Bike to Pasadena City Hall on Thursday morning and someone will hand you a cup of coffee. There will be snacks. There will be freebies the organizers are refusing to name in advance. The only catch: you have to arrive on two wheels.
The welcome stand, set up outside City Hall’s Garfield Avenue entrance from 7 to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, is Pasadena’s Bike to Work Day pit stop one of 15 free events the city is hosting throughout May as part of Pasadena Bike Month 2026. The Department of Transportation organized the month-long program with community partners Day One and Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, according to a city press release. The event is part of Bike Month programming across Los Angeles County.
Director of Transportation Joaquin T. Siques announced that Pasadena Transit, Dial-A-Ride, Metro buses and trains, and LADOT Transit will all provide free fares for cyclists on Thursday, according to the City Manager’s office. Metro is also offering free 30-minute Metro Bike Share rides throughout the day using promo code 052126, according to Metro.
No ticket is required. No registration is necessary, though the event’s Eventbrite page offers an optional email reminder. And the invitation extends beyond traditional commuters: organizers are specifically encouraging people who work from home to ride over and join in.
“Whether you’re riding to work or working from home, come by on your bike to say hello and enjoy some coffee and a snack on us!” organizers wrote in the event listing.
The pit stop is at Pasadena City Hall, 100 Garfield Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101, on the Garfield Avenue side of the building. The city’s Department of Transportation is the lead organizer, with Day One and Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition two Pasadena-based groups that advocate for safe streets for all road users, according to the city’s press release serving as community partners.
Bike Month 2026 runs from May 2 through May 31 and includes guided rides, a mural tour, a documentary screening, a kids’ learn-to-ride class, and an e-bike expo, among other events. All are free, though some require reservations due to limited capacity, the city said.
“The City is pleased to once again support Bike Month, which is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to see, hear, taste, and feel all that Pasadena has to offer while riding a bicycle,” Siques said in the press release. He added, “This year, we’re excited to include an E-bike Expo for the third time as well as bike education events and family-oriented rides in partnership with the Pasadena Public Library and the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department.”
Mayor Victor M. Gordo proclaimed May 2026 as Pasadena Bike Month, calling the bicycle “an economically and environmentally sustainable form of transportation” in the proclamation.
Helmets are required for riders under 18 and recommended for all ages, the city said. Bikes should be in good working order.
For transit riders combining bike and bus, all Pasadena Transit buses carry front-loading bike racks, and riders can plan their trips using the Transit app, according to the City Manager’s office.
A full list of Bike Month events and registration details is available at bit.ly/PasadenaBikeMonth. For more information, contact Melody Wu, associate planner, at mwu@cityofpasadena.net.
As for those mystery giveaways: “Additional freebies will be on-hand,” the organizers wrote, “but you have to come see what they are.”
