What to do this week in Pasadena, California

This is your friendly weekly guide to Pasadena for the week of October 28, from today through Sunday, November 1. Halloween lands on Saturday and Dia de los Muertos follows on Sunday, so this is the fullest, warmest week of the season: a free MUSE/IQUE concert at Ambassador Auditorium tonight, Trunk-or-Treat at City Hall on Thursday, Dia de los Muertos celebrations at the Pasadena Conservatory and Villa Parke, Old Pasadena Halloween and the One Colorado Spooktacular on Saturday, Carved's glowing final nights at Descanso Gardens, a world premiere at Boston Court, Strange Science at The Huntington, and Gustavo the Shy Ghost at the Norton Simon. Each event below comes from a current public listing I verified this week, with sources at the bottom of the post. I am Alejandro Espitia, a Broker Associate and REALTOR with Apex Realty and Investments, licensed in California since 1996 with 18+ years in the business, serving Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside with 200+ homes sold, fluent in English and Spanish. I put this guide together because Pasadena is a wonderful place to live, work, and play, and I love helping you find the best of it.

Tonight: a free concert at Ambassador Auditorium

Start the week with music: MUSE/IQUE's free Open House, “American Sound Takes Flight,” takes the stage at Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Avenue, tonight, Wednesday, October 28 at 7:30 pm. Artistic and Music Director Rachael Worby leads the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra with vocalists Brandon Victor Dixon and Liv Redpath, tracing American music from Aaron Copland to Paul Simon. The concert is free, but it requires an RSVP, with complimentary tickets and seating first come, first served. Reserve through the MUSE/IQUE events page, with details also on Pasadena NOW.

Tonight: Run/Walk Wednesday with the Pasadena Run Club

If you want to be out on foot instead, the Pasadena Run Club holds its free, no-registration Run/Walk Wednesday tonight at 6:00 pm, meeting at lululemon Pasadena, 132 W. Colorado Boulevard, with the group taking off around 6:30 pm. Choose a 2.5-mile walk, a 3-mile run, or a 5-mile run, all paces welcome, nothing to buy or sign. It is one of the friendliest ways to see downtown Pasadena on foot as the evenings turn crisp, and it is listed on the Walktober Pasadena 2026 Eventbrite collection and the Pasadena Run Club site.

Thursday: Trunk-or-Treat at City Hall

On Thursday, October 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, the Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Extravaganza takes over Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Avenue. Hosted by the Pasadena Police Department with Day One and the Pasadena Police Foundation, it is free and family-friendly, with decorated vehicle trunks, candy, activities, and music. It is the easiest way to get a full Halloween experience before the big day. Details are on the City of Pasadena news release.

Thursday evening: Dia de los Muertos at the Pasadena Conservatory

Also on Thursday, October 29, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music holds its free Dia de los Muertos Celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Webster Amphitheater, 100 N. Hill Avenue. The evening layers a Young Musicians Musical Storytime with performances by Mariachi Pasadena, the Conservatory's intergenerational mariachi ensemble. It is open to everyone and a lovely, low-key way to honor the holiday. Details are on the Pasadena Conservatory events page.

Friday morning: a Walktober walk through Japanese American history

Pasadena Walktober keeps its free guided walks going into the final stretch. On Friday, October 30 at 9:30 am, join “Roots, Removal, Renewal: Japanese Americans in Pasadena,” a walk that traces an essential chapter of the city's history. The meeting point is shared when you register, and the walk is free through the Walktober Pasadena 2026 Eventbrite collection. And on Halloween morning the month closes with a Caltech campus tour on Saturday, October 31, also free with the meeting point shared at registration. These walks are the perfect low-cost way to know the city before you decide where in Pasadena you want to live.

Friday evening: Dia de los Muertos at Villa Parke

The City of Pasadena's Dia de los Muertos celebration runs Friday, October 30, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Villa Parke Community Center, 363 E. Villa Street. Expect dance performances, arts and crafts, food for purchase, and community ofrendas, all free and open to every generation. It is the city's marquee Day of the Dead event of the season. Details are on the City of Pasadena Parks and Recreation event page.

Friday opening night: a world premiere at Boston Court

For theater lovers, “at the very bottom of a body of water” by Benjamin Benne, directed by Juliette Carrillo, opens Friday, October 30 at Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Avenue, and runs through November 29. It is a brand-new play, and opening weekend performances run Friday and Saturday nights with a Sunday matinee. Boston Court also hosts a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda in its lobby Friday evening from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Details and tickets are on the Boston Court event page.

Friday and Saturday nights: Strange Science at The Huntington

For an adults-only Halloween evening, the 10th annual Strange Science at The Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, runs Friday and Saturday, October 30 and 31, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, a short drive from Pasadena. It is a 21-and-over night of spooky live entertainment, dark trivia, a Tesla laboratory experience, and themed drinks and food, with general admission about 90 dollars and VIP about 140 dollars. Details and tickets are on the Huntington Strange Science page.

Saturday morning: the Halloween farmers market at Victory Park

The Pasadena Certified Farmers' Market at Victory Park, on the 2900 block of North Sierra Madre Boulevard at Paloma Street, runs Saturday, October 31, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm with up to 60 local vendors. Entry is free, the market accepts EBT and CalFresh, and it is the most relaxed way to stock up on local fruit, vegetables, flowers, and fresh-baked things before a long Halloween night. The market runs rain or shine, and hours and vendor lists are on the Pasadena farmers market site.

Saturday afternoon: Old Pasadena Halloween

On Halloween itself, Saturday, October 31, Old Pasadena transforms into one giant trick-or-treat route. Old Pasadena Halloween runs from 4:00 to 8:00 pm with store-to-store trick-or-treating at 100-plus participating businesses along Colorado Boulevard and the surrounding side streets and alleys. Look for the orange “Treat Stop” signs in shop windows; it is free for costumed kids, and a Treat Stop map is available from the district. Details are on the Old Pasadena Halloween page.

