“Hope and Healing” mural dedication on Sunday, March 22, 2026 (Photo – Pasadena Buddhist Temple)
Coffee shops, Celtic concerts, and Convergence (an exhibit) — all par for the course on a San Gabriel Valley weekend.
By Melanie Hooks
While you’re out and about, you can also catch a few free workshops, a mural dedication, festivals, and fresh markets.
Click on highlighted event titles for more information.
Thrive Food Bank (Photo – giveinkind.com)
Friday, March 20, 2026
9:00 am – 10:30 am: Free Produce Distribution at Pasadena Senior Center. Fresh vegetables available every Third Friday of the month while supplies last, courtesy of 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)
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: “ICE Out of Alhambra” Event. A weekly event taking place every Friday at the corner of Main Street and Garfield Avenue. Organizers describe the gathering as a show of support for the community and a call to protect neighbors. (@corner of Main St. & Garfield Ave., Alhambra)
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)
The Back Door Whiskey Fellas come to town Sat., March 21 (Photo – FUMC Pasadena)
Saturday, March 21, 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)
8:30 am – 12:30 pm: A Regenerative Landscape Workshop Series for Fire-Impacted Homeowners. Four-part, in-person series designed for homeowners affected by recent wildfires. Second session topics: Grounding • Site Inventory & Analysis • Intro to Conceptual Design. (Location given after application completed, link on event page)
10:00 am – 9:00 pm: Two Day San Gabriel Lantern Festival. The free, City- and World Journal-sponsored event features original, amazing lantern displays, live performances, street food, shopping and more. (@San Gabriel Mission District)
11:00 am: Arcadia Library Offers Intro to Artificial Intelligence. Through hands-on exploration, this beginner-friendly workshop will give you an understanding of what generative AI is, how it works, and how it can be used in everyday life. (@Arcadia Public Library)
11:00 am: Grand Reopening of Rosebud Cafe. Highland Park location of cafe celebrates grand opening. 100% of profits support mentorships via Coffee with a Cause, which aids youth experiencing homelessness and other challenges. (@5858 N. Figueroa St.)
2:00 pm: Pasadena Presbyterian Church Hosts One City, One Story Author Laila Lalami for a free discussion about her futuristic novel The Dream Hotel. It explores questions of freedom, technological advances, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are. (@Pasadena Presbyterian Church)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Slime & Stars! offers kids ages 6-11 the chance to learn about inspiring women who explore, invent and discover via educational Do It Yourself crafts and demonstrations. (@Altadena Library @Loma Alta Park)
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm: K-Pop Jams: BTS Listening Party. While you soak in the tunes, make K-pop-inspired crafts, play games and commune with your fellow enthusiasts. (@Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library)
4:00 pm: Back Door Whiskey Fellas Play a Rousing, Free Irish Concert. The San Diego band will perform from Irish traditional, classic country, bluegrass, and classic rock, drawing a wide range of appeal for all ages. (@First United Methodist Church, Pasadena)
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Opening Reception for “Convergence” Exhibit. 20+ Artists of Armenian Descent fill Forest Lawn Museum with a show that explores how heritage, migration, and modern life intersect in today’s art. (@Forest Lawn Museum, Glendale)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Films Born From the Eaton Fire Screening in Pasadena. We Are Not the Disaster is a special film event that features short films created by five filmmakers directly affected by the blaze. (@First United Methodist Church, Pasadena)
7:30 pm: Lúnasa Celtic Band Concert. The Irish Echo once called them “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet,” while MOJO magazine hailed them as “the new gods of Irish music.” (@Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena)
Visitors take in the wide array of displays at ArtCenter’s Entertainment Design Expo (Photo – ArtCenter)
Sunday, March 22, 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)
10:00 am – 7:00 pm: Two Day San Gabriel Lantern Festival. The free, City- and World Journal-sponsored event features original, amazing lantern displays, live performances, street food, shopping and more. (@San Gabriel Mission District)
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Entertainment Design Expo (ENTX). A full-day celebration of animation, game design, concept design and themed entertainment—featuring professional-quality work from more than 200 ArtCenter students and alumni(@ArtCenter Hillside Campus, Pasadena)
3:00 pm: “Hope and Healing” Mural Dedication. Pasadena Buddhist Temple hosts the dedication of its community-created 75 foot long mural in honor of (and created by) Eaton Fire survivors. (@Pasadena Buddhist Temple, Altadena)
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: North Fig Bookshop Book Club. Monthly speculative fiction group features discussion of Hugo Award-winning novel The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. (@North Fig Bookshop, Highland Park)
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