What to Know
- Pasadena Chalk Festival
- June 14 and 15, 2025
- 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Free
- The Paseo, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium (front concourse), and Garfield Avenue in Pasadena
June Gloom is on the soggy, foggy way — April may soon become Graypril and chances are solid that May Gray will make a cool-down cameo — which means some overcast days are likely ahead.
And if things get especially somber in the sky, we begin to long for lively colors and bright sights around the middle of June, as well as a place we can enjoy an uplifting hour for free.
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Enter the Pasadena Chalk Festival, that chromatically kicky way to spend Father's Day Weekend.
It's free — it's probably one of the best-known free events around, in fact — and it always features hundreds of madonnari, those incredible artists that use the sidewalk, pavement, or cement below our sneakers as their canvases.
Light Bringer Project, the nonprofit behind the festival, announced that over 500 artists will join the 2025 chalk-tacular, which will add dash and splash to a sizable swath of Pasadena June 14 and 15.
The setting? You'll want to make for The Paseo, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium (front concourse), and Garfield Avenue to observe the artworks coming together.
Day one is for starting the pieces and filling them in, and day two is about completion. Some fans attend both days, of course, but if you have a focus — either the start or the wrap-up — you'll want to plan your visit accordingly.
The Scene
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A show filled with classic automobiles, presented by the Pasadena Police Department, is set for June 14.
As for the subjects and inspirations you'll encounter in the on-the-ground artworks?
Famous people, historical figures, landscapes, animals, and fascinating trompe l'oeil creations add zest to the scene.
There may be more June Gloom around the middle of the month, but a non-gloomy wonderland of color will appear on the ground, at least for a few days, near the heart of Pasadena.
