What to do this weekend in Pasadena, California

This is your friendly weekend guide to Pasadena for October 31 and November 1, and it is a big one: Halloween lands on Saturday, with Old Pasadena's free store-to-store trick-or-treating, the Bruins hosting Nevada at the Rose Bowl, and the last day of Halloween at Kidspace, while Sunday brings the Pasadena Fall Flea Market, Dia de Muertos at All Saints Church, and the final night of Carved at Descanso Gardens. Every 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, serving Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside with 200+ homes sold, fluent in English and Spanish. I check the local listings each week so you can spend your weekend out enjoying the city instead of researching it.

Saturday morning: the farmers market at Victory Park

Start Halloween with the calmest Pasadena tradition. The Pasadena Certified Farmers' Market at Victory Park runs every Saturday of the year, and Saturday, October 31 is no exception: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on the 2900 block of North Sierra Madre Boulevard at Paloma Street. Up to 60 local vendors fill the park with the last of the season's fruit, winter squash, flowers, and fresh-baked things, and it is the friendliest way to stock up before the costumes come out. Entry is free, the market accepts EBT and CalFresh, and it runs rain or shine.

Saturday morning: Walktober wraps with a Caltech campus tour

Pasadena's month-long Walktober celebration of walking finishes exactly on Halloween, and the closing walk is a Caltech campus tour on Saturday, October 31. It is free, with the meeting point shared when you register through the Walktober Pasadena 2026 collection on Eventbrite. If you can steal an hour on Friday instead, the 9:30 am walk on October 30 is a history-focused stroll titled “Roots, Removal, Renewal: Japanese Americans in Pasadena.” Both are the perfect low-cost way to know the city before you decide where in Pasadena you want to live.

Saturday afternoon: UCLA football, Bruins host Nevada at the Rose Bowl

Halloween afternoon belongs to the Rose Bowl. UCLA hosts Nevada on Saturday, October 31, with kickoff at 1:15 pm televised on Big Ten Network. It is the Bruins' third straight home game, and fans will be out early in costume and school colors alike, so arrive early, let the traffic settle, and walk the tailgate lots before settling in under the San Gabriel Mountains. Tickets are on sale through the UCLA football schedule.

Saturday at Kidspace: the last day of Halloween at the museum

For families, Halloween at Kidspace Children's Museum, 480 N. Arroyo Boulevard, reaches its final day on Saturday, October 31, open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm with costume parades at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm, the spooky-house trike ride, and plenty of room to romp before the evening's trick-or-treating. Everything is included with museum admission. Details are on the Kidspace site.

Saturday evening: Old Pasadena Halloween

The signature event of the weekend is Old Pasadena Halloween, the district's free, family-style celebration from 4:00 to 8:00 pm on Saturday, October 31. More than 100 shops and restaurants across Colorado Boulevard and the adjacent streets hand out treats to costumed kids, so look for the orange Treat Stop signs as you wander. At One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, the Halloween Spooktacular adds store-to-store trick-or-treating and complimentary family photos under the courtyard lights. Both are free and listed on the Old Pasadena site, the Visit Pasadena Halloween guide, and the One Colorado event page.

Saturday night: fiddle, step dance, and a costume bar crawl

Once the kids are tucked in with candy, the evening gets its own soundtrack. April Verch with Joe Newberry, a night of Canadian fiddle and step-dance paired with warm American roots music, plays Saturday, October 31, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at Knox Presbyterian Church, 225 S. Hill Avenue, presented by the Pasadena Folk Music Society; tickets run about 39 dollars for adults and 13 dollars for students, fees included, via the society's event page. If a nightlife crawl is more your speed, the Pasadena Official Halloween Bar Crawl runs 4:00 to 10:00 pm for ages 21 and up with a wristband that gets you into participating bars, listed on PubCrawls.

All weekend: Carved at Descanso Gardens

Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive in La Cañada Flintridge, a short drive from Pasadena, glows for its final weekend. Carved runs 6:00 to 10:00 pm on both Saturday, October 31, and Sunday, November 1, with timed entry every 30 minutes and last entry at 9:00 pm: thousands of hand-carved pumpkin lanterns line the paths with illuminated garden displays and light-filled sculptures, and Halloween night adds trick-or-treating through the display. Tickets must be purchased in advance and run from about 29 to 52 dollars for adults and 19 to 37 dollars for children ages 2 to 12, with lower prices for Descanso members and free entry for children under 2. Final nights sell out, so book early on the Descanso Gardens site.

Sunday morning: the Pasadena Fall Flea Market at PCC

A gentle way to spend Sunday: the 2026 Pasadena Fall Flea Market fills Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Boulevard, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 1. Admission is free, and more than 400 vendors spread across parking lots 1 and 3 and Parking Structure 4 on the west side of campus, with antiques, collectibles, and 50-plus record dealers for the digging. See the PCC flea market page for details.

Sunday at All Saints: Dia de Muertos

On the first day of November, All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Avenue, hosts a Día de Muertos celebration beginning at 9:00 am on Sunday, November 1, with an art exhibition of local artists, a hands-on workshop, and a talk on ofrendas and Day of the Dead customs at 11:30 am, all free and open to the community in Sweetland Hall through 3:00 pm. It is a warm, welcoming way to honor the season together, and it sits an easy walk from the Sunday flea market. Details are on the All Saints Church page.

Sunday night: an extra hour of sleep

A small gift to end the weekend: daylight saving time ends at 2:00 am on Sunday, November 1, so set your clocks back an hour Saturday night and enjoy a longer morning. The earlier sunset also makes Sunday evening perfect for one last visit to Carved's final night at Descanso Gardens before the pumpkin lanterns go dark for the year.

If you can start Friday night: Dia de los Muertos at Villa Parke

Want to warm up before the weekend? The City of Pasadena's Parks, Recreation and Community Services hosts a free Día de los Muertos celebration at Villa Parke Community Center on Friday, October 30, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, with music, crafts, and community spirit. It is a lovely neighborly opener for the two days that follow, listed on the City of Pasadena events page.

Looking ahead: the week beyond the weekend

Halloween is done, but the season keeps rolling. For the days around and beyond the weekend, the weekly Pasadena guide covers a free MUSE/IQUE open house at Ambassador Auditorium, Dia de los Muertos at the Pasadena Conservatory, Trunk-or-Treat at City Hall, and “Gustavo the Shy Ghost” at the Norton Simon Museum, so you will not miss a beat once the pumpkins are gone.

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: Pasadena Certified Farmers Market, Victory Park, Walktober Pasadena 2026, Eventbrite, Walktober spotlights Pasadena, ColoradoBoulevard.net, UCLA football schedule, Halloween at Kidspace, Old Pasadena Halloween, Halloween Spooktacular at One Colorado, Eventbrite, Visit Pasadena Halloween guide, April Verch with Joe Newberry, Pasadena Folk Music Society, Pasadena Official Halloween Bar Crawl, PubCrawls, Carved tickets, Descanso Gardens, PCC Flea Market, Pasadena City College, 2026 Pasadena Fall Flea Market, Eventbrite, Dia de Muertos at All Saints Church, City of Pasadena Parks and Rec events, and Old Pasadena events calendar.