The posted hours for CicLAvia Pasadena are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 15. If you park on Colorado Boulevard, the day starts at 4 a.m. That's when no-parking signs on the route take effect and tow trucks start working. If you have a driveway facing the route, it closes at about 7 a.m. and stays closed until about 5 p.m. If your car is towed, you have to pick it up by 3 p.m., the hour the event ends, or it goes to impound.
So the event lasts six hours. The route is closed to car traffic for about ten, from 7 a.m. to about 5 p.m., and parking on it is banned for thirteen, from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. That gap is the useful thing to know about this Sunday. Colorado Boulevard hasn't been car-free like this since May 2015. The free, non-ticketed event is a real chance to walk or ride the boulevard. You'll enjoy it more if you plan around the outer hours, not the posted ones.
The Day, Hour by Hour
All times below come from the official CicLAvia Pasadena event page.
| Time on Sunday, Nov. 15 | What happens on the route |
|---|---|
| 4 a.m. | No parking on the route; restrictions posted, towing begins |
| As early as 6 a.m. | Streets near the two activity hubs may close to cars |
| About 7 a.m. | Route closes to all vehicles; driveways on the route blocked |
| 9 a.m. | Event opens to walkers, cyclists, skaters and anyone rolling |
| 3 p.m. | Event ends; last chance to retrieve a towed car before impound |
| About 5 p.m. | Streets fully reopen to cars |
Two of those times are easy to miss. The 6 a.m. closure near the hubs comes before the general 7 a.m. closure. The 3 p.m. tow deadline falls while the boulevard is still closed to cars. A towed car goes to the Pasadena Police Department at 207 Garfield Ave. You'd have to get there on foot, by bike or by transit, because the route will still be closed when the deadline hits.
Where the Boulevard Closes, and How It Differs From 2015
This year's route has two legs. Colorado Boulevard closes from Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue, and Raymond Avenue closes from Pacific Alley to East Dayton Street. Pasadena Now puts the total at 2.7 miles. CicLAvia calls it nearly three miles and lists it as the organization's 69th event.
There are two activity hubs, one near each end of the busiest part of the route:
- Memorial Park Hub, 145 N. Raymond Ave. The Armory Center for the Arts uses this address.
- Colorado Hub, 1778 E. Colorado Blvd.
The 2015 event looked different. That year, on May 31, the route covered 3.5 miles of Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks and Bonnie avenues, with side links on Raymond and Lake avenues to local parks, and it ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Police estimated 40,000 people turned out, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
Compared with 2015, the 2026 route is about three-quarters of a mile shorter and ends an hour earlier. It also starts farther west, at Pasadena Avenue instead of Fair Oaks. That puts the west end of Old Pasadena on the route this time. The two events can't be compared on crowd size yet. The 2015 turnout figure is the only one on record, and nobody has published a projection for 2026.
If You Live or Work Directly on the Route
The timeline matters most to people whose front door, driveway or storefront faces Colorado or Raymond. CicLAvia's page has a section for residents. Here's what it says:
- Driveways are blocked from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cars can't enter or leave the route during those hours. If you'll need your car on Sunday, CicLAvia's advice is to park it somewhere off the route before 7 a.m.
- Side streets stay open for local access, though street parking near the route may also be restricted. Check the posted signs on your own block.
- Cars can cross the route at selected major streets. The crossing points are marked only on the route map, not listed in the page text, so download the route map before planning a Sunday drive.
- Delivery drivers can't drive or park on the route while it's closed. Have them stop on a side street instead. That applies to grocery deliveries and takeout orders too.
- Parking costs may be reimbursed. If you live or work directly on the route, CicLAvia may pay back up to $20 per vehicle for parking costs from 8 p.m. Saturday, November 14, through 5 p.m. Sunday. Email the receipt and proof of residence or employment to [email protected] with "Parking Reimbursement" in the subject line, within 30 days of the event.
