Pasadena's ninth annual Walktober campaign kicks off Oct. 1 with more than 20 free walking events spread across the city through the end of the month.
The City of Pasadena Department of Transportation is sponsoring every event on the calendar, according to a city announcement. The department has contracted Pasadena-based nonprofit Day One to help plan and run the walks, alongside the all-volunteer Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, which launched the program locally nine years ago.
The lineup ranges from history walks to bird-watching to a bilingual neighborhood stroll. Highlights on the Eventbrite event page include:
- Oct. 1–8: Week Without Driving, a citywide awareness campaign
- Saturday, Oct. 3: A Pasadena Audubon bird walk at the Gamble House with Councilmember Tyron Hampton, starting at 8 a.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 3: ¡Vamos a caminar!, a bilingual stroll organized with Pasadena Village, starting at 3:30 p.m. at Mijares Mexican Restaurant
- Wednesday, Oct. 7: National Walk and Roll to School Day, 7–8:30 a.m., organized with the Pasadena Unified School District and several city departments
- Saturday, Oct. 17: "99 Years and 11 Months of Route 66," led by author, historian and Route 66 expert Scott Piotrowski
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Back-to-back Pasadena Heritage tours of Old Pasadena, at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: A Caltech Mostly Modern Campus Tour starting at 1 p.m. at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Three councilmembers are hosting walks in their districts. Hampton joins the Gamble House bird walk. Councilmember Jason Lyon guides a Historic Oak Knoll Neighborhood Tour on Saturday, Oct. 10. Councilmember Rick Cole walks East Washington Village on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The program also includes two dates for "Roots, Removal, Renewal," described as a walking pilgrimage remembering Japanese Americans removed from Pasadena and neighboring areas in May 1942. That walk runs Sunday, Oct. 4 and again Friday, Oct. 30.
Last year's Walktober drew 624 participants across 21 walks, with 48 local partners and businesses involved, according to PasadenaNow. For 2026, the program adds walks highlighting upcoming city mobility projects and pairs events with individual council districts.
All events are free.
Early registration is encouraged because many walks have limited capacity. The full schedule and sign-up links are posted at WalktoberPasadena.org.
The Pasadena Transportation Advisory Commission is set to hear a preview of the Walktober program on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 4 p.m. in the Grand Conference Room S038 in the basement of City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. The commission advises the Pasadena City Council but takes no binding action.
For accessibility information, residents can call (626) 744-7311 or email [email protected].
