Dia de Los Muertos Weekend

Good afternoon, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. I came across a truly terrifying house decorated for Halloween, with the words “Mortgage,” “Taxes,” and “Bills” scattered across the lawn.

In this weekend’s News N’ Roses:

• Día de los Muertos Festival Takes Over The Paseo!

• Bark in the Park: Howl-O-Ween

• West Altadena Wine Is Closing After Months of Neighborhood Drama

• Events this Weekend

• Live Music Lowdown

Let’s get to it.

—Matthew Ramirez

P.S. Happy birthday Ziandry! 🎂

THE DIGEST

💀 Día de los Muertos Festival Takes Over The Paseo!

Monarca Sol Collective is bringing its Día de los Muertos Festival & Altar Exhibit to The Paseo in Pasadena! If you’re unfamiliar, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican tradition that celebrates and remembers loved ones who have passed away. Rather than being a somber occasion, it’s a colorful celebration of life, family, and remembrance.

This year’s festival will feature traditional altars (ofrendas) honoring loved ones, live music, Aztec dancers, cultural performances, arts and crafts, food, and an artisan market featuring local makers. It’s a great opportunity to experience Mexican culture, support local artists and businesses, and learn more about the traditions behind the holiday.

The festival takes place tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, from 3–9PM at The Paseo. Admission is completely free, and all ages are welcome! Click here for more information.

🐶 Bark in the Park: Halloween for Dogs!

There are many Halloween events this weekend. Here’s a good one: Have a dog that looks great in a costume? Bark in the Park: Howl-o-ween is returning to Playhouse Village Park this Sunday, October 25.

This free, dog-friendly Halloween celebration features a costume parade, contests with prizes, treat stations, photo opportunities, and plenty of activities for dogs and their humans. The event runs 11AM–2PM and is open to everyone. Just remember to keep your pup on a leash! Click here for more information.

🍷 West Altadena Wine Is Closing After Months of Neighborhood Drama

This story deserves its own, longer piece. It’s been the talk of the town for quite some time, and although I generally try to steer clear of sensational drama, this is one I feel is worth digging into. I’ve been putting together a more thoroughly documented report that I might share in a future newsletter. But for now, here’s the short version.

West Altadena Wine + Spirits is closing after months of controversy involving a single nearby resident. Owned by Randy Clement and April Langford, the beloved Lincoln Avenue wine shop became an important gathering place after the Eaton Fire, bringing neighbors together for tastings, food pop-ups, and community events.

But according to the owners, one resident, identified online as Leo Simi, has repeatedly contacted county officials, alcohol regulators, health inspectors, and law enforcement over issues involving the patio, parking, alcohol service, and permits.

While Simi defended his actions as matters of regulatory compliance (which appears to be unjustified), many locals have condemned his repeated complaints as excessive and unfounded, describing his behavior as callous and vindictive in a July Reddit discussion. Regardless, the constant complaints, inspections, and pressure have taken a toll on the business.

Combined with the challenges of operating in post-fire Altadena, the owners say the situation has made continuing operations nearly impossible.

It’s a heartbreaking loss for a community that’s already lost so much. A huge thank-you to Randy, April, and their team for everything they’ve done for Altadena. If you’ve been meaning to visit, now’s your last chance to show them some love.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Friday (10/23)

🌵 2026 Fall Plant Sale: The Huntington’s nurseries stock up for fall with natives, roses, succulents, herbs, perennials, winter bulbs, and more. The Huntington’s Plant Sale Nurseries | Friday | October 23 | 12PM–5PM

🎃 Halloween Window Painting: Kids ages 9 to 17 paint Halloween scenes on downtown Sierra Madre merchant windows, free thanks to the Sierra Madre Civic Club. Downtown Sierra Madre | Friday | October 23 | 2:30–6PM

🧟 Bunker Experience: Escape Rooms: Four private escape rooms in Pasadena’s oldest basement go extra spooky for Halloween, with optional jump scares and weekend candy. Bunker Experience | Friday | October 23 | 2–9PM

🧶 Cozy Crafters: Bring whatever you’ve been working on and craft alongside others at Callisto Tea House, with a shared supply basket if you need it. Callisto Tea House | Friday | October 23 | 4–6PM

🎃 Trick-or-Treat in the Garden: Kids follow a trick-or-treat trail through the Arboretum, meeting hissing cockroaches, snakes, and spiders along the way. LA County Arboretum | Friday | October 23 | 4PM

