Millions of Droplets, 111 Years: Pasadena Marks Armenian Genocide Anniversary Thursday and Friday

The monument in Memorial Park doesn’t have a plaque. It doesn’t have an inscription. It has droplets, very precious droplets.

Every 21 seconds, a single drop of water falls from a 16-foot metal tripod into a stone basin below — 1.5 million drops per year, one for each Armenian life lost in the genocide that began 111 years ago this week.

On Thursday and Friday, April 23 and 24, that monument will serve as the center of Pasadena’s observance: students from the Armenian Academy at Blair High School march to it Thursday afternoon, a candlelight vigil follows that evening, and a community gathering is planned for Friday at 5 p.m.

Mayor Victor M. Gordo has proclaimed April 24 a Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors acted unanimously to recognize the month and the date, and the California State Assembly passed HR 97 on April 20, formally designating April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day at the state level.

The student march is to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and ends at the memorial in Memorial Park. Students from both Blair and Webster Elementary School are expected to participate. In past years, the march has included poetry recitations and songs performed in Armenian and English at the base of the monument.

Friday evening, ANCA Pasadena, the AYF Pasadena “Nigol Touman” Chapter, the ARF Pasadena “Lernavayr” Gomideh, St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church, and Homenetmen “Azadamard” have announced a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. at the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial. Participants will light candles and lay flowers at the monument.

On Friday, a Remembrance Day gathering at the memorial was announced from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

The Armenian Academy at Blair and Webster Elementary will be closed Friday in observance of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, per the PUSD academic calendar.

The LA County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to proclaim April 2026 as Armenian History Month — the 10th consecutive year the board has made that designation — and to designate April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day throughout the county.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose 5th District includes Altadena and Pasadena, co-authored both motions along with Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda L. Solis.

“Proclaiming April as Armenian History Month is a meaningful way to celebrate their enduring contributions and honor their history,” Barger said.

The Armenian Genocide — the systematic killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire beginning April 24, 1915 — is commemorated annually on April 24, which California recognizes as an official state holiday.

Southern California is home to approximately 200,000 Armenian Americans, the largest such population in the United States, according to published reports. Pasadena has formally observed April 24 as a Day of Remembrance for more than 30 years, according to published reports.

The memorial in Memorial Park was designed by Art Center College of Design alumna Catherine Menard following a public design competition issued by the City of Pasadena in 2012. It was unveiled in April 2015, attended by more than 1,500 people. The stone basin at the base is adorned with the ancient Armenian symbol for eternity.

For Pasadena-area residents who want to attend regional events on Friday:

• The AGBU Glendale-Pasadena Chapter and AGBU Pasadena-Glendale Scouts are organizing the 111th Anniversary Commemoration at the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Memorial, 901 Via San Clemente, Montebello, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Free bus transportation departs from St. Gregory Armenian Church in Pasadena at 9 a.m. and returns at 1:30 p.m., according to the AGBU’s official event listing.
• A community rally, “A March for Remembrance,” departs La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills toward the Turkish Consulate at 2 p.m., according to organizing group announcements.
• The City of Glendale hosts its 25th Annual Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Admission is free; reservations are required at glendaleca.gov.
• On Saturday, April 25, the Lamanda Park Branch Library — at 140 S. Altadena Drive, on the Pasadena-Altadena border — presents “An Afternoon of Armenian History and Heritage” from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The program opens with a 30-minute film about a mother’s survival of the genocide, followed by a personal travelogue of Armenia with photographs and artifacts. Free; ages 13 and up. Information: (626) 744-7266.

All events on April 23–24, in Pasadena and regionally, are free admission.