What To Do This Weekend: September 11-13, 2026

Ensemble of “Little Shop of Horrors” with Altadena Musical Theatre (Photo – Abel Armas Photography)

The weekend begins with somber reflection on events from 25 years ago. On Saturday, it reaches for the stars and takes the stage for a music series, then concludes Sunday evening with vibrant Broadway tunes. Enjoy the breadth and depth of the San Gabriel Valley this weekend.

By Melanie Hooks

Click on highlighted events for full information.

San Gabriel Fire Dept personnel saluting the flag (Photo – City of San Gabriel)

Friday, September 11, 2026

6:30 am: Sierra Madre Fire Department’s 9/11 Remembrance. A light continental breakfast will follow the ceremony. (@Sierra Madre Fire Dept Headquarters)

6:30 am – 7:30 am: City of San Gabriel’s 9/11 Remembrance and Tribute Ceremony. Coordinated ceremony with others across the Valley will ring bells to mark exact moments of the day and conclude at 7:02 am. Flags with names will honor the fallen. (@San Gabriel Firehouse 51)

6:45 am – 7:30 am: South Pasadena 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.  A coordinated event with 49 other stations, concluding with dignitary remarks. (@South Pasadena City Hall Courtyard)

7:30 am: City of Pasadena 9/11 Memorial. A gathering of City officials and the public will convene at City Hall’s Centennial Square. (@Pasadena City Hall, Centennial Square)

8:15 am – 11:00 am: Crescenta Valley Patriots Day Motorcade. Motorcade will travel past 5 Fire Stations, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff Station, through the Montrose Shopping Park, and in front of 14 local Glendale Unified and La Canada Flintridge schools. Remarks will be made at the last stop. (@See event map for locations.)

8:15 am – 9:45 am: Friday Coffee Meetup for Tech Entrepeneurs. A candid, discussion-driven session with Bryan Walley, CEO & Co-founder of Forward Inheritance, as we explore what it takes to grow a SaaS venture in today’s rapidly shifting landscape. (@FoundrSpace, Pasadena)

8:30 am – 9:30 am: Monrovia 9/11 Ceremony. Doors open at 8:30 am with ceremony at 9:00 am. (@Monrovia Fire Station 101)

8:30 am: Monterey Park Remembers 9/11. Patriot Day ceremony begins at 8:30 am in front of City Hall. (@Monterey Park City Hall)

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Alhambra Fire’s September 11th Remembrance. Community ceremony begins at 9:00 am. (@Alhambra Fire Station 71)

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Sierra Madre Senior Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class. Led by instructor Barbara Dempsey, all are welcome to learn and practice the art of hula. (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)

10:00 am – 8:00 pm: ArtCenter College of Design presents “Kaleidoscope: A Reflection of Staff Artwork.” Featuring works across a range of disciplines, materials and modes of expression, Kaleidoscope brings together the distinct perspectives of the artists, designers and makers who help shape the ArtCenter community. Thru 9/22. (@ArtCenter College of Design, South Campus, Fine Arts Gallery)

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Thrive Food Bank Presents Free Farmer’s Market. Thrive Food Bank is a Los Angeles County food bank that provides free farmer’s markets which offer fresh locally sourced fruits and vegetables to food insecure populations. (@Igelesia  de Nazareth, Pasadena)

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Monrovia Friday Night Street Fair. Enjoy the pedestrianized downtown with food vendors, boutiques, craft booths, frequent live music, and more. (@500 block Myrtle Ave. between Lemon Ave. & Colorado Blvd.)

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, no registration required. (@Caltech Hameetman Center)

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: DBSA San Gabriel Valley Support Alliance. Fighting isolation via support groups, which can change the gene expression that triggers Bipolar Disorder and Depression. (@600 S. Lake Ave., Suite 200, Pasadena)

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm: Broadway Gamble Ramble with Lineage Dance. In this interactive experience, guests will journey through the house in small groups, encountering a curated series of live performances that weave together dance, theater, and narrative. (@Gamble House, Pasadena)

8:00 pm: Altadena Musical Theatre: “Little Shop of Horrors.” The cult classic penned by Alan Menken fills the custom, temporary outdoor space for the theater troupe, returning to fine form after last year’s fires. Pre-order dinner from Ferrazzani’s Picnic at the Show, and settle under the stars for some bloodthirsty plant music and dance. (@Mountain View Mausoleum, Altadena)

Jon B. brings his blend of soulful R&B to the final night of the Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series on Saturday, Sept 12 (Photo – levittvibepasadenamusicseries.com)

Saturday, September 12, 2026

8:00 am – 10:00 am: Altadena Cars and Coffee. Classic car enthusiasts meet every Saturday morning from 8:00 am – 10:00 am to chat and find ways to help their Altadena neighbors recover. (@Bulgarini Gelato parking lot, Altadena)

8:00 am – 12:00 pm: Pasadena Certified Farmers Market at Victory Park. In a certified market, the farmers who grow the produce sell their fruits and vegetables directly to the public. It is where the agrarian community relates to the urban community. (@Victory Park, Pasadena)

