Make Music Pasadena

Iiiit’s free! We only really hung around the first main stage for most of our time there (to see the Mowgli’s), but briefly went to some others, which also had decent audiences. It’s in a fun location, and there were a lot of people there in the evening despite it being overcast and drizzly all day. I think it would have been fun to stay longer — there were quite a few kids, and many dogs.

One of my friends invited me to this festival, because she wanted to see a band that she saw live in Nashville earlier on this year. Even though the event started earlier in the day, we didn’t arrive until the evening.
There were so many bands in various locations, and the whole thing was pretty cool. I wish we had come earlier, so we could have experienced more of the festival.
Still, we enjoyed what we did see, and we ended up running into different friends along the way. It was a fun night and something I’d like to do again next year!

I love these events! This one is fun for the whole family. Lots of Indy bands & various booths.

Free music throughout the city. Diverse and walkable. Just wish their music lineup was a bit better. Still something for everyone.

Who can say no to free? Fabulously put together event by the city of Pasadena. The lineup is diverse. This year there weren’t any artists I knew that well (previous years they had Grimes, Yuna), but it was great to walk around town and listen to some new acts. I’m sure some of them will blow up in time!
Great vendors giving away freebies — i.e. Blaze pizza passing out free pizzas, drinks, and swag. Overall, a great community event that costs nothing. The only downside I can think of is trying to find parking without being gouged, but that can’t be helped with Pasadena!

This event is awesome and I definitely plan on coming back next year!
Free music, food and drink stands, food trucks, free shiet.
We stopped by two of the stages to Cheka out the music. Got free pizza vouchers from blaze pizza. Tried out a cool new brand of drink.
Loved how well planned and organized it was

What an AWESOME FREE event! It was my first time ever attending this annual music festival and tbh I had no idea what to expect. I also drove over here from the west side so I was hoping for the best regarding parking– basically I went into this not knowing much about it.
Much more laid back and enjoyable than I expected, it was poppin but not sardines packed and I was also quite pleased with the crowd turn out. I really only hung out around the Colorado/​Madison corner from 2pm to 7pm but for this location the music was enjoyable and vendors were giving out freebies! Again, the crowd was great, mostly people with pets, kids, couples, college kids.
Parking wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, there were lots all around and I was able to find one to park in near Colorado for $ 5 whole day! Amazing. I would definitely come again– it was a wonderful way to kick off the summer!

Great, fun, and free! An awesome way to experience Old Town.

I drove to Sierra Madre metro station. I hopped on gold line to Pasadena. Walked with my dog to Colorado blvd & the fun was non stop! 1^st stop was behind Vroman’s bookstore. A great stage with seats available & places to stand around & enjoy the music (Brazilian band was playing) After I walked to Madison Ave and the vibe was amazing! I won a free pizza & titanium straw (random) at the Blaze pizza booth, Unilocal booth hook it up with Chapstick woot woot!!, took a shot of cactus water, and much more! I followed the music to a new stage & I heard How to Dress Well (experiment genre) and it was amazing. My dog Calvin was in the air cuz he don’t care & a big flirt with the ladies I can’t wait for next year!!! #makemusicpasadena #lovebirds216

What a fun time, I found parking for $ 6.00, but if you understand the free bus system, you could probably park along the bus route and take the bus all free. The stages areally evenly spaced, the crowd is cool (not drunk brawler types), lots of food venues along the way as well as food trucks. Great for kids, folks with dogs, and couples. The only complaint I had was some of the food trucks charged outrageous pricing, so please bring water, pack dinner and leave in your car for eating later, and also take a coat as when it got dark the temperature really dropp3d. Loved most of the stage events and even more liked people watching. Two fat thumbs up.

So much great music! Tons of free swag and prizes from vendors. Awesome event in Pasadena.

