The afternoon event supports a three-acre public garden that charges no admission. The garden closed for months after a May 21, 2025, fire destroyed its storage shed, its tools and its automated irrigation system. The nonprofit that runs the garden announced a fundraising campaign in April 2026 to pay for a new shed, a replacement irrigation system and expanded school programs.
Live jazz from Qur’an Shaheed and Friends, wine, food, nature-inspired activities for all ages and an auction benefiting the garden are planned, the association said.
The event will also include special awards and recognition of the garden’s founding members, called “The Originals,” according to the association.
Shaheed is a pianist, poet, singer and songwriter who was born in Pasadena in 1992, according to a biography published by New Music USA. Her debut full-length album, “Pulse,” was released in summer 2025 through Leaving Records, according to Angel City Jazz.
The garden billed the event as a 20th anniversary celebration. Founders Betty and Charles “Kicker” McKenney broke ground on the garden in 2005.
The garden sits on land owned by the California Department of Transportation, leased to the City of Pasadena, which entrusts it to Arlington Garden in Pasadena, an independent nonprofit. The site was once a staging ground for the 710 Freeway. Arlington Garden describes itself as Pasadena’s only dedicated publicgarden.
The garden holds 350 trees and thousands of drought-tolerant and native plants.
Outside the event, the garden is open from sunrise to sunset every day of the year. It is a 15-minute walk from the Metro Fillmore Station.
NEED TO KNOW
Event: Autumn in the Garden 2026. When: Sunday, Oct. 25. Time: 3 to 6 p.m. Where: Arlington Garden, 275 Arlington Drive, Pasadena. For more, call (626) 578-5434 or visit https://www.arlingtongardenpasadena.org/calendar/
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