🎃 Boo Bash at Orange Grove Park: South Pasadena’s free Halloween bash brings costume contests, inflatable games, food trucks, and live music to the park. Orange Grove Park | Friday | October 23 | 5:30–8PM

🎃 Trunk or Treat & Dance Party: San Marino’s Halloween event at Lacy Park includes a dance party and a costume contest open to all ages. Lacy Park | Friday | October 23 | 6–9PM

🎃 The Cauldron: Halloween Celebration at the Armory: Wear a costume and bring the whole family for pumpkin decorating, hands-on art, dancing, and a DJ at the Armory. Armory Center for the Arts | Friday | October 23 | 6–8PM

🕯️ Ghost Light: A Haunted Evening of Music, Movement, and Stories: Lineage Performing Arts Center weaves Halloween spirit into an evening of music, dance, and spooky storytelling inspired by the theatrical ghost light tradition. Lineage Performing Arts Center | Friday | October 23 | 7PM

🕵️ DC Frost and Gary Phillips: An evening of contemporary LA Noir moderated by Saul Gonzalez: Gary Phillips and DC Frost read from their latest LA noir novels, then sit down with moderator Saul Gonzalez at Vroman’s. Vroman’s Bookstore | Friday | October 23 | 7PM

🎭 Come From Away: The hit musical tells the true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in a small Newfoundland town on 9/11 and the community that welcomed them. A Noise Within | Friday | October 23 | 7:30PM

🥋 Caltech Tai Chi Club: Peter Mugglebee and advanced students teach Hao-style tai chi chuan to all levels, beginners very much included. Caltech’s Hameetman Center 220 – Multipurpose Room | Friday | October 23 | 7PM

🐟 at the very bottom of a body of water: Benjamin Benne’s poetic play, directed by Juliette Carrillo, follows a grieving woman whose quiet weekly ritual of buying catfish and making soup falls apart in surprising, magical ways. Boston Court Pasadena | Friday | October 23 | 7:30PM

🕯️ The Last Seance – Gold Bug: Mentalist Mark Gibson (of Tonight Show fame) leads an intimate candlelit seance for just 10 guests, with a complimentary drink on arrival. Gold Bug | Friday | October 23 | 7–10PM

🎭 Theatre | Outside Mullingar – Performance: John Patrick Shanley’s warm, funny Irish love story stars Armin Shimerman and Liza Seneca at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Friday | October 23 | 8PM

Saturday (10/24)

🥦 Pasadena Farmers’ Market at Victory Park: About 60 vendors bring fresh produce, fish, jams, and other farm goods straight from the growers, rain or shine. Victory Park | Saturday | October 24 | 8AM–12PM

🐺 Living with Coyotes: “A Community Discussion on Reducing Conflicts with Our Wildlife Neighbors”: State wildlife officials, researchers, and coyote experts answer questions and share tips on keeping conflicts with local coyotes to a minimum. Memorial Park Pavilion | Saturday | October 24 | 9–11:30AM

🌱 Horticulture for Healing: Nonprofit staff in wildfire recovery work gather at Arlington Garden for meditation, sound healing, and plant-based activities led by Master Gardener David Washington. Arlington Garden Pasadena | Saturday | October 24 | 10AM–12PM

🚶 Walktober 2026: Stories of Displacement: the 710 Stub: Hear stories of the African American, Mexican American, and Japanese American families forced from their homes to make way for the 710 freeway stub. Central Park | Saturday | October 24 | 10AM

🪚 FREE One-Off Youth Woodworking Class: Kids ages 5 to 15 learn real woodworking skills — sanding, sawing, drilling, and more — using only hand tools with Side Street Project. Location shared upon registration | Saturday | October 24 | 10AM–12PM

🎈 Spooky Balloon Creations: The whole family can drop by Santa Catalina Branch Library to make their own spooky balloon creations. Santa Catalina Branch Library | Saturday | October 24 | 11AM

📚 Liz Brizzi reads from & signs Milo & Twig: Author Liz Brizzi reads from and signs her picture book about a boy who nurses an injured baby bird back to health. Vroman’s Bookstore | Saturday | October 24 | 11AM

🎃 Succulent Pumpkin Decorating: Hot-glue real succulent cuttings onto a pumpkin in this no-carve decorating workshop at Descanso’s Harvest Garden. Descanso Gardens | Saturday | October 24 | 11AM

