Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events December 14 to 20

Here are arts and culture events scheduled Saturday, December 14, to Friday, December 20.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

Old Pasadena's Yappy Holidays Saturday, Dec. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Big Bang Theory Way (near 93 E. Green St.) is a festive meet-up for everybody's pooches! There will be live, toe-tapping music, an official green carpet, Santa's merry-costumed elves, picture-perfect photo opps with holiday props, special doggy treats, free Yappy Hour bandanas (while supplies last), visits from local Instagram doggy celebrity guests and much more. Pups are encouraged to dress in their holiday finest (but that's not required). All dogs must be on leashes. This event is for dogs and their people friends only -- no other types of pets will be allowed.

Layla Lane will perform a holiday concert Saturday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Garfield Promenade (street level) at Paseo Colorado. Keep your eye out for festive snow and Santa! Music and Snow concerts are scheduled every Friday and Saturday through Dec. 22.

The Cantare Chamber Choir will perform choral works by Antonín Dvořák, Claude Debussey, Thomas Tallis, Arnold Schoenberg, Johannes Brahms and more Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. in Pasadena Conservatory of Music's Barrett Hall.    

The Baseball Reliquary presents the final "A Swinging Centennial: Jackie Robinson at 100" concert Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. at Robinson Park Recreation Center featuring cornetist Bobby Bradford's jazz suite "Stealin' Home" featuring an all-star ensemble, plus singer/songwriter Byron Motley's performance of songs that reflect Robinson's historic debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Light refreshments will be served. While admission is free, please RSVP to sporras@cityofpasadena.net. 

The opening reception for the exhibition "Trudie Strobel: A Life in Tapestry" is Sunday, Dec. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Armory Center for the Arts. Trudie Strobel's haunting embroidery work is drawn from the stitching techniques of Yemenite Jews and chronicles the history of the Jewish people and the horror of the Holocaust, and tells a cautionary tale that remains relevant today. 

Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas will perform holiday music Sunday, Dec. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

If you're looking for a sing-along "Messiah" by George Frederic Handel, come to Lake Avenue Church Sunday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m., with a 35-piece chamber orchestra, a 100-member choir and five soloists. This event has become the largest of its kind in the Los Angeles area, so think about arriving early. Doors will open at 5:45 p.m. Child care will be provided for children 0 to 5 years old. The Lake Avenue Gold Line station is just a half block away if you want to avoid the hassle of finding a place to park. 

Monday@JoJo's will perform holiday favorites a cappella with their captivating harmonies Monday, Dec. 16, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the courtyard at One Colorado.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents "L'Amore" (1948, NR, Italian with English subtitles) starring Anna Magnani and Federico Fellini Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Hoping to find redemption, a young woman who has been seduced and abandoned in the big city returns to her small town and discovers her male neighbors know all about her fall from grace because her new reputation has preceded her. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group features a provocative movie the first and third Tuesday of every month, preceded by a presentation about the film's hidden history and followed by a lively discussion., Free popcorn will be available. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

AlmaNova will perform works for flute and guitar Wednesday, Dec. 18, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"The House Without a Christmas Tree" (1972, NR) starring Jason Robards and Mildred Natwick will be shown Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A man embittered by the death of his wife is enraged when his young daughter wins a Christmas tree at school, so she attempts to soften his heart.

The Little Brazil Trio will perform a holiday concert Thursday, Dec. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the courtyard at the Pasadena Playhouse, presented by the Playhouse District Association.

See the ideas, concepts and projects created by the next generation of artists and designers at Art Center College of Design's exhibition featuring the works of fall 2019 graduates Thursday, Dec. 19, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 20, from noon to 5 p.m. in Exhibit Hall B at the Pasadena Convention Center. The grads will be there to chat it up with visitors about their stellar works and their plans for the future. RSVP here.

Photo credits: Old Pasadena Management District, Layla Lane, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Armory Center for the Arts, Girl Talk HQ, Eurekatainment, Finecine, AlmaNova, CBS Television Network, Little Brazil Trio, Art Center College of Design.