CicLAvia Pasadena comes back on Sunday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's the city's first open-streets day since May 2015, and the 2026 route is a tighter, two-hub version of the 2015 layout. The city connects that smaller route to the Rose Bowl side of town and to Lamanda Park with a different kind of street, one where cars keep driving next to the bikes.
So the day works differently depending on where you are. On Colorado Boulevard between Pasadena Avenue and Allen Avenue, the street belongs to people on foot, bikes and skates. A block off it, or on Walnut Avenue, or east of Allen, the rules change, and it helps to know them before you set out to walk, ride, or just get to the grocery store.
The 2015 Route and the 2026 Route
The City of Pasadena describes the 2026 route as 2.7 miles. It runs on Colorado Boulevard from Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue and on Raymond Avenue from Pacific Alley to Dayton Street, and it links Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village and South Lake Avenue with Metro's Memorial Park and Del Mar stations. The Pasadena Star-News covered the May 31, 2015 event in its preview, and the comparison shows how much the format has tightened.
| May 2015 | November 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Route length | Roughly 3.5 miles | 2.7 miles |
| Colorado Boulevard | Bonnie Avenue to Pasadena Avenue | Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue |
| Raymond Avenue | Walnut Street to Del Mar Boulevard | Pacific Alley to Dayton Street |
| Lake Street spur | Colorado to just before California | None |
| Activity hubs | Four: Memorial Park, Old Pasadena, South Lake, near Pasadena City College | Two: Memorial Park and Colorado at Allen |
| Event hours | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Street closures | 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 7 a.m. to about 5 p.m. |
In 2015, the Star-News reported that Pasadena was CicLAvia's first event entirely outside Los Angeles city limits. It was backed by a $424,000 Metro grant, and organizers expected roughly 75,000 people. Since then the nonprofit has produced more than 69 open-streets events across Southern California, and Metro is again a partial funder this year. The 2026 car-free stretch is shorter and the closure window is narrower on both ends. The part that reaches farther is the new piece.
The Slow Streets Carry the Route Past Its Own Ends
To connect more of the city to the route, Pasadena is setting up two temporary "Slow Streets." These are pop-up bike lanes marked off with traffic cones and signs that keep bikes and other wheeled devices apart from regular traffic.
- Western segment, 1.0 mile. Walnut Avenue from Raymond Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard, then on to Rosemont Avenue, a few blocks from the Rose Bowl.
- Eastern segment, 1.0 mile. Colorado Boulevard from Allen Avenue to San Gabriel Boulevard, connecting East Colorado to the Lamanda Park neighborhood.
Together the two segments add two miles of connected riding beyond the 2.7-mile car-free route. They work differently from the route itself, though. The city says cars will still be allowed on the Slow Streets, and parking along them is restricted on the same 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule as the main route, with no-parking signs posted ahead of time and towing enforced.
For anyone who lives along Walnut Avenue or on Colorado east of Allen, that's the detail that matters. Your street stays open to driving, but curb parking still goes away for the day. For a rider heading east from the Colorado Hub, the space changes at Allen, from a street with no cars to a coned lane next to moving traffic.
Sunday, November 15, by the Clock
The tightest deadline of the day comes before the event ends.
- 4 a.m. No parking on the route. Posted restrictions and towing are enforced from this hour, on the Slow Streets as well.
- 6 a.m. Streets near the two activity hubs may close to cars this early.
- 7 a.m. Colorado Boulevard from Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue and Raymond Avenue from Pacific Alley to Dayton Street close to car traffic.
- 9 a.m. The event opens. There's no official start or finish, so you can join or leave the route anywhere, at any time.
- 3 p.m. The event ends. This is also the last chance to pick up a towed car at the Pasadena Police Department, 207 Garfield Avenue. Cars not collected by 3 p.m. on November 15 will be impounded.
- About 5 p.m. Streets fully reopen to cars.
