

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Kidspace Free First Fridays. Reserve tickets online for the monthly free day’s admission to the Rose Bowl-area children’s museum. (@Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena)

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: Jonathan Stout Swing Classics at Arboretum Summer Nights. Acclaimed guitarist Jonathan Stout takes the stage for an evening inspired by the sounds of the 1930s and 1940s. Free for members, open to the public ($18). Doors open at 5:00 pm; music starts at 6:00 pm. (@The Arboretum, Arcadia)

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)

5:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Sunset Music Series at Kidspace Children’s Museum. Each event features interactive multicultural performances, themed art activities, and extended museum hours, allowing visitors to explore the museum during the cooler evening hours. This week’s show is Journey through the Philippines with Kayamanan Ng Lahi. (@Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena)

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: San Gabriel Valley Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance. Group support. (@600 S. Lake Ave., Suite 200, Pasadena)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Monthly Queer Social at SGVLGBTQ Center is an opportunity for folks across the San Gabriel Valley to gather and enjoy a night of music, community, and good vibes. Dress code: Fabulous! (@SGVLGBTQ Center, El Monte)

7:00 pm: Alhambra Summer Concerts and Movies in the Park. The free concert features Latin band Mestizo LA. (@Alhambra Park Bandshell)

7:00 pm: Pasadena Movies in the Park. Grab a blanket, picnic and the family for a free screening of Hocus Pocus. (@Victory Park, Pasadena)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Free Janus Film Screening. Monthly free screening series of international and arthouse films in the Library Community Room. This month’s movie: Xala (1975) A corrupt politician in Senegal is cursed with impotence on the night of his third wedding after embezzling 100 tons of rice. (@South Pasadena Library)

7:00 pm – 1:00 am: Free Star Party at Mt. Wilson. Los Angeles Astronomical Society volunteers will guide stargazers to the upper parking lot, where free telescopes will be available throughout the evening. Experienced guides will be on hand to help visitors explore the night sky until 1:00 am. (Mt. Wilson Observatory, Pasadena)

8:00 pm: Altadena Musical Theatre: Grease. Altadena Music Theatre returns to the stage with its 2026 season opener, Grease, marking the company’s return to Altadena after being displaced from the Charles Farnsworth Amphitheater by the Eaton Fire. (Mountain View Mausoleum, Altadena)

8:00 pm: South Pasadena Movies in the Park. Free outdoor movie night, which begins at sunset (roughly 8:00 pm). Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs to enjoy the classic animated movie Cars under the stars in its 20th anniversary year. (Garfield Park, South Pasadena)

Saturday, August 8, 2026

8:00 am – 12:00 pm: Certified Farmers Market at Victory Park hosts the farmers who grow the produce sell their fruits and vegetables directly to the public. (@Entrance NW corner of parking lot, corner of Sierra Madre Blvd & Paloma Blvd, Pasadena)

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)

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 – 1:00 pm: San Gabriel Farmers Market: Head to Mission Drive, in front of the Mission Playhouse, to indulge in a wide variety (over 20 vendors) of fresh local produce, artisan foods, baked goods, flowers, and more. (@Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel)

10:00 am – 2:00 pm: San Gabriel Walk-Bike-Roll Day. Enjoy community resource booths, test your skills on a bike obstacle course, learn from bike and e-bike safety demonstrations, and show off your creativity in a bike decorating contest for all ages. (@Marshall Park, San Gabriel)

11:00 am – 2:30 pm: Guided Tours of Asian American Veteran Exhibit. Duty, Honor, Country, Courage: Honoring Asian Americans in Military Service remains on display through Aug. 31. Saturday only, exhibition curator Montgomery Hom will lead free guided tours that begin every hour from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and last approximately 20 to 30 minutes. (@Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library Foyer)

11:30 am – 2:30 pm: Greene & Greene Drop-in Talk: Rug from Gamble House. Talks at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm focus on one of the Gamble House’s distinctive living room rugs, currently on display at The Huntington. Guests will learn how the rug was designed and manufactured, and discover how Greene & Greene extended their artistic vision beyond architecture. (@The Huntington Greene & Greene Gallery, San Marino)

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: San Gabriel Cardboard Boat Regatta. Teams have built vessels using only cardboard, duct tape, and a dash of ingenuity. Saturday is the ultimate test: racing their creations against other teams for awards. (@Smith Park Pool, San Gabriel)

4:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Twilight Garden Stroll at The Huntington. The nights are a rare chance to enjoy cooler hours with smaller crowds in one of the most visited gardens in the nation for Twilight Stroll ticket holders. (@The Huntington, San Marino)

6:00 pm: Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series, free and open to all ages, continues with World Fusion and three cross-cultural artists: Jessica Fichot mixes French chanson, Shanghai jazz, gypsy swing, and international folk — sung in French, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and English; Melo Gía is a Puerto Rican and African-American artist whose poetic lyricism weaves stories of love, loss, romance, displacement, and identity; and Ara Dabandjian creates works that bridge Armenian musical traditions with contemporary global influences. (@Memorial Park Bandshell, Pasadena)

7:00 pm: Alhambra Concerts in the Park. The family-favorite movie Super Mario Galaxy begins at dusk, following a character appearance at 7:00 pm. (@Alhambra Park Bandshell)

7:00 pm: Altadena Concerts in the Park. This week features Upstream. Upstream has been spreading their message of love and positivity through their exhilarating Caribbean Music, namely, Reggae, Calypso, Soca and Steel Drum Music, for many years (@Loma Alta Park, Altadena)

7:00 pm: Monterey Park Movie at Elder Park Poolside. Combining Recreational Pool Night with Summer Movies in the Park, Monterey Park screens the animated Shark Tale on the park’s giant screen. Doors open for the pool at 7:00 pm with film screening at dusk. (@Elder Park Pool, Monterey Park)

Sunday, August 9, 2026

7:00 am – 10:00 am: Classic Cars & Coffee at Forest Lawn Glendale. Forest Lawn-Glendale is opening its Memorial Park doors to a classic car show that features its own fleet of Cadillac coaches and invites the public to add their own classics to the lineup. Pre-registration required for display, but attendance is free — and includes donuts. (@Forest Lawn Glendale Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection)

8:00 am – 3:00 pm: Pasadena City College Flea Market. The Pasadena City College Flea Market is known primarily for selling antiques and collectibles, with the products varying from high-end antiques to rummage sale-type items. (@Pasadena City College parking lots)

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)

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. Featuring a 2:00 pm talk with artists Alina Mnatsakanian, Ara Oshagan, She Loves Collective, Alysse Stepanian, and Harry Vorperian. Moderated by co-curator Kaloust Geudel and Dr. James Fishburne. (@Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale)

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: 2026 Sierra Madre Summer Concerts in the Park. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic dinners to enjoy the shows in a relaxed outdoor setting. The evening’s concert features Skinny Ties (80s New Wave and hard rock). (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)