🚶 Walktober 2026: Discover East Washington Village with Councilmember Rick Cole: Walk about 2.5 miles through East Washington Village, with food samples, free goodies, and local band The Nextdoors performing along the way. 1421 Washington Blvd. | Saturday | October 24 | 1PM

🎶 The Californios: Voices from Early California Latino Heritage Month: Dr. Gloria Arjona covers California’s Spanish and Mexican periods through stories and live music drawn from folk songs Charles Fletcher Lummis collected. Lamanda Park Branch Library | Saturday | October 24 | 2–3PM

💀 Día de los Muertos Festival & Altar Exhibit: Monarca Sol Collective presents live music, performances, arts and crafts, altars, Aztec dancers, food and an artisan mercado. The Paseo | Saturday | October 24 | 3PM

🎃 Trunk or Treat 2026: Kids trick-or-treat from decorated car trunks, with bounce houses and games thrown in too. Ronald McDonald House Pasadena | Saturday | October 24 | 3PM

🎃 Junior League of Pasadena Presents: “Boo-Sadena!”: Kids trick-or-treat through ten themed stations at JLP’s historic HQ, with pumpkin painting, ghost stories, and a costume contest. Junior League of Pasadena Headquarters | Saturday | October 24 | 4–6PM

🎃 Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Celebration in Altadena: Kids trick-or-treat from decorated car trunks at this free Altadena neighborhood Halloween gathering, costumes welcome. 409 E. Woodbury Rd. | Saturday | October 24 | 4–7PM

🎃 Knox Presbyterian Church Hosts Fifth Annual Trunk or Treat: Kids trick-or-treat car to car through decorated trunks, with games, cotton candy, and a bounce house all free on the Knox campus. Knox Presbyterian Church | Saturday | October 24 | 5–7PM

🧵 Homebody Quilt Block Workshop with Essay Hall session three: Essay Hall, whose family lost their home in the Eaton fire, teaches foundation paper piecing and embroidery to turn your house into a quilt block. Octavia’s Bookshelf | Saturday | October 24 | 6–8PM

💃 Dances de Los Muertos – Belly Dance Fantasy Theater: Leelabelly Dance Productions brings together Southern California belly dancers for a Halloween and Día de los Muertos-themed show. CCLCF Auditorium | Saturday | October 24 | 7PM

🐦‍⬛ A Nightmare on Poe Street – A Reader’s Theater Production: The Parson’s Nose Players bring Poe’s stories and poems to life, from “The Raven” to the lesser-known “Hop-Frog,” in this world-premiere reader’s theater production. Parson’s Nose Theater | Saturday | October 24 | 7PM

🎃 Altadena After Dark: Halloween Carnival and Party: A free community Halloween night with live bands, DJs, haunted houses, and carnival games — costumes encouraged, all ages welcome. It’s sold out but I feel like you can still go. 409 East Woodbury Road | Saturday | October 24 | 7PM–12:01AM

👻 Mesmer Mesmer – Dark & Strange Pasadena: Paranormal investigator David Kalbeitzer guides you through Pasadena’s stranger side: rockets, secret societies, ghosts, and Tongva lore. Mesmer Mesmer | Saturday | October 24 | 7PM

Sunday (10/25)

🚶 Walktober 2026: Arroyo’s Edge: an Exploration of Architecture with Nature as Inspiration: A Gamble House docent walks you through a Greene & Greene historic district, then Paloma Avila leads you into the Arroyo Seco. The Gamble House Bookstore | Sunday | October 25 | 9AM

👗 Stylist Yard Sale: Shop contemporary and vintage finds from TV and film costumers, with free garment recycling and an alterations bar. 500 E Howard St. | Sunday | October 25 | 9AM

🕊️ Staging Your Grand Exit: A Day of Death, Art & Legacy: A full-day workshop mixing performances, practical end-of-life planning, and conversation about grief, legacy, and living more fully. Lineage Performing Arts Center | Sunday | October 25 | 10AM

🐾 Bark in the Park: Howl-O-Ween Parade & Costume Contest: Dogs and their people show off Halloween costumes in a parade and contest, with prizes, treat stations, and photo ops. Playhouse Village Park | Sunday | October 25 | 11AM–2PM

👻 Daniel Kwan & Julia Pott read from & sign Have You Ever Seen a Ghost?: Daniel Kwan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Julia Pott (Summer Camp Island) read from and sign this picture book about a shy ghost braving a party. Vroman’s Bookstore | Sunday | October 25 | 1PM