The reimbursement window opens Saturday night. That's the evening before the 4 a.m. towing start, which suggests the organizers expect people on the route to move their cars the night before.
Getting There Without the Car
Five Metro A Line stations are within a mile of the route, and two of them are almost on it.
- Del Mar Station: less than 0.1 mile
- Memorial Park Station: less than 0.1 mile
- Lake Station: 0.4 mile
- Allen Station: 0.4 mile
- Fillmore Station: 0.8 mile
Metro is presenting the event and paying for part of it. The event page's bus detour section was empty as of early October and sends riders to the Transit app. If you take the bus, check it that morning.
E-bikes have their own rules. Class 1 pedal-assist bikes are allowed. Class 2 bikes are allowed with the throttle off, and Class 3 bikes with pedal-assist off. There's no starting line or finish. You can join anywhere, and traffic flows both ways, the same as cars do.
What's Open Along the Way
Staying open that day is up to each business. CicLAvia is encouraging businesses on the route to stay open, move activities outdoors and post event-day specials. The Old Pasadena Management District and the Playhouse Village Association have said they support the event. As of early October, six businesses had posted specials on the event page:
| Business | Address | Event-day offer |
|---|---|---|
| The Bar Method Pasadena | 32 Mills Place | Free class pass for anyone who arrives by bike or on foot |
| Bokãos Aveda | 52 Hugus Alley | Free sidewalk consultations and styling, 15% off, drawing for an extensions makeover |
| Carbon Health | 600 E. Colorado Blvd., Ste. 120 | Water, Liquid I.V., first-aid supplies, priority walk-in care |
| Jenette Bras | 18 E. Holly St. | $50 gift certificates for the first 10 visitors, 15% off sportswear |
| Strong Sports Gym | 985 E. Colorado Blvd. | Store open, mini-lessons at the gym |
| Tea Spots | 1443 Colorado Blvd. | 10% off for Pasadena residents |
Several of these addresses are on Mills Place, Hugus Alley and Holly Street, a block or so off Colorado. You can walk off the closed boulevard to reach them. Businesses can keep adding specials until Thursday, November 12, so the list will probably grow. CicLAvia's interactive map lets you filter for offers.
For businesses, the reason to take part is a sales bump. A UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs study of a 2013 CicLAvia on Wilshire Boulevard found that businesses on that route saw event-day sales rise 10 percent. Businesses that engaged directly with participants saw a 57 percent rise.
The Same Weekend at Central Park
CicLAvia isn't the only thing happening that weekend. The Jackalope Indie Artisan Fair runs at Central Park, 275 S. Raymond Ave., on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and more than 200 artisans are expected.
Both events are on Raymond Avenue. On Sunday, the fair runs an hour past CicLAvia's 3 p.m. close. If you want to see both without the car, you can stop at the fair on Saturday while the streets are open. On Sunday, Del Mar Station is the obvious place to start.
Dates Before November 15
Most of the planning happens in the next few weeks:
- Friday, October 9: Last day for businesses on the route to request a food vending permit. Any outdoor food sales need a one-day permit from the Pasadena Public Health Department.
- Thursday, October 15, 5:30 p.m.: Virtual community meeting on Zoom. It covers family activities, street closures, business opportunities and volunteer roles, with Spanish translation available.
- Friday, October 16: Last day for businesses on the route to request a sidewalk canopy.
- Thursday, November 12: Last day for businesses to submit event-day specials for the map.
Some details are still missing as of today, October 7. The activity schedule for the two hubs hasn't been posted, and CicLAvia's activities page showed no listings for the route. The October 15 meeting is the most likely place for that to be announced. Councilmember Justin L. Jones also promoted the event to District 3 businesses in his September 25 newsletter.
A day like this shows how a stretch of Colorado Boulevard works for the people who live and work on it, which is something The Middleman Team pays attention to all year. If you're thinking about what your home on or near the route is worth, or what a sale would involve, we're glad to talk it through with you, and you can start by requesting a Free Home Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
