Labor Day Weekend Events

Good morning, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. Labor Day started in the late 1800s as a way to recognize American workers, and it became a federal holiday in 1894. Today, it’s basically the unofficial goodbye to summer—although with rain possibly sneaking into the forecast Sunday, the barbecue plans might need a backup.

In this weekend’s News N’ Roses:

• Pasadena Symphony Announces Its 2026–27 Season

• Pasadena Labor Day Closures

• Events this Weekend

• Restaurant Spotlight: Dalah

• Live Music Lowdown

Let’s get to it.

—Matthew Ramirez

THE DIGEST

Pasadena Symphony Announces Its 2026–27 Season

The Pasadena Symphony just announced its 2026–27 Classics season, with five concerts at Ambassador Auditorium and a lineup that jumps from Bach and Beethoven to Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and a few modern composers.

The season opens Oct. 24 with Joan Tower’s Made in America, followed by violinist Benjamin Beilman performing Barber’s Violin Concerto. Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 closes out the night.

Things continue Nov. 14 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, plus Pasadena Symphony Principal Cellist Michael Kaufman taking the spotlight for Elgar’s Cello Concerto. In February, pianist Clayton Stephenson will perform Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 on a program that also includes Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite.

One of the more familiar programs comes March 20, when violinist Simone Porter returns for Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, alongside works by Bach and Stravinsky.

The season wraps May 1 with violinist Paul Huang making his Pasadena Symphony debut with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 will also return to the orchestra’s stage for the first time in more than a decade.

Each concert will be performed twice, at 2 PM and 8 PM, and KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen will host a conversation with Music Director Brett Mitchell and special guests before the performances. For more information, click here.

Pasadena Labor Day Closures

Labor Day gives most of us a nice three-day weekend, and a lot of Pasadena city services will be taking Monday off too. City Hall, libraries, the Permit Center, Parking Office, and city-run recreation and community centers will all be closed. Parks will stay open.

Trash pickup will shift back one day all week, so Monday pickup happens Tuesday, Tuesday pickup happens Wednesday, and so on.

Parking meters will be free Monday, and posted time limits won’t be enforced. Red curbs, fire hydrants, “No Parking” zones, and overnight parking rules still apply.

Pasadena Transit Route 33 will run on a Sunday schedule. All other Pasadena Transit routes and Dial-A-Ride will not operate. Normal city services resume Tuesday, Sept. 8. For more official details, click here.

SPONSORED BY ANDREW BERK | AVISON YOUNG

Looking to Buy, Sell or Lease Commercial Property?

Avison Young’s Andrew Berk is a longtime commercial real estate broker serving Pasadena, South Pasadena, the San Gabriel Valley and Northeast Los Angeles. With more than 24 years as a South Pasadena resident and 25+ years as a Pasadena Chamber member, Andrew brings deep local knowledge to every assignment. He works with owners, investors and businesses on office, retail, industrial and multifamily properties and is currently accepting new sales and leasing assignments. If you are considering a move, sale or lease, Andrew can help you understand the market and your options.

Andrew Berk, Principal | Avison Young
(626) 676-4230 | [email protected]

WHAT’S HAPPENING

This Weekend

👻 Return to Woodsboro: Celebrating 30 Years of Terror: A three-day event celebrating 30 years of Scream and the world of Woodsboro. Pasadena Convention Center | Friday–Sunday | October 2–4

🃏 Front Row Card Show: A sports card and collectibles show at the Pasadena Convention Center. Pasadena Convention Center | Saturday & Sunday | September 5 & 6 | 10AM–5PM

Friday (9/4)

🎟️ Free First Fridays: Kidspace opens free with storytime, songs, and early literacy activities — advance reservations required at kidspacemuseum.org. Kidspace Children’s Museum | Friday | September 4 | 2–5PM

🎭 Broadway Gamble Ramble 2026: Small groups move through the Gamble House encountering live dance, theatre, and narrative performances woven around Broadway’s history. The Gamble House | Friday | September 4 | 7PM

