Free Concert Series Returns to Pasadena’s Memorial Park Bandshell July 11 After Nearly a Decade-Long Break

A season of 10 free outdoor concerts opens at Memorial Park on Saturday, July 11, marking the first Levitt-branded music series at the park’s Art Deco bandshell since 2017.

The Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series will bring shows to the park’s 1930 “Gold Shell” every Saturday through Sept. 12, from 6 to 10 p.m., at 85 E. Holly St. in Old Pasadena. The series is presented by the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation (PRPF) and the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, in partnership with the Old Pasadena Management District, according to a City of Pasadena press release announcing the season.

The season runs on a new multiyear grant. The Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation awarded PRPF a Levitt VIBE matching grant on Nov. 18, 2025, worth up to $40,000 a year for three years — up to $120,000 total through 2028. PRPF must raise matching funds equal to the grant amount each year to sustain the program. Pasadena was one of 66 communities selected for the 2026-2028 cycle, chosen from more than 300 applicants after a public voting phase in September 2025 narrowed the field to 50 finalists.

The lineup spans jazz, pop, rock, Latin music, R&B, soul and funk: Yuko Mabuchi with the Rogue Lemon Collective, Dave Barnes, Julian Torres y Mariachi Cenzontle, Leah Ashton and Niki J. Crawford, Jessica Fichot, Melo Gía and Dabandjian, the Lao Tizer Band, Chris Pierce, La Verdad, and a closing night featuring Troop and Jon B. (The Aug. 8 performer’s name appears as “Ara Dabandjian” in the press release and “Ada Dabandjian” on the city’s official event page; the discrepancy is unresolved.) Each evening opens with “The Vibe Set,” a local-artist showcase sponsored by Rose Bowl Stadium. A headliner for Aug. 29 had not been announced as of the most recent research.

Officials tied the series’s return to the city’s recovery from the Eaton Fire, which killed at least 19 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures across Altadena and parts of Pasadena in January 2025. The Levitt Foundation’s program materials cite Northwest Pasadena’s “economic disparities and recovery challenges” as part of the grant’s rationale.

The original Levitt Pavilion Pasadena ran at the same bandshell from 2003 to 2017, drawing more than 75,000 attendees a summer before its operating nonprofit exited the national Levitt network, citing an inability to sustain a full 50-concert season. A 2025 campaign called “Bring Levitt Back Home” drove the public voting that helped Pasadena advance to the program’s top 50 finalists.

“Music has the power to unite people,” said Councilmember Justin Jones, whose District 3 includes Memorial Park, in the city’s release. “I am pleased that the Levitt Pavilion will continue to provide the perfect stage for families and neighbors from all walks of life to come together and enjoy.”

Koko Panossian, director of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, said the city was “proud to partner with the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation and the Old Pasadena Management District to provide free entertainment that is accessible to everyone.”

Admission is free and open to all ages; no tickets are required. Accessibility accommodations can be requested at CSC@CityOfPasadena.net or (626) 744-7311.

Whether the Aug. 22 Chris Pierce album-release show will also include a previously promoted Ritchie Valens tribute set remains unconfirmed; the city’s official listing names only Pierce for that date.