Saturday evening: Halloween at One Colorado

At the heart of the district, One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, hosts its Halloween Spooktacular Trick-or-Treating and Family Pics on Saturday, October 31, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Expect store-to-store trick-or-treating, complimentary family photos in a Halloween photo area (first come, first served), and a free outdoor courtyard movie screening. It is free, open to costumed kids, and the natural landing spot for families after a lap of Old Pasadena. Details are on the Spooktacular Eventbrite page and the One Colorado events page.

Saturday and Sunday: the last Carved nights at Descanso

The standout of the season, “Carved” at Descanso Gardens, glows every night from 6:00 to 10:00 pm at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, just a short drive from Pasadena, with Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 its final two nights. Thousands of hand-carved pumpkin lanterns line the paths alongside illuminated garden displays and new light sculptures, with timed entry every 30 minutes and all tickets purchased in advance (about 29 to 52 dollars for adults and 19 to 37 dollars for children ages 2 to 12, with member pricing and free entry for children under 2). On Halloween night, Carved includes trick-or-treating with admission. Final nights sell out, so book early on the Descanso Gardens site.

Saturday and Sunday: the LA/Pasadena Franchise Show

For anyone who has ever thought about owning a business, the LA/Pasadena Franchise Show runs Saturday, October 31 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, November 1 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm in Hall A of the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green Street, with franchises and business opportunities on the floor both days. It is a different kind of weekend outing but a genuinely useful one. Details are on the franchise show visitor page.

Sunday afternoon: Gustavo the Shy Ghost at the Norton Simon

For a gentle, family-size start to Dia de los Muertos, the Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Boulevard, presents “Gustavo, the Shy Ghost” on Sunday, November 1, from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, a Stories in the Afternoon reading of the picture book by Flavia Z. Drago beside a spooky artwork in the Baroque gallery. It is included with museum admission, which is 20 dollars for adults and free for members, students, and visitors 18 and under. While you are there, the special exhibition “The Art of Kandy: Sri Lanka's Last Kingdom (1469-1815),” drawn entirely from the museum's own collection, stays on view through February 8, 2027. Details are on the Norton Simon calendar and current exhibitions page.

Sunday: Dia de los Muertos at Kidspace

Kidspace Children's Museum, 480 N. Arroyo Boulevard, closes its month-long Halloween celebration on October 31 and turns to Dia de los Muertos on Sunday, November 1, included with museum admission. The program brings music, dance, art-making, and a community ofrenda where families can share memories of the people and pets who have enriched their lives, with postcards kids can decorate to add to the altar. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Details are on the Kidspace events calendar.

Sunday afternoon: mariachi for Dia de los Muertos at Boston Court

Back on Mentor Avenue, Mariachi Tierra Mia performs a Dia de los Muertos celebration concert at Boston Court Pasadena on Sunday, November 1, at 4:00 and 6:00 pm, with the ofrenda in the lobby open from 4:00 to 6:00 pm as well. It is a joyful, family-friendly close to the holiday weekend. Details are on the Boston Court Dia de los Muertos page.

All weekend: community ofrendas at the libraries

The City of Pasadena's Community Ofrendas are on view through Saturday, November 7 at three library branches: Hastings Branch, 3325 E. Orange Grove Boulevard; La Pintoresca Branch, 1355 N. Raymond Avenue; and Santa Catalina Branch, 999 E. Washington Boulevard. The community-built altars honor loved ones and Latino culture and heritage, and visitors are invited to place photos, messages, and mementos on them. They are free to visit during regular branch hours, listed on the Pasadena Public Library news page.

Looking ahead: First Friday at the Norton Simon, and the Rose Bowl Flea

Two dates are already worth penciling in for next week. The Norton Simon Museum opens its doors free to everyone on Friday, November 6, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm for Free First Friday. And the Rose Bowl Flea Market, one of the biggest vintage markets around, runs Sunday, November 8, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with 2,500-plus vendors on the Rose Bowl grounds. Between now and then, the Villa Parke farmers market returns Tuesday, November 3, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. The Visit Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market page has the details.

A note on times: local event listings can shift, and details like ticket prices, show times, or tour meeting points are occasionally updated by the organizers. Please confirm directly with the venue before you head out, and use the links below for the latest. If you have a favorite Pasadena event I missed, text me and I will add it to next week's edition.

Sources: MUSE/IQUE free Open House, Pasadena NOW, American Sound Takes Flight, MUSE/IQUE, Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Extravaganza, City of Pasadena, Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Walktober Pasadena 2026, Eventbrite, Walktober, City of Pasadena, Pasadena Run Club, Dia de los Muertos at Villa Parke, City of Pasadena, at the very bottom of a body of water, Boston Court Pasadena, Strange Science, The Huntington, Victory Park farmers market, Pasadena Certified Farmers' Markets, Old Pasadena Halloween, Halloween Spooktacular, One Colorado (Eventbrite), Treat Trail, Pics and a Flick, One Colorado, Carved tickets, Descanso Gardens, Carved 2026, Descanso Gardens, Trick-or-Treat at Carved, Descanso Gardens, LA/Pasadena Franchise Show, Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, Norton Simon Museum, Norton Simon current exhibitions, Kidspace events calendar, Mariachi Tierra Mia, Boston Court Pasadena, Community Ofrendas, Pasadena Public Library, Rose Bowl Flea Market, Visit Pasadena, Pasadena Trick or Treat 2026, Visit Pasadena, and Pasadena NOW events calendar.