Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena (Photo – CTLAltadena)
Delight in a weekend jam-packed with events to kick off the holiday season.
By Katlyn Ong
Click on highlighted event titles for more information:
Friday, December 6, 2024
Holiday tree at Pasadena City Hall, 2020 (Photo – Gareth Peries)
- 8:30 am – 10:00 am: Friday Coffee Meetup
In this talk, Stepan Khzrtian will take participants on a journey spanning years and bridging careers, while also highlighting some of the most common legal mistakes that newly minted entrepreneurs make in the first 100 days of starting – and how to prevent or cure them (@ FoundrSpace, Pasadena). - 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Sierra Madre Used Book Sale
The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library will have a used book sale (@ Sierra Madre Temporary Library, Sierra Madre). - 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 (@ Memorial Park, Sierra Madre). - 1:00 pm: Movie Matinees at Pasadena Senior Center
Collateral Beauty – Retreating from life after a tragedy, a successful New York advertising executive questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death (@ Pasadena Senior Center, Pasadena). - 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Altadena Neighborhood Farmers Market
Find freshly prepared foods and hand crafted goods from over 30 vendors while delighting in live music and a community garden open house (@ Altadena Farmers Market in Loma Alta Park, Altadena). - 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Free Admission at the Norton Simon
Enjoy free admission for all visitors on the first Friday of the month (@ Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena). - 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Kidspace Free First Fridays
Kidspace Children’s Museum is opening up their doors for free on the first Friday of every month (@ Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena). - 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Annual Sip & Shop at Mariposa Junction Goes “Country Western”
The event will feature a variety of vendors, art, Kids Korner, food, and live performances by Sharron Moore Band and Josh Harp (@ Mariposa & Lake Ave., Altadena). - 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Monrovia Friday Night Street Fair
Enjoy the charm of Old Town Monrovia (@ Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia). - 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Pasadena Tree Lighting Ceremony
Bring family and friends to this free celebration featuring local singers and dancers, crafts for kids provided by Armory Center for the Arts, light refreshments by Starbucks, and a special appearance by jolly ol’ Santa Claus (@ Pasadena City Hall, Pasadena). - 6:00 pm: Friends of the South Pasadena Library Bookstore Holiday Sale
The sale will feature an extensive curated collection of current and classic fiction, children’s books, stunning art and coffee table books, antiquarian collectibles, and a wide variety of non-fiction items (@ South Pasadena Public Library, South Pasadena). - 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Caltech Tai Chi Club – Fridays
Learn and practice Hao-style tai chi chuan (@ Caltech – Hameetman Center, Pasadena). - 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: DBSA San Gabriel Valley Support Alliance
San Gabriel Valley Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (@ DBSA San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena). - 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm: First Friday Jazz Night
Features a new exciting lineup of musical guests each month (@ Lyd and Mo’s Photography Studio, Pasadena). - 8:00 pm: Turing Tests, Apples, and Queens: Collective Storytelling Through Fairy Tales and Artificial Intelligence
Performed by LA-based Invertigo Dance Theatre, the program uses movement, music, and words to illuminate facets of Turing’s experiences as a WWII codebreaker, the father of computer science, and a gay man who faced discrimination and criminalization (@ Caltech – Beckman Auditorium, Pasadena).
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Montrose Old Town at Christmas time (File Photo – shopmontrose.com)
- 8:30 am – 12:30 pm: Pasadena Farmers’ Market – Saturday
Shop for fresh, nutritious, locally-grown fruits and vegetables (@ Victory Park, Pasadena). - 9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Pasadena E-Waste Recycling
Pasadena residents can safely dispose of electronics at the City’s popular free e-waste event (@ Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena). - 10:00 am – 11:00 am: Old Pasadena In-Person Walking Tour
Trained docents will lead you through the historic neighborhood and reveal its many hidden and unusual architectural details, old alleyways, and historic signs (See event’s description for location). - 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Sierra Madre Used Book Sale
The Friends of the Sierra Madre Library will have a used book sale (@ Sierra Madre Temporary Library, Sierra Madre). - 11:00 am – 2:00 pm: Friends of the Pasadena Public Library Book Sale
Paper grocery bags will be provided that can be filled for $5 (@ Jefferson Branch Library, Pasadena). - 11:00 am – 4:00 pm: Pasadena Holiday Art Sale
The Holiday Art Sale will feature works by Brian Biery along with four other artists: Sonali Kolhatkar, Cynthia Schaefer, Jesse Wood, and Ronna Ballister (@ 1841 Santa Rosa Ave., Pasadena) - 11:00 am: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Arroyo Seco Trail Improvements
The City of Pasadena, Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, in partnership with the One Arroyo Foundation, invites the community to a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the Arroyo Seco trail improvements (@ Lower Arroyo Park, Pasadena). - 12:00 pm: South Lake Avenue Presents HOLIDAYFEST!
