What To Do This Weekend: July 31 – August 2, 2026

Singer Leah Ashton anchors this weekend’s Levitt VIBE Pasadena concert (Photo – levittvibepasadenamusicseries.com)

It’s a hot one out there this weekend. Beat the heat with a wealth of cool music and movies, museums and meetups, parties and markets—all enriching community life.

By Melanie Hooks

Click on highlighted event titles for more information.

Golden Hour Music at the Norton Simon Museum with the North Indian Music Ensemble (Photo – nortonsimon.org)

Friday, July 31, 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)

10:00 am – 5:00 pm: Pasadena Bead and Design Show. Held in Pasadena since 2008, the biannual show brings together over 300 exhibitors including studio artists, tradespeople, artisans, and creative suppliers from across the country. (@Pasadena Convention Center)

10:30 am – 12:30 pm: Rose Bowl Stadium Tour. Explore the iconic venue up-close, including the original 1922 locker room, the new Terry Donahue Pavilion, the Loge Lounge, the Working Press Box. (@Rose Bowl, 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)

4:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Golden Hour Music in the Norton Simon Garden. Included with museum admission, the free early evening concert in the outdoor sculpture garden features a North Indian Ensemble of Indradeep Ghosh (violin), Chris Votek (cello), and Neelamjit Dhillon (tabla). (@Norton Simon Museum, 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: Tail Town Cafè’s Birthday Party. Enjoy cupcakes and drinks on this special day marking five years. Visitors can bring wish list presents for the kitties in the lounge and participate in an unwrapping palooza. (@Tail Town Cat Cafè, 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 family favorite DCOM: Live!: A Disney Channel Original Movie Tribute Show. (@Alhambra Park Bandshell)

7:00 pm: Pasadena Movies in the Park. Grab a blanket, picnic and the family for a free screening of Zootopia 2 (2025). Brave rabbit cop Judy Hopps and her fox friend Nick Wilde dive into another adventure, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Idris Elba, Shakira, and an all-star cast. (@Grant Park, Pasadena)

7:45 pm: 2026 Sierra Madre Movies in the Park. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic dinners to enjoy family-friendly films in a relaxed outdoor setting. Tonight’s screening: How to Train Your Dragon. (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)

Beatles’ tribute band: Britain’s Finest at Altadena Concerts in the Park (Photo – altadenarotary.org)

Saturday, August 1, 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)

8:15 am – 10:15 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 – 11:00 am: Arroyo Seco Bird Sanctuary and Fountain Project Workshop. The One Arroyo Foundation, in partnership with the City of Pasadena and RJM Design Group, has launched a community planning initiative to restore and reimagine a promontory along the Lower Arroyo Seco that is home to the historic Emma Dickinson Bird Sanctuary. (@Brookside Golf Club, 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)

10:30 am – 11:30 am: San Gabriel Community Input Meeting: Smith Park and Pool Renovations. The primary focus of the project is renovation of the pool and pool facility and the addition of a spray pad and picnic shelter. Share your priorities, ideas and creativity to help shape this project. (@Smith Park, San Gabriel)

3:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Chris Holden’s 30th Annual Block Party and Resource Fair. Organizers say this year’s gathering will provide both a celebration of community resilience and access to critical resources for residents and businesses affected by the fire. (@500 block of East Jackson Street, Pasadena)

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Art Exhibit Opening Reception: A Map to the Next World. The new gallery exhibition features works by Los Angeles artists invited to create pieces inspired by Joy Harjo’s poem of the same name. Drawing on the poem’s themes, the collection encourages viewers to reconnect with nature and imagine a more hopeful future. (@North Figueroa Bookshop, Highland Park)

6:00 pm: Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series, free and open to all ages, continues with Soul: opener Niki J Crawford and headliner Leah Ashton. Leah Ashton is a Los Angeles-based artist with Midwestern roots whose genre-bending sound provides an eclectic mix of soul, jazz, and 60s/70s-style singer-songwriter. (@Memorial Park Bandshell, Pasadena)

7:00 pm: Alhambra Concerts in the Park. The family-favorite movie Mulan begins at dusk, following a magic show at 7:00 pm. (@Alhambra Park Bandshell)

7:00 pm: Altadena Concerts in the Park. This week features Britain’s Finest. From the early 60’s pop through their subsequent sonic tapestries of love, life and revolution, this show is the complete journey through the Beatles. (@Loma Alta Park, Altadena)

The band Sangria brings new life to hits, old & new alike, at South Pasadena’s Concert in Garfield Park (Photo – Harmony Artists)

Sunday, August 2, 2026

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)

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: GLOW BIG Teen & Kid Open Mic Night. The intention is to create a supportive and joyful space where young people can come together, share their love of music, practice performing regularly, make mistakes, try again and grow. (@Scribble Community Center, Highland Park)

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: South Pasadena Concerts in the Park. The free musical performance is from the Latin group Sangria. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs to enjoy an evening of music with family and friends. (@Garfield Park, South Pasadena)

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 4 Lads from Liverpool Beatles Tribute Band. (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Jazz Vocalist Sidney Jacobs at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Jacobs, hailed for his smooth velvety tone, inventive phrasing, and heartfelt delivery, leads a dynamic quartet through a set that blends original music with reimagined standards filtered through a contemporary groove. (@Sierra Madre Playhouse)