8:00 am – 11:00 am: Monthly Compost Giveaway at Garvey Ranch Park. Pick up is via the Garvey Ranch Park west entrance. These are drive-up events with bags of compost available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. (@Garvey Ranch Park)

9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Community Legal Clinic at Robinson Community Center. Experienced attorneys assist the public without charge with a variety of legal issues, including housing, family law, bankruptcy/consumer debt, probate, civil matters, public benefits, expungements, and more. Attendees are asked to bring all documents related to their case. (@Jackie Robinson Community Center, Pasadena)

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: San Gabriel Farmers Market. Featuring 20 or more vendors each week, the market offers an ever-changing selection of seasonal produce, artisan foods, fresh-baked breads and pastries, locally harvested honey, flowers, and handcrafted goods. (@in front of Mission Playhouse, San Gabriel)

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Free Bilingual IT Cafe for Seniors & AI Glasses for Veterans. Older adults can bring their laptop, smartphone, iPhone, watch or other devices to get free one-on-one help at either or both sessions along with coffee and community connections. U.S. veterans who are blind or severely vision-impaired can receive free technical assistance as well as a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses while supplies last. (@Pasadena Village)

11:00 am – 2:00 pm: Free Earthquake Preparedness Workshop. The free workshop is designed to help Monrovia residents prepare their households for a catastrophic earthquake and learn practical steps to improve emergency readiness. RSVP online. (@Monrovia Public Library)

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: The Secret Life of Indie Publishing is a free workshop, no registration required, that delves into the realities of independent publishing from the point of view of indie authors. Learn about the realities of publishing from people who’ve actually done it. (@Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library)

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Free Fire-Wise Gardening Workshop. Enjoy delving into the dirt and learning real-life solutions to gardens that help improve fire safety around your home. (@La Crescenta Library)

3:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Second Saturday Sketching at Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum. Pick up art supplies in the Main Entrance Gallery and use the guided prompts to explore themes, genres and styles within the art collections as you sketch your own creation. Included with admission. (@Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena)

3:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Mt Wilson Observatory’s Matinees on the Mountain: Solaris (1972).  Enjoy the classic Russian science fiction film about a skeleton crew in orbit that requires the intervention of a visiting psychologist — and discover whether their problems are only in their head. Film screens in the 256-seat auditorium at the historic observatory. Cosmic Cafe is open for food. Tickets $20. (@Mt. Wilson Observatory, Pasadena)

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Sierra Madre Playhouse Screens Animated Biopic about Artist Frida Kahlo. The charming animated feature “Hola, Frida!” screens for audiences of all ages, an in-depth story about the artist Frida Kahlo’s early challenges after recovering from a trolley accident and her resilient use of art to heal. (@Sierra Madre Playhouse)

6:00 pm: Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series. The final concert of the free outdoor season, the Levitt VIBE Series presents a double-bill of long-time R&B artists (and Pasadena locals) Troop and headliner soul/R&B artist Jon B., rounding out the summer with a lively night of danceable grooves. (@Memorial Park, Pasadena)

8:00 pm: Altadena Musical Theatre: “Little Shop of Horrors.” The cult classic penned by Alan Menken fills the custom, temporary outdoor space for the theater troupe, returning to fine form after last year’s fires. Pre-order dinner from Ferrazzani’s Picnic at the Show, and settle under the stars for some bloodthirsty plant music and dance. (@Mountain View Mausoleum, Altadena)

Tempting table of fresh berries for sale at Alhambra Farmers Market (Photo – Yelp)

8:30 am – 1:00 pm: Alhambra Certified Farmers Market. Find a wide assortment of affordably priced fruits, vegetables, honey, herbs, bread, and more from local growers and vendors every week. (@100 South Second St., 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. $10 admission; early bird $20 from 5:30 am – 8:30 am. (@Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena)

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. (@USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena)

4:00 pm: Restoration Concert Series Opening Concert: New Hollywood String Quartet. The popular classical concert series features their resident quartet for the season opener, sponsored by the Friends of the South Pasadena Library. The program will travel from Mozart’s classical elegance in “String Quartet in G,” to the romantic intimacy of Schubert’s “String Quartet in E-flat Major,” and finally to the impressionist color of Ravel’s “String Quartet in F Major.” (@South Pasadena Library Community Room)

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Broadway Gamble Ramble with Lineage Dance. In this interactive experience, guests will journey through the house in small groups, encountering a curated series of live performances that weave together dance, theater, and narrative. (@Gamble House, Pasadena)

8:00 pm: Altadena Musical Theatre: “Little Shop of Horrors.” The cult classic penned by Alan Menken fills the custom, temporary outdoor space for the theater troupe, returning to fine form after last year’s fires. Pre-order dinner from Ferrazzani’s Picnic at the Show, and settle under the stars for some bloodthirsty plant music and dance. (@Mountain View Mausoleum, Altadena)