In May 2015, about 40,000 people walked, biked and rolled through Pasadena on the city's first CicLAvia, according to the Pasadena Star-News. The event hasn't come back since. That changes on Sunday, Nov. 15, when Colorado Boulevard closes to cars from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. As Pasadena Now reported in August, it will be the city's first open-streets event in more than a decade.
The new route is a different plan from the old one. It closes fewer miles and has half as many hubs. It also runs farther east on Colorado than the 2015 route and links by pop-up bike lane to two places the first event never reached, the streets near the Rose Bowl and the Lamanda Park neighborhood. In 2015 the event was spread across the middle of the city. This year it runs as a single line along Colorado, and for a resident that changes where to start the day, where to stop and which driveways will be blocked.
Eleven Years, Two Routes
The Star-News preview in 2015 described a 3.5-mile route. It ran on Colorado from Bonnie Avenue to Pasadena Avenue, with a spur down South Lake Street and a stretch of Raymond Avenue from Walnut Street to Del Mar Boulevard. The 2026 route is set out on the official CicLAvia event page.
| May 31, 2015 | Nov. 15, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Boulevard closure | Bonnie Ave to Pasadena Ave | Pasadena Ave to Allen Ave |
| Raymond Avenue closure | Walnut St to Del Mar Blvd | Pacific Alley to E Dayton St |
| Lake Street spur | Yes, Colorado to just before California | None |
| Route length | 3.5 miles | 2.7 miles |
| Hubs | Four: Memorial Park, Old Pasadena, South Lake, near Pasadena City College | Two: Memorial Park and the Colorado Hub |
| Event hours | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Streets closed to cars | 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 7 a.m. to about 5 p.m. |
| Pop-up connections | None listed | Two 1-mile Slow Streets lanes |
The Lake Street spur is gone, the Raymond segment is shorter and the event ends an hour earlier. The Colorado closure now runs past Bonnie, where the 2015 route ended, all the way to Allen Avenue. The Los Angeles Times described the 2015 Colorado stretch slightly differently from the Star-News, as running between Fair Oaks and Bonnie avenues. Either way, the line has moved east.
Where the Route Reaches Beyond Itself
The City of Pasadena is adding the two pop-up lanes, which CicLAvia calls Slow Streets. Cones and signs will separate bikes and other wheeled riders from regular traffic. The western lane runs 1 mile along Walnut Avenue from Raymond Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard, then continues to Rosemont Avenue, a few blocks from the Rose Bowl. The eastern lane runs 1 mile on Colorado from Allen Avenue to San Gabriel Boulevard and, in the event page's words, connects "East Colorado Boulevard to the Lamanda Park neighborhood."
The car-free route covers 2.7 miles, and the two lanes add about 2 more. Together they stretch the day from the Arroyo side of town to the eastern end of the Colorado corridor. Fewer streets are closed outright than in 2015, yet the event connects to a wider stretch of the city.
Transit is part of the plan as well. Metro is presenting the event and partly funding it, and the Pasadena Now report from August notes that the car-free stretch connects to the Metro A Line's Memorial Park station. The event page lists five A Line stations near the route:
- Del Mar Station, less than 0.1 mile away
- Memorial Park Station, less than 0.1 mile away
- Lake Station, 0.4 mile away
- Allen Station, 0.4 mile away
- Fillmore Station, 0.8 mile away
Two Hubs, 2.2 Miles Apart
The 2015 event had four hubs. This year has two, and they sit at opposite ends of Colorado. The Memorial Park Hub is at 145 N. Raymond Ave., near the western end. The Colorado Hub is at 1778 E. Colorado Blvd. at the eastern end. The event page puts them 2.2 miles apart. Each hub will have free basic bike repair, bike parking, water refill stations and ADA-compliant restrooms. Free pedicabs will run between the hubs, first come, first served, from stops at each hub's info booth.
On a bike, direction matters. The elevation map shows the route climbing from the Colorado Hub toward Raymond Avenue. That means the ride east from Memorial Park runs downhill, and the ride back west climbs. Riders who start near Old Pasadena may want to save some energy for the return.
