PASADENA, Calif.— Celebrate the 25th Annual Pasadena Latino Heritage Parade and Festival on September 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is sponsored by the City of Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and the Pasadena Latino Heritage Parade and Festival Committee.
The parade and festival have showcased Latino history and culture through its mission to promote and provide educational cultural programs to Pasadena residents and surrounding cities. This year’s theme, “Reaching for the Stars,” recognizes the achievements of Latinos in the United States. This event enriches the community by bringing together family and friends, warmth and culture, as well as values and tradition.
More than 2,000 participants and spectators are expected to attend the parade and festival. The parade begins at the intersection of Los Robles Avenue and Buckeye Street. The parade route heads south on Los Robles Avenue and culminates in front of City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. Immediately following the parade, the festival will feature live entertainment, educational booths, free activities for children, and food available for purchase.
The parade’s Grand Marshal is Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), and the Community Grand Marshal is Yuny Parada, Local Latino Rights Activist. Salas is a prominent figure in ethnic and mainstream press and is often quoted on all issues related to immigrant well-being. Under Salas’ leadership, CHIRLA and its national partners have built the foundation for the upsurge in immigrant rights activism. She is a leader in national coalitions of organizations that have successfully mobilized millions of immigrants to demand just and humane immigration reform with a path to citizenship, family reunification, and protection of civil and labor rights. One of her greatest accomplishments at CHIRLA has been the transformation of a social service provision coalition into a statewide mass membership organization that empowers immigrants to engage in advocacy on their own behalf. Angelica comes by her understanding of the immigrant experience firsthand. As a five-year-old, she came to the U.S. from Mexico to rejoin her undocumented parents, who had come to the U.S. to provide for their family. Pasadena, California has been home since she arrived in the U.S. She is a graduate of Pasadena High School and holds a B.A in History and Sociology from Occidental College. B. She received an Honorary degree from her Alma Mater in 2007. Angelica Salas is married to Mayron Payes, an immigrant from El Salvador, and has two adult children, Maya and Ruben Payes.
Community Grand Marshal Yuny Parada came to the United States from El Salvador at the age of 18. She settled in Pasadena shortly thereafter and has called it her home since 1979. Since then, Parada has worked tirelessly for the empowerment of Latinos in her community while using education as the backbone for her cause. She began her passion for service with her role as a Human Relations Commissioner for the City of Pasadena, which she held for many years. Parada has also served on the board for the League of Women Voters of Pasadena where she worked towards her vision of equity and inclusion for the Latino Community in Pasadena. She championed interethnic relations through her involvement in the Leadership in Inter-Ethnic Relations (LDIR) program and translated those lessons into participation in the inaugural class of Leadership Pasadena. Parada has had a wide array of community involvement, currently serving as a board member of the Pasadena Chapter of the ACLU and the President’s Latino Advisory Committee of Pasadena City College. Parada proudly raised her 3 children in Pasadena and serves now in one of her most demanding positions yet —grandmother to 6 children.
“We are excited to celebrate the 25th annual Latino heritage parade and festival. We invite the community to bring their family, friends, and lawn chairs to join us for this marvelous celebration,” said Lola Osborne, Acting Director of Pasadena’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.
The following streets will be closed for the parade and festival during the times listed. Motorists are advised to plan accordingly and use caution while driving through the area.
- Buckeye Street between Madison Avenue and Los Robles Avenue, 6 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
- Los Robles Avenue between Mountain Street and Walnut Street, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Walnut Street between Los Robles Avenue and Garfield Avenue, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Garfield Avenue between Thurgood Marshall Street and Union Street, 6 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Free parking for the event:
- Pasadena Central Library Parking Lot (270 Garfield Ave.); entrance behind the library, off of Garfield Avenue
- City Parking Lot next to YWCA (255 Union St.); entrance from Union Street
- All Saints Church Parking Lot (200 N. Euclid Ave.); entrance from Euclid Avenue
- Limited street parking is available
Public transportation options:
- Bike: Use the new Union Street Protected Bikeway to attend the event
- Metro train A-Line (formerly Goldline) Memorial Park Station
- Nearby bus lines:
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- Pasadena Transit Route 10
- Metro 686
- Metro 180
- Foothill Transit 187
For more information, please call (626) 744-6530.
View the Latino Heritage Parade and Festival picture album.