What To Do This Weekend: September 18-20, 2026

Young dancers perform at the 2025 South Pasadena Moon Festival, returning this Saturday (Photo – SP Chinese-American Club)

Find cultural connections and explore the wider world right here in the San Gabriel Valley all weekend long through a rich slate of offerings rooted in global traditions.

By Melanie Hooks

Click on highlighted events for full information.

Friday Street Fair and Market in Monrovia (Photo – W.K.)

Friday, September 18, 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. Led by instructor Barbara Dempsey, all are welcome to learn and practice the art of hula. (@Memorial Park, Sierra Madre)

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)

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Caltech Stargazing Lecture: Back to Venus with NASA’s DAVINCI Mission. Enjoy learning about the next wave of cutting edge space exploration, followed by guided telescope time. (@Cahill Center for Astrophysics, Caltech, Pasadena)

Mary Hunt, First Director of Forest Lawn Museum, pictured in 1952. Part of the new “75 Years” Exhibit opening Saturday. (Photo – Forest Lawn Museum)

Saturday, September 19, 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)

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)

11:00 am: Pasadena Conservatory of Music Storytime at Gamble House. The Young Musicians Department Chair, Rachael Denny, lead PCM students and faculty as they perform and read selected children’s books monthly. This month’s book: “To See an Owl” by Matt Cordell.

11:00 am – 2:30 pm: South Pasadena Moon Festival. Co-sponsored by the City and the South Pasadena Chinese American Club, the festival begins outdoors and features live entertainment, a chalk-drawing contest, outdoor activities, and more. Then head indoors for arts and crafts, moon cakes, and a gift boxraffle. (@South Pasadena Library Park and Community Room)

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Opening Reception for Walt Disney-Hubert Eaton Exhibit at Forest Lawn Glendale. The park’s newest California Visionaries exhibition explores the personal and creative relationship between park founder Hubert Eaton and Walt Disney, both interred there. Opening the same day is 75 Years: Art Finds a Home at Forest Lawn, which celebrates the 75th anniversaries of the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection and the Forest Lawn Museum. The free event features complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres, live music, and remarks from the curators. (@Forest Lawn, Glendale)

Traditional Folklórico Dancers, celebrated as part of Fiesta Alhambra and Latino & Hispanic Heritage Month (Photo – Encyclopedia Brittanica)

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 – 1:00 pm: Fiesta Alhambra 2026. Enjoy live music, cultural performances, artisan vendors, family-friendly activities, Día de los Muertos craft items, and local produce. An Ofrenda honoring loved ones has also been a feature of past years. (@Alhambra Farmers Market)

9:30 am: Altadena Walk Club. The group will meet at Unincorporated Coffee before heading out on a light neighborhood walk featuring a new route. Participants will loop back to the café afterward for coffee and conversation. (@Unincorporated Coffee, Altadena)

10:00 am – 11:00 am: Free Wellness Sundays at One Colorado. This month, enjoy a sound bath from Somer Skye Energy Works,  a heart‑centered couple offering breathwork and sound healing experiences in Pasadena. Each session begins with 15 minutes of guided breathwork to release stress and tension, followed by a restorative sound bath featuring crystal bowls, chimes, and the soulful resonance of live cello. (@One Colorado Courtyard, Pasadena)

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)