Holidayfest! is a festive celebration for the entire family with free children friendly activities including photos with Santa, holiday themed crafts, cookie decorating, and meet and greets with popular holiday characters (@ South Lake Avenue, Pasadena). - 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm: 104th Annual Altadena Christmas Tree Lane Lighting Ceremony
The Winter Festival will take place from 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm, with the Lighting Ceremony at 6:00 pm (@ Altadena Main Library, Altadena). - 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm: SPARC’S Annual Holiday Art Show and Sale
The South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC) presents its annual holiday art show and sale, “Give the Gift of Art” (@ Fremont Centre Properties, South Pasadena). - 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Winter Celebration with the Candlelight Carolers
Enjoy a blend of timeless classics and contemporary holiday tunes as the Candlelight Carolers fill the air with beautiful harmonies and holiday magic (@ San Rafael Branch Library, Pasadena). - 6:10 pm: Montrose Christmas Parade
A family-focused parade, more than 150 community service and youth groups, drill teams, and bands from surrounding cities participate in the parade each year (See event’s description for location) - 7:00 pm: Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Winter Concert, “Celebrating Joy”
Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) rings in the holidays with its annual winter concert, entitled “Celebrating Joy” (@ Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Pasadena). - 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm: Music @The Playhouse: Tesserae Baroque – Musica Secreta
The acclaimed Tesserae Baroque Ensemble returns to Sierra Madre Playhouse to present an intimate evening of exquisite Renaissance music from the late 16th-century Ferrarese Court (@ Sierra Madre Playhouse, Sierra Madre). - 8:00 pm: Turing Tests, Apples, and Queens: Collective Storytelling Through Fairy Tales and Artificial Intelligence
Performed by LA-based Invertigo Dance Theatre, the program uses movement, music, and words to illuminate facets of Turing’s experiences as a WWII codebreaker, the father of computer science, and a gay man who faced discrimination and criminalization (@ Caltech – Beckman Auditorium, Pasadena). - 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: WeOlive Comedy Night
Enjoy a rotating lineup of some of the best local and national comedians every first Saturday of the month (@ We Olive, Pasadena).
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Jeannette Bovard, Media Consultant for Pasadena Museum of History, and a volunteer decorate the Eva Fenyes’ studio (File Photo – Staff).
- 8:00 am – 1:00 pm: Montrose Farmers Market
Serving as an essential grocery outlet with fresh harvested fruits and vegetables, along with healthy packaged foods (@ Montrose Farmers Market, Montrose). - 8:30 am – 1:15 pm: Alhambra Certified Farmers Market
Find a wide assortment of affordably priced fruits, vegetables, honey, herbs, bread, and more (@ 2nd St. between Main and Commonwealth, Alhambra). - 9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Rose Bowl Flea Market
Experience over 2,500 vendors full of antiques, vintage clothing, local art, and specialty products (@ Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena). - 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Free Native Plant Seed & Propagation Classes
2nd Sundays are free monthly classes with Audubon Center at Debs Park focused on helping locals grow native plants from seed, cuttings, and more (@ Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, Los Angeles). - 11:00 am – 5:00 pm: USC Pacific Asia Museum Free Admission
USC Pacific Asia Museum is free every second Sunday of the month (@ USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena). - 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Pasadena Museum of History Free Admission
Immerse yourself in the glitz, glamour, and legendary revelries of Hollywood and filmmaking as PMH opens its doors for a free afternoon focused on the Pasadena-Hollywood connection (@ Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena). - 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: They Move – Highland Park Walking Group
No reservation needed, show up ready to move (@ Be Nice Have Fun, Los Angeles). - 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm: Donald Brinegar Singers and JPL Chorus Christmas Concert
The Donald Brinegar Singers and JPL Chorus will sing new and timeless Christmas music (@ St. James’ Episcopal Church, South Pasadena). - 7:00 pm: Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Winter Concert, “Celebrating Joy”
Grammy Award-winning Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) rings in the holidays with its annual winter concert, entitled “Celebrating Joy” (@ Pasadena Presbyterian Church, Pasadena).
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