How does the city of Pasadena do it? Host thousands of people, arrange for free shuttle transit to the various event stages, line up several dozens of music artists, cordon off streets in major areas of business, different neighborhoods, etc… and all this for FREE with minimal incidents and disruption to residents? I haven’t a clue but certainly enjoyed the festivities.
This was a beautiful weekend for Make Music Festival. My friend’s and my first time attending. The whole group we went with had a blast. We parked in one of the garages and hopped on a festival shuttle. I was unfamiliar with the artists playing. The few we watched were pretty good and likely on the rise in the music scene.
An energetic young boy was handing out cups of free pink lemonade at the entrance to the street leading up to Pasadena Playhouse main stage. Great on the sunny warm day.
We saw a little of the sets by Lydia Ainsworth and Kaleo, both singer song-​writer types. Her stuff sounds moody. His seems more folk-​y pop with some children’s tunes vibe in there. My gal pal was especially impressed with his optic white teeth; they out-​shone his white button-​down and were a beacon on stage even on such a bright day.
Zero shade potential in front of the Playhouse so you best be wearing sunscreen lotion if you’re there for the performance. Later we shuttle bussed it over to the Colorado area and Old Town. Main stage was set up directly between Barney’s Beanery and the Richardson Building, which houses Crossroads Trading [clothing and vintage shop].
We watched a veritable full concert by Kishi Bashi, who rocks his violin and makes some unique creative songs incorporating a variety of music styles. Particularly I enjoyed the one towards the end, «Mister Steak». It was totally dance-​able and indeed– I happen to love great steak.
You could enjoy the music from the comfy shade provided at the food truck area, or like a few in our group, get up towards the front-​most barricade about six people rows deep and feel the speakers pulse through your being. All in all it was rad.
Like any music fest you do a lot of standing. Wear sunscreen, a hat, proper shoes, and even then it will be tiring. If only all such festivals were this well-​organised, pleasant, safe and enjoyable. Other cities, please pay attention and Make More Music fests like Make Music in Pasadena!

I’ve been attending Make Music Pasadena for years, and it’s one of the coolest music events in SoCal! It’s free, lots of great indie bands and performers of all kinds of music genres. It’s very well-​organized! Can’t wait to go again this year!

Pretty cool event. My friend invited me to check this place out on a random Saturday afternoon. It was located in downtown Pasadena where most streets were closed so it was cool to wander around the area prior to seeing the bands we wanted to see.
We saw Saint Motel and Yuna, who both gave great sets. Prior to their performance, a dude proposed to his girlfriend! It was pretty sweet. Other than the entertainment, there were very few vendors which I was kinda surprised about, but there was a lot going on and a good amount of visitors. Did I mention it was free? Overall, it was a pretty fun way to start of the summer and explore DT Pasadena.

Great free event for people of all ages! Very well organized and not as bad as I imagined it to be considering that it was open to the public. There was a diverse lineup of talent booked that spanned various genres. Not much else I can say except to come to the next one that’s hosted!
Tip: Good luck trying hitting up bars on Colorado, packed to the brim!

I’m giving it a good rating even though I didn’t get a chance to see anything since I worked all day, but the one from last year was rad. I did like getting my free tote bags!

Great free concerts. Plenty of vendors and space. Not as crowded as previous years.
The setup with the multiple stages allowed for foot traffic to be disbursed evenly throughout Pasadena.
Parking was simple loads of lots but the one nearest the playhouse closed at 8 but the festivities didn’t end til 11. Plenty of street parking after 7 tho so no biggie.
The performers were amazing great array of artists from neo-​soul to indy pop.
Great way to spend a summer evening and it happens only once a year.

First time checking out this free indie music festival in Pasadena. Parking was quick and easy and only $ 6. The festival is super spread out, so be prepared to walk between stages or use the free shuttle which runs every 15 minutes or so. Plenty of great artists, I got there late, so only saw Yuna (loved her, time to listen to her whole album!) and Surfer Blood (heard they were at Coachella this year?). Lots of vendors and booths to grab free stuff and if you’re hungry/​thirsty, there’s tons of eateries and bars along the street.

Fun and good place to hang out this weekend! Blocks of music and free stuff!
Clean and secure!

Such a wonderful event and it’s FREE! Last year I was so excited to see Tanlines perform. They are really good and I’ve seen them 3 times, including when they played at Coachella! The year before that we saw Group Love. They put on an amazing show. So much going on and it’s really fun to walk the streets in downtown Pasadena. They shut down Colorado blvd which is cool.
They have stages set up all over so you can go from one show to the next. Meanwhile stopping in for a drink and a bite to eat at any of the local hot spots. I used to live in Pasadena and looked forward to this event every year. I see the next one is June 7^th and I’ll be there!

This is a great opportunity to see quality independent music for FREE! We should support community-​sponsored music events like this so they continue to thrive and support local and/​or independent musicians, who really need it. Old Pasadena is a great environment for this family oriented event. See you there!