Free outdoor concerts return to Memorial Park’s historic bandshell thanks to the newly launched Levitt VIBE Pasadena Music Series, featured this July in Pasadena Now. Presented by the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation in partnership with the City of Pasadena, the 2026 series is taking place July 11 through September 12.

The music series marks a meaningful homecoming for Pasadena, where, from 2003 through 2017, Memorial Park hosted free concerts at the former Levitt Pavilion Pasadena. After eight summers without Levitt concerts, community members took part last year in a nationwide vote to bring live music back to this beloved gathering place, becoming a finalist before ultimately being selected by the Levitt Family Foundation to receive a multi-year Levitt Music Series matching grant.

“We know how much the community has missed free Levitt concerts over these past years,” said Levitt Family Foundation President & CEO Sharon Yazowski. “We can’t wait to see people of all ages and backgrounds once again enjoying music together under the stars.”

The series also arrives at a moment when shared experiences are particularly meaningful. As Pasadena and neighboring communities continue to heal from the 2025 Eaton Fire, Levitt concerts offer a place for connection, joy, and renewal. In the words of Pasadena City Councilmember Justin Jones, music is a form of “emotional public works”: “A concert doesn’t fix a foundation or replace a roof, but it gives us a safe, common space to just breathe together.”

By filling Memorial Park with music once again, Levitt VIBE Pasadena reflects the enduring power of free outdoor concerts to activate public spaces, strengthen community bonds, and support collective healing.

“I just want this to be proof,” said Treasure Sheppard, president & CEO of the Pasadena Recreation and Parks Foundation. “A point of proof that when you invest in a park or when you invest in the community around it, when you fill it with music, when you make it free and ensure that people feel invited, that you really do change what that space means to the people. Once people believe in that part, then they’ll fight for it.”

Read the full story: “After Eight Silent Summers, Free Concerts Return to Memorial Park’s Bandshell,” Pasadena Now.