Colorado Boulevard will go car-free on a Sunday in November after the Pasadena City Council voted Monday, July 13, to fund a $740,000 Open Streets event that city officials are calling a dress rehearsal for moving tens of thousands of soccer fans to the Rose Bowl during the 2028 Olympics.
The council accepted a $500,000 Metro grant and approved a $330,000 contract with CicLAvia Inc., the Los Angeles County nonprofit that has organized more than 60 open-streets events since 2010. Pasadena will cover the remaining $240,000 local match using Transportation Development Act article 3 funds and reallocated transportation and General Fund dollars.
The route will stretch along Colorado Boulevard from DeLacey Avenue to Bonnie Avenue and along Raymond Avenue between Walnut Street and Del Mar Avenue, linking Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village, South Lake Avenue, and the Memorial Park and Del Mar A Line stations into one continuous car-free corridor.
A companion slow-streets route will connect Memorial Park Station to the Rose Bowl by guided bicycle and walking tour, giving participants a preview of how fans might reach the stadium without driving.
Why it matters for the Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl is set to host five Olympic soccer matches in the summer of 2028, including a men's semifinal and women's semifinal on Monday, July 24, 2028, the men's gold medal match on Friday, July 28, 2028, and the women's gold medal final on Saturday, July 29, 2028, according to the LA Times.
Los Angeles 2028 organizers have billed the Games as a "no car" Olympics with zero spectator parking at any venue. Fans will rely entirely on transit and shuttles. The November event gives Pasadena a chance to stress-test crowd management, traffic control, and public safety operations at scale before those matches arrive.
Funding and timeline
Metro awarded Pasadena the maximum available grant under its Open and Slow Streets Cycle 6 program. A summer date was initially considered but ruled out because construction along Metro's North Hollywood-to-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project would have complicated logistics.
The exact November date has not been announced. City officials said a Sunday was chosen to minimize traffic impacts.
Pasadena also secured a Cycle 7 grant for a second Open Streets event in 2028; that contract will return to the council for separate approval.
What's next
The November event will be the first CicLAvia activation on Colorado Boulevard. A second Open Streets event, funded through the Cycle 7 grant, is planned for 2028 closer to the Olympic matches themselves.