🎭 Pericles: Shakespeare’s seafaring tale of storms and survival, performed in Ellen McLaughlin’s translation with movement and music. Boston Court Pasadena | Friday | September 4 | 7:30PM

🎭 August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom: Gregg T. Daniel directs Wilson’s 1927 Chicago recording studio drama as part of A Noise Within’s full American Century Cycle. A Noise Within | Friday | September 4 | 7:30PM

🥋 Caltech Tai Chi Club: Caltech’s student tai chi club meets for a two-hour practice session open to the campus community. Caltech’s Hameetman Center 220, Multipurpose Room | Friday | September 4 | 7–9PM

🎵 Yu&Sung Duo: Pasadena Pro Musica presents Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 1936 cantata “Dona Nobis Pacem,” written in the shadow of WWI and WWII. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Friday | September 4 | 8PM

🌱 Little Shop of Horrors: Altadena Music Theatre performs the doo-wop musical comedy at an outdoor mausoleum setting, starring Seymour, Audrey II, and songs like “Suddenly Seymour.” Mountain View Mausoleum | Friday | September 4 | 8PM

Saturday (9/5)

🥦 Pasadena Farmers’ Market at Victory Park: A certified market selling locally grown produce directly from farmers, plus vendors with jams, jellies, and fish. Victory Park | Saturday | September 5 | 8AM–12PM

🧵 Arts & Crafts Embroidery Workshop: Roycroft Master Artisan Natalie Richards leads a hands-on class focused on stitches from historic Arts & Crafts textiles, with a full materials kit included. The Blinn House | Saturday | September 5 | 9AM

🌽 La Canada Farmers’ Market: Certified California-grown produce sold directly from local farms on Rinetti Lane. Rinetti Lane (Next to LCF Post Office) | Saturday | September 5 | 9AM–1PM

🍦 Musical Storytime | All the Ice Cream in the Land: PCM students and faculty perform and read Emmy Kastner’s picture book, with songs, movement, and fingerplays for kids ages 3–9. Vroman’s Bookstore | Saturday | September 5 | 11:30AM

📖 Storytime at The Gamble House: Docents read stories under the big oak on the lawn, with songs, fingerplays, and early literacy activities for families. The Gamble House | Saturday | September 5 | 11AM–12PM

🎹 The Lighted Window Organ Series: Monthly free concert series featuring guest organists performing on the church’s historic Estey organ. The Lighted Window Congregational Church | Saturday | September 5 | 12PM

♟️ Checkmate! Chess at the Norton Simon Museum: Drop-in chess in the Sculpture Garden, with U.S. chess expert Jay Stallings on hand to teach beginners. Norton Simon Museum | Saturday | September 5 | 4PM

🎺 2026 Levitt Vibe Pasadena Music Series: La Verdad: La Verdad, led by former Quetzal member Gabrielito Gonzalez, plays salsa, funk, and Latin diaspora sounds at the Levitt Pavilion. Memorial Park | Saturday | September 5 | 6PM

Sunday (9/6)

🛍️ PCC Flea Market: Over 400 vendors sell antiques and collectibles ranging from high-end pieces to rummage sale finds in the campus parking lots. PCC Campus West Side | Sunday | September 6 | 8AM–3PM

🎻 Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome: Webern String Quartet: A string quartet performs inside the historic 100-inch telescope dome at Mt. Wilson. Mt. Wilson Observatory | Sunday | September 6 | 3PM & 5PM

📖 Stories in the Afternoon: Ganesha Goes Green: A museum educator reads Ganesha Goes Green aloud beside a Ganesha sculpture, followed by kids making earth-friendly sculptures to take home. Norton Simon Museum | Sunday | September 6 | 3PM

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events are added to the News N’ Roses events page. Check them out!

*Nothing in this section is sponsored. These are just the things you need to know. I’ll always let you know if something is sponsored!

