On a handful of Friday evenings this summer, the brick courtyard at the center of Old Pasadena sets out a stage instead of shopping bags, and the sound of a live band drifts up between the century-old buildings.
The occasion is Sunset Sessions, a free concert series that One Colorado runs on select Fridays in The Courtyard, with cocktails poured by the on-site restaurant Javier’s for guests old enough to order them. Four shows remain before the series closes on August 28.
The performances sit in the middle of Old Pasadena, at 41 Hugus Alley, in a district that spans roughly a block and a half between Colorado Boulevard, Union Street, De Lacey Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue. One Colorado says its courtyard hosts free outdoor programming year-round, including film screenings, art markets and children’s events. The music runs from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is open to all ages, though the bar is reserved for those 21 and older.
The lineup has already brought Stefan Poole to the courtyard on June 12 and Carly O’Neill on June 26. Next up is Healing Gems on July 10, followed by Morgan St. Jean on July 24. The organizers list two more Friday dates, August 14 and August 28, with performers still to be announced.
One Colorado describes the evenings as a mix of live music and warm-weather ambiance and frames the series as a returning summer program, according to the district’s event listing. Sunset Sessions is one of three programs the shopping district is running in its courtyard this year, alongside fitness and wellness sessions that run from winter into November.
The concert series runs as Javier’s, a Mexican restaurant with several California locations, operates its Pasadena location at One Colorado. Trade publications reported the restaurant opened at the center late last year, coinciding with the debut of a redesigned courtyard laid out as a series of outdoor “rooms.” The restaurant supplies the cocktails and margaritas for the Friday sessions.
For Pasadena residents weighing a summer night out, the series is one of the season’s few free, all-ages live-music options in the walkable core of Old Pasadena, a short stroll from the shops, galleries and restaurants that line the surrounding alleys. It also appears among Visit Pasadena’s roundup of the city’s summer 2026 music events.
The events are free, but One Colorado asks that guests reserve a spot in advance through Eventbrite.
Here is what to know before going. Sunset Sessions takes place on select Friday evenings through August 28, 2026, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in The Courtyard at One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena, California 91103. Admission is free and open to the public, with the bar limited to guests 21 and older; organizers request an RSVP through Eventbrite. For more information, One Colorado can be reached at 626.564.1066 or at www.onecolorado.com/events.
For four more Fridays, the courtyard at the center of Old Pasadena will belong, for a couple of hours after sundown, to whoever wanders in to listen.
Sunset Sessions at One Colorado | Dates: Select Friday evenings, 7:30–9:30 PM (June 12–August 28) | 📍 One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena |🔗 https://www.onecolorado.com/events/ News N’ Roses
