Colorado Boulevard Goes Car-Free for a Sunday. Here's How Locals Can Make the Most of It.

Pasadena is closing Colorado Boulevard to cars on a Sunday in November, on a stretch where a new bus line is still under construction, with 2028 in mind. The city has said that the CicLAvia on Colorado Boulevard on November 15 is a large-scale rehearsal of transportation planning, crowd management and public safety for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, when the Rose Bowl is expected to host Olympic competition. That's according to Pasadena Now's July report on the City Council vote.

The open-streets party is real, and it's free. But the route, the date and the side connections all follow from that rehearsal. Once that clicks, the day makes more sense, both for planning your Sunday and for picturing how this corridor is expected to work a couple of years from now.

A bus line picked the date

The event was first meant for summer. Pasadena Now reported that it moved to November because construction on Metro's North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project made a summer event impractical.

That bus line is the backbone of the story. The planned 19-mile route links North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock and Pasadena, using dedicated bus lanes, all-door boarding and upgraded stations. Four of its 20 stations are in Pasadena, at Holly Street and Arroyo Parkway, Colorado and Los Robles, Colorado and Lake, and on Hill near Green Street. Three of those sit on or beside Colorado Boulevard.

The station work isn't done yet. Metro's latest construction timeline lists Colorado and Lake through October 2026 and Colorado and Los Robles from September through November 2026, and Metro notes that schedules can change. Los Robles crosses the CicLAvia route, so if you're walking that block on the 15th, you may pass active station work. Metro's stated goal is to start service in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

So one street is getting two tests for the same year. Metro is building the permanent version. On November 15, the city gets a one-day trial of what happens when cars give up the boulevard altogether.

The route is drawn between train stations

Look at the map with that in mind and the choices start to make sense. The car-free route runs 2.7 miles. It follows Colorado Boulevard from Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue, plus Raymond Avenue from Pacific Alley to Dayton Street, passing through Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village and South Lake Avenue. The City of Pasadena's announcement says the route connects Metro's Memorial Park and Del Mar stations.

Two temporary "Slow Streets" stretch the reach further. These are 1-mile pop-up bike lanes marked off with cones and signs, and they stay open to cars:

• West: Walnut Avenue from Raymond Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard, then on to Rosemont Avenue, a few blocks from the Rose Bowl.
• East: Colorado Boulevard from Allen Avenue to San Gabriel Boulevard, connecting East Colorado to Lamanda Park.

Put together, the day runs a people-powered line from the A Line platforms toward the stadium the city expects to host Olympic events. Here's how close each A Line station sits to the route, using CicLAvia's event page:

If you live near a station, the train is probably the easiest way onto the route. Taking it also puts you in the exact trip the city is trying to study.

What the rehearsal asks of people who live on the route

For anyone with a driveway or a curb spot on Colorado or Raymond, Sunday starts well before the 9 a.m. opening. Here's the day, hour by hour, from the city, CicLAvia and Pasadena Now's October 14 preview:

Drivers can cross the route at six designated intersections, and streets next to the route stay open for local access. Delivery drivers can't drive or park on the route during the closure, so plan grocery or takeout deliveries for the night before.

If you live or work directly on the route, CicLAvia says you may qualify for up to $20 per vehicle toward parking costs between 8 p.m. on November 14 and 5 p.m. on November 15. Receipts are due within 30 days, so hang on to the garage ticket.

On the route itself, only people-powered wheels are allowed, along with motorized wheelchairs. Electric scooters, electric skateboards and hoverboards aren't permitted. Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes are fine, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed with the throttle off, and Class 3 e-bikes are allowed with pedal-assist off.

Where to stop along the way

The route has a slope. CicLAvia's elevation map shows an incline from the Colorado Hub up to Raymond Avenue, so heading west is the uphill direction. The two activity hubs are 2.2 miles apart, at Memorial Park, 145 N. Raymond Ave., and at 1778 E. Colorado Blvd. near Allen. Both have restrooms, water refills, basic bike repair, bike parking, first aid and free pedicab rides, which come in handy for the return climb.

Several newer spots sit right on the closed stretch. The city's August economic development update, as reported by Pasadena Now, named a run of summer openings. Below are those openings along with the event-day specials posted on CicLAvia's page, listed roughly west to east:

1. Jenette Bras, 18 E. Holly St. gives $50 gift certificates to the first 10 attendees and takes 15% off sports garments that day.
2. Bokãos Aveda, 52 Hugus Alley offers free sidewalk consultations and styling, 15% off for anyone who stops by its table, and a drawing for an extensions makeover worth $1,000.
3. The Bar Method – Pasadena, 32 Mills Place hands a free class pass to anyone who bikes, walks or rolls in during the event.
4. Tierra Caliente, 115 E. Colorado Blvd. soft-opened July 24 in Old Town. It serves Mexican food and occasionally has live mariachi.
5. Milk Brew, 263 E. Colorado Blvd. held its grand opening the weekend of August 1 and 2. It steeps coffee in milk overnight, with options like corn milk and banana milk.
6. Carbon Health, 600 E. Colorado Blvd., Suite 120 will have water, Liquid IV and first aid supplies, and event participants get priority walk-in care.
7. The Daily Catch, 927 E. Colorado Blvd. held its ribbon cutting July 16. The city describes this Sicilian-style seafood restaurant as the Boston-based company's first West Coast location.
8. Strong Sports Gym, 985 E. Colorado Blvd. will have its store open and offer mini lessons.
9. Tea Spots, 1443 Colorado Blvd. gives Pasadena residents 10% off.

A short detour south from Colorado gets you to Mehfil Co., 82 S. Lake Ave., which the city calls Pasadena's newest chai shop.

Expect the specials list to grow. Businesses on the route can still get a free listing on CicLAvia's interactive map by submitting a participation form by November 12, and the Old Pasadena Management District and the Playhouse Village Association have both backed the event, according to Pasadena Now. That same report cites a UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs study of a 2013 CicLAvia on Wilshire Boulevard, which found a 10% increase in event-day sales along the route, and 57% among businesses that engaged participants directly.

Pull up map.ciclavia.org on your phone on the day to filter specials as they're added.

Eleven years between events, and a second one already funded

Pasadena's last CicLAvia was in May 2015. In the city's release, CicLAvia Executive Director Romel Pascual tied the return to two milestones on the same pavement:

"The historic and iconic Colorado Blvd is celebrating its 150th Anniversary, and is part of Route 66 which is celebrating its centennial this year."

Here's what the day costs. Pasadena Now reported an estimated total of $740,000. Metro's Open and Slow Streets grant covers $500,000, the maximum available in that cycle, and Pasadena puts in a $240,000 local match. The city also won a second Metro grant for another open-streets event planned for 2028, which will come back to the City Council for approval later.

The city hasn't announced a route for that second event. Metro's stated goal is to have the bus line running by the Games, so by 2028 the Colorado Boulevard stations under construction this fall are scheduled to be carrying riders.

If you live along the route or a block off it and want to talk about how events like this play into the rhythm of your street, I'm always glad to compare notes with a neighbor. You can reach me at Kawika Hiroshige. If you're curious what your home is worth on a corridor that's getting this much attention, start with a free home valuation.