WEATHER

Friday

80 🌡️ 60 |☀️| 💨 S 8 mph

🌆 Air Quality Index: 52 (Moderate)

Saturday

86 🌡️ 62 ☀️| 💨 S 9 mph

Sunday

78 🌡️ 68 |🌧️| 💨 SE 3 mph

Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

Dalah

Every time I get Thai food, I order chicken pad Thai. Every single time. But if you’re like me and have been cycling through the same two or three dishes for years, Dalah might finally get you to try something different.

The new restaurant opened in June at 851 Cordova St., near Lake Avenue, with a menu that has plenty of recognizable Thai staples, but also some things you don’t see quite as often around Pasadena.

One of the big ones is a green curry with slow-cooked beef cheek, along with a red curry served with an entire confit duck leg and finished with orange, tomato and walnut. There’s also crispy fermented pork and rice bites, Hat Yai chicken wings with chili jam, and a grilled beef salad with herbs, toasted rice powder and a spicy lime dressing.

The rice section gets pretty interesting too. You can get smoky fried rice piled with lump blue crab, or jasmine rice cooked in house-rendered beef tallow and topped with seared steak and crispy garlic. And if you do stick with noodles, their “Drunken Mama” uses wok-seared instant noodles with chili, garlic, basil and grilled beef.

Even the more familiar stuff gets changed up a bit. The pad see ew comes with beef and wide rice noodles in a rich soy glaze, while the chicken satay is made with grilled thighs, a rum-infused satay glaze, chimichurri and pickled cucumber. They also have grilled chicken and tiger prawn versions of pad Thai, plus tofu versions of pad Thai, pad see ew, drunken noodles and both red and green curry.

If you somehow have room after all of that, there’s Thai tea ice cream, coconut milk ice cream, and seasonal mango sticky rice too!

Check out Dalah’s menu here.

LIVE MUSIC

🎵 DARKSIDE: The trio of Dave Harrington, Nicolas Jaar and Tlacael Esparza returns to Lodge Room as part of its 2026 touring schedule. Lodge Room (Highland Park) | Friday & Sat | October 2 & 3 | 7PM

🎷 Catalina Combo: Jazz standards, hot jazz and world cafe with Paul Eckman on bass, Willie McNeil on vocals and Jeff Miley on guitar. Edwin Mills | Friday | September 4 | 7PM

🎹 The Lighted Window Organ Series: Monthly free concert series featuring guest organists performing on the church’s historic Estey organ. The Lighted Window Congregational Church | Saturday | September 5 | 12PM

🎵 Suman Laha, Anand Vemuri, and Jyoti Prakas – Samyoga: Three musicians perform together in this collaborative concert at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Saturday | September 5 | 4PM

🎺 2026 Levitt Vibe Pasadena Music Series: La Verdad: La Verdad, led by former Quetzal member Gabrielito Gonzalez, plays salsa, funk, and Latin diaspora sounds at the Levitt Pavilion. Memorial Park | Saturday | September 5 | 6PM

🎸 Guns N’ Roses: Guns N’ Roses performs live at the Rose Bowl. Rose Bowl Stadium | Saturday | September 5 | 6:25PM

🎙️ Ed Romero: Jazz vocalist Ed Romero performs music inspired by the Great American Songbook. Edwin Mills | Saturday | September 5 | 7PM

🎤 Back to Black: Amy Winehouse Tribute & Dinner: A live tribute to Amy Winehouse featuring her biggest hits, soulful vocals and a two-course dinner. Hawg Heaven BBQ & Gastro Pub | Saturday | October 3 | 7:30PM–9PM

🎻 Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome: Webern String Quartet: A string quartet performs inside the historic 100-inch telescope dome at Mt. Wilson. Mt. Wilson Observatory | Sunday | September 6 | 3PM & 5PM

🎵 Charlie Burg: Lodge Room presents Charlie Burg. Lodge Room (Highland Park) | Sunday | October 4 | 7PM

🎷 Brandon Coleman Ensemble: Jazz keyboardist Brandon Coleman leads his ensemble in a live performance at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Sunday | September 6 | 8PM

THANKS!

Thanks for reading News N’ Roses today. If you found something useful, share it with someone who is thirsty for rain this Sunday. 🌧️

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