Free outdoor music will return to Memorial Park’s historic band shell in summer 2026, following Pasadena’s selection for a national grant program aimed at expanding access to the arts in large urban communities.
The Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation (PRPF) has been awarded a Levitt VIBE Grant, according to the Levitt Foundation’s official announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The grant provides up to $120,000 over three years—up to $40,000 annually—to support between 7 and 10 free outdoor concerts each year at the city’s 1930 Art Deco band shell, also known locally as the “Gold Shell,” located at 85 E. Holly St. in Old Pasadena.
The 2026 season will be the first under the new Levitt VIBE grant. PRPF is required to raise matching funds equal to the grant amount each year. The exact number of concerts for the 2026 season has not yet been finalized.
Pasadena is one of 34 new cities selected nationwide, joining 32 returning communities in the 2026–2028 grant cycle. The VIBE program—short for Vibrant Inclusive Beats for Everyone—is designed for cities with populations over 250,000 and focuses on neighborhoods with limited access to arts experiences.
The announcement follows months of local organizing under the “Bring Levitt Back Home” campaign, which helped propel Pasadena through a competitive national application and public voting process. More than 300 cities applied for the grant, with Pasadena advancing to the top 50 finalists before being selected by the Levitt Foundation.
The concerts will be produced by PRPF in partnership with the City of Pasadena’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. PRPF, established in 1979, works to expand access to parks, trails, and recreation programs across Pasadena. Its mission is “to increase access to and support the development, sustainability, and resilience of parks, trails, green space, and recreation programs to advance the health and wellness of our youth, families, and community.”
The upcoming concert series marks the return of Levitt-sponsored programming to Memorial Park for the first time since 2017, when the original Levitt Pavilion Pasadena exited the national network. That venue, later renamed the Pasadena Pavilion for the Performing Arts, operated from 2003 to 2017 and drew more than 75,000 attendees each summer for 50 free concerts annually.
The Memorial Park band shell was built in 1930 and dedicated by the American Legion on Memorial Day of that year. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Pasadena Civic Center Historic District.
The Levitt Foundation, based in Los Angeles, was founded by Mortimer and Mimi Levitt in 1966. Its mission is to strengthen communities through free, live music in underused public spaces. The VIBE program launched in 2024 as part of the foundation’s decision to spend down its $150 million endowment by 2041.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