⛪ Walktober 2026: Pasadena’s Sacred Spaces: Walk leader Noel McCarthy guides this 3-mile stroll past 10 historic downtown churches, with a peek inside as many as possible. Del Mar | Sunday | October 25 | 1PM

🤠 Celebrating 125 Years of the Pasadena Elks Lodge #672: The lodge’s parking lot turns into a hoedown, with live music, dancing, classic cars, food and drinks, and a silent auction. Pasadena Elks Lodge #672 | Sunday | October 25 | 2PM

🎶 Happy Hour with Grant Gershon: Conductor Grant Gershon joins host Brian Lauritzen for conversation, stories, and live music about a career at the heart of LA’s music scene. PCC’s Westerbeck Recital Hall | Sunday | October 25 | 3–5PM

🌿 Autumn in the Garden 2026: Arlington Garden’s annual fundraiser celebrates the garden’s 20th anniversary with live music, crafts, light bites, wine, and a silent auction. Arlington Garden Pasadena | Sunday | October 25 | 3–6PM

🎃 Fall Family Festival: Harvest Rock Church’s free community festival has music, games, raffles, and tacos for the first 250 through the door. Harvest Rock Church | Sunday | October 25 | 3:30PM

🎶 Jouyssance Early Music Ensemble presents “A Saintly and Sinful Concert”: Jouyssance pairs 15th-century English drinking songs and bawdy chansons with sacred works by Byrd, Victoria, and Palestrina. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church | Sunday | October 25 | 4PM

🌸 LA County Arboretum’s Dia de los Muertos: The Arboretum’s first-ever Día de los Muertos fills the garden with a community altar, live music, local Latin makers, food, and kids’ crafts. LA County Arboretum | Sunday | October 25 | 4PM

WEATHER

Friday

90 🌡️ 68 |🌧️40%| 💨 SW 5 mph

🌆 Air Quality Index: 38 (Good)
💧Humidity: 15%

Saturday

75 🌡️ 55 |☀️| 💨 SW 6 mph

Sunday

78 🌡️ 57 |☀️| 💨 SW 4 mph

Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.

LIVE MUSIC

🎵 MUSE/IQUE: American Sound Takes Flight: MUSE/IQUE traces American music from Aaron Copland through Leonard Bernstein, Paul Simon, and Rhiannon Giddens at The Wallis. The Wallis | Friday | October 23 | 7:30PM

🕯️ Ghost Light: A Haunted Evening of Music, Movement, and Stories: Lineage Performing Arts Center weaves Halloween spirit into an evening of music, dance, and spooky storytelling inspired by the theatrical ghost light tradition. Lineage Performing Arts Center | Friday | October 23 | 7PM

🎶 St. Andrew Church Presents 2026 Bach to Broadway Concert: Members of LA Opera and LA Master Chorale join local choirs and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus for an evening of choral and vocal music. St. Andrew Catholic Church | Friday | October 23 | 7:30PM

🎸 Pitstop: Pitstop performs live at Old Towne Pub. Old Towne Pub | Friday | October 23 | 10:30PM

🎻 Pasadena Symphony and Pops Presents “Brahms Symphony No. 1”: Violinist Benjamin Beilman joins Music Director Brett Mitchell and the Pasadena Symphony for works by Tower, Barber, and Brahms. Ambassador Auditorium | Saturday | October 24

FEATURED LIVE MUSIC
🎻 A Celebration of Latin American Classical Music in Pasadena

Hispano String Quartet is performing Viva la Hispanidad, a concert celebrating classical music from Cuba, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Presented by composer Yalil Guerra, the evening will feature works by Latin American composers, including two world premieres and Guerra’s own Latin GRAMMY-nominated String Quartet No. 2.

The concert takes place Saturday, October 24, at 8PM at St. Andrew Catholic Church (311 N. Raymond Ave.). Click here for tickets and more information.

💀 Dia De Los Muertos: Pasadena Pro Musica performs a program of Mexican and Latin American music honoring and remembering ancestors. Neighborhood Church | Sunday | October 25 | 4PM

🎶 America Sings!: A 100-voice choir, orchestra, handbells, pipe organ and soloists perform American works by Irving Berlin, Aaron Copland and others, plus a sing-along. Lake Avenue Church | Sunday | October 25 | 4PM

🎸 Local Bands That Rip: Overholtzer, Public Decay, Penümbra and Rejuvenoia perform live at Old Towne Pub. Old Towne Pub | Sunday | October 25 | 7PM

THANKS!

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