The homes on Pasadena’s Holiday Look In tour are handsome enough on their own — the kind of residences the symphony association’s event page describes as possessing “magnificent architecture and beautiful gardens.”
But for 58 years, the Women’s Committee of the Pasadena Symphony Association has understood that a house, however elegant, is not yet a destination. What transforms these four private residences into something worth the visit is the work of prominent floral designers, who each December reimagine the spaces for the season.
The result, according to organizers, is “a feast for the eyes and ears” — visitors strolling through decorated rooms and gardens while docents narrate architectural details and musicians fill the spaces with live holiday music.
“It invites visitors to tour four beautifully decorated homes, each transformed for the season by prominent floral designers,” said Cheri Strobel, this year’s tour chair.
The collaboration between homeowner, designer, and venue has proven remarkably durable. The Women’s Committee, founded in 1957, has donated more than $4 million to the Pasadena Symphony through events like this one. The 2023 tour alone raised $212,000.
Those proceeds support not only the symphony and POPS but also education programs — including the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras — that serve young musicians across the San Gabriel Valley.
The 2025 tour runs through Sunday, Dec 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A free Holiday Boutique operates concurrently at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, 150 N. Madison Ave., offering gifts, jewelry, apparel, and handcrafted items from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