The rules of the route allow only human-powered wheels, with exceptions for people with disabilities. Class 1 pedal-assist ebikes are allowed. Class 2 ebikes are allowed with the throttle off, and Class 3 ebikes with pedal assist off. In 2015 the four hubs had their own programming, including an Armory Center art project, yoga and music at Levitt Pavilion, and the John Muir High School Mighty Mustang Drum Corps, which the Los Angeles Times reported was scheduled to play on Raymond Avenue. The 2026 activity list is still being filled in on the CicLAvia site.
The Storefronts Along the Line
The route runs past businesses for most of its length, and the city has encouraged them to use the sidewalks. Pasadena Now reported in September that businesses on the route were invited to stay open and bring their activities outdoors, within the rules for food permits, canopies, ADA clearance and sound. Businesses can submit event-day specials for the CicLAvia map until Thursday, Nov. 12, so the list below may grow. These are the specials posted so far, grouped by area:
Holly Street and the Old Pasadena alleys
- Commune Records, 12 E. Holly St.: 20% off store items
- Jenette Bras, 18 E. Holly St.: $50 gift certificates for the first 10 visitors and 15% off sports garments
- Mesmer Mesmer, 65 E. Holly St.: themed iced drinks outside, made with Mammoth Coffee, plus discount cards
- Bokãos Aveda, 52 Hugus Alley: free styling consultations on the sidewalk and 15% off
- Rebecca Crews LLC, 52 Hugus Alley: mini cream cups and discount cards, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Store242, 123 Morgan Alley: 10% off store items
Colorado and Green in Old Pasadena
- Sea Love, 28 E. Colorado Blvd.: a free gift with purchases of $50 or more, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sundays, 47 W. Colorado Blvd.: tote bags and a giveaway, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Dog Haus Biergarten Old Pasadena, 93 E. Green St.: event-day deals and its run club, 8 a.m. to noon
- The Bar Method, 32 Mills Place: a free class pass for anyone who arrives by bike or on foot
East along Colorado
- Basecamp Fitness, 38 El Molino Ave.: a free first class, 7:30 a.m. to noon
- Carbon Health, 600 E. Colorado Blvd.: water and first-aid supplies, with priority walk-in care for participants
- Strong Sports Gym, 985 E. Colorado Blvd.: mini lessons
- Tea Spots, 1443 Colorado Blvd.: 15% off the menu
- Wingstop, 1709 E. Colorado Blvd.: 10% off for participants
The Old Pasadena Management District and the Playhouse Village Association have reportedly expressed support for the event, according to the August Pasadena Now report.
The Sunday Clock for Anyone on the Route
The event runs six hours, but the street restrictions start earlier and end later. For anyone who lives or works on Colorado or Raymond, the times below matter more than the event hours. They are listed in order, as posted on the CicLAvia event page:
- 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. The window for parking reimbursement opens. People who live or work directly on the route may be reimbursed up to $20 per vehicle for parking costs between now and 5 p.m. Sunday. To request it, email the receipt to [email protected] within 30 days.
- 4 a.m. Sunday. Parking on the route is banned and towing starts.
- 6 a.m. Streets near the activity hubs may start closing.
- 7 a.m. The rest of the route closes to cars. Driveways on the route are blocked and can't be used until about 5 p.m., so a car needed that day should be parked off the route before 7.
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event runs.
- 3 p.m. This is the deadline to pick up a towed car at the Pasadena Police Department, 207 Garfield Ave. Cars not picked up by then are impounded.
- About 5 p.m. The streets fully reopen to cars.
Cars can still cross the route at six intersections, according to the City of Pasadena, and the crossings are marked on the official route map. Residents and businesses can still reach streets next to the route, and no freeways close for the event. The event goes on rain or shine.
Seven Days Later, Doo Dah
Old Pasadena hosts another street event the following Sunday. The Doo Dah Parade returns on Nov. 22 after organizers postponed the 2025 street parade, citing wildfire-related pressures and uncertainty over education funding, as Pasadena Now reported. In 2025 the tradition carried on at Dog Haus Biergarten and Old Towne Pub. The organizer's parade information page lists Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, with the time still to be announced. CicLAvia is the first of the two November Sundays, and it's the one with posted tow times and driveway closures.
If you live or own on Colorado or Raymond and want to talk through how a day like Nov. 15 fits into owning on Pasadena's main corridor, from access and parking to what the boulevard is like with the cars gone, Chelby Crawford would be glad to hear from you. Request a private market consultation.