The tow deadline is stricter than in 2015. That year, the Star-News reported that towed cars could be picked up free at the Elks Lodge lot at 400 W. Colorado until 4 p.m. This year the pickup is at the police department, the cutoff is an hour earlier, and the deadline falls while the route is still closed to cars.
Getting Across, Not Just Along
According to the city, cars can cross the route at six key intersections. CicLAvia's page shows them on its route map as "selected major streets." Streets next to the route stay open for local access for residents and businesses. If your Sunday includes a drive from north of Colorado to south of it, check that map and plan around one of those six crossings. There are no freeway closures for the event.
The Metro A Line is the simplest way in. CicLAvia lists five stations within a mile of the route: Del Mar and Memorial Park, each less than 0.1 mile away, Lake Avenue and Allen, each 0.4 mile, and Fillmore, at 0.8 mile. Memorial Park sits right at one hub, and Allen is a short walk from the other end of Colorado. For drivers, the organizers say most nearby lots are pay lots with varying rates, and they ask anyone parking in neighborhoods to follow the posted restrictions.
Bringing an e-bike? Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes are allowed. Class 2 bikes are allowed with the throttle off, and Class 3 bikes with pedal-assist off. Electric scooters, electric skateboards, hoverboards and electric unicycles are prohibited. Motorized wheelchairs and other disability mobility devices are exempt.
Two Hubs, One at Each End
With two hubs where 2015 had four, the services sit at the two ends of Colorado. The Memorial Park Hub is at 145 N. Raymond Avenue, next to the Memorial Park station. The Colorado Hub is at 1778 E. Colorado Boulevard, which the city places at Colorado and Allen. According to the city, each hub will have free family-friendly activities, restrooms, water refill stations, basic bike repair, bike parking, seating and first aid, plus free pedicab rides from each hub's information booth. LAist says it will run a booth at the Memorial Park Hub with giveaways and a listener meet-and-greet.
There's no Lake Street spur this year, so the stretch between the hubs is mostly Colorado Boulevard. CicLAvia's page lists several local businesses with event-day offers along that stretch and the blocks just off it:
- The Bar Method – Pasadena, 32 Mills Place. A free class pass for anyone who comes in during the event.
- Bokãos Aveda, 52 Hugus Alley. Free consultations and styling on the sidewalk, 15% off at its table, and a drawing for an extensions transformation valued at $1,000.
- Carbon Health, 600 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 120. Water, Liquid IV and first-aid supplies, plus priority walk-in care for participants that day.
- Jenette Bras, 18 E. Holly Street. $50 gift certificates for the first 10 attendees and 15% off sports garments.
- Strong Sports Gym, 985 E. Colorado Boulevard. The store open and the gym available for mini lessons.
- Tea Spots, 1443 Colorado Blvd. 10% off items for Pasadena residents.
Several newer spots also sit on the same stretch. Pasadena Now reported this summer's openings in its August 17 roundup, among them Tierra Caliente at 115 E. Colorado Blvd., Milk Brew at 263 E. Colorado Blvd. and The Daily Catch at 927 E. Colorado Blvd., with Mehfil Co. just off the route at 82 S. Lake Ave. Milk Brew took over the former Tiffany's Coffee space and specializes in coffee steeped in milk overnight. For many residents, November 15 may be the first time they can walk the whole run of this summer's Colorado openings without a car on the street.
The weekend also starts early near the Arroyo. UCLA hosts Illinois at the Rose Bowl on Friday, November 13, at 6 p.m., and the stadium warns that event traffic controls will restrict access to nearby residential roads. On Sunday morning, the western Slow Street ends a few blocks from that same stadium.
Organizers keep adding hub programming and business offers, and the six car crossings appear only on the official map. The CicLAvia Pasadena event page is the place to check the latest version before November 15.
At Steven Moran, we think about Pasadena block by block, from the frontage on a given stretch of Colorado to how a street changes once the cars are gone. If a day on the open route gets you thinking about a home or project in this part of the city, schedule a consultation to discuss your project.
