Pasadena's famously irreverent Doo Dah Parade will not be marching down Colorado Boulevard this year. Instead, organizers are throwing a free, all-ages gathering at Memorial Park on Nov. 22, after they were unable to secure permits for a traditional street parade in 2026. The event, dubbed the Doo Dah Love-In, is being positioned as a continuation of the tradition rather than a cancellation, with live music, art and a freshly crowned Doo Dah Queen all part of the plan.
The Light Bringer Project, the nonprofit that has produced Doo Dah since 1995, is organizing the Love-In, which runs from roughly 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Memorial Park Bandshell at 85 E. Holly St. in Old Pasadena, according to Colorado Boulevard News. As Pasadena Now reports, the shift to a park festival comes after organizers could not pin down permits for the usual procession this year. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune similarly reported that the march will instead be a love-in-style park festival this year due to a delay in permitting.
The Light Bringer Project said in an Oct. 28 news release that it hopes the gathering will bring Pasadena and Altadena residents together after the Eaton Fire disrupted the prior year's parade plans. That framing echoes a rough couple of years for the event: the 2025 Doo Dah Parade was postponed amid wildfire-related disruptions and uncertainty over funding for youth arts education, per Pasadena Now's reporting. The nonprofit had previously cited the Eaton and Palisades fires along with concerns about education cuts when it canceled the 2025 edition altogether, according to the Pasadena Star-News, which also noted the postponement was meant to conserve financial resources and sustain the quality of the group's programs.
A New Queen, Minus the Crown's Street Route
Pasadena Now reports that Hannah Jung-Bauer won the Doo Dah Queen crown at tryouts held at Old Towne Pub on Oct. 25, performing in a googly-eyed hoop skirt she raised overhead to resemble a tornado. Coverage of the tryouts diverges on the details: Pasadena Now's account describes 25 hopefuls vying for the title, while the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that eight people competed and identified the winner as Hanna Jungbauer. Jung-Bauer is expected to appear at the Love-In alongside her royal court, joined by former Doo Dah royalty including Queen Mercy of the Merkettes, Taquila Mockingbird and Bootleg Meg, per Pasadena Now.
Spaghetti Cumbia is set to headline the afternoon's musical lineup, which according to Pasadena Now also includes The Hankies, Radioactive Chicken Heads, Count Smokula, Shag Party, Bonehenge, Robbie Ravenwood and the Funhouse Porcupines, Rocka Chewbacca, the NextDoors, the Whistling Diva, Stonyatti, Bone Creek and Soul Fuzz. The gathering will also include appearances by parade participants and displays of handmade crafts, wearable art, vintage clothing and interactive local artwork, the outlet reports. Majano's Coffee and Fat Boys are expected to provide food and refreshments, and visitors are encouraged to bring blankets or a picnic.
Roots Going Back to 1978
Doo Dah began in Pasadena in 1978 as an unconventional counterpart to the Tournament of Roses tradition, a cheeky answer to the pomp-filled Rose Parade, according to the NBC Los Angeles. The event went virtual in 2019 because of the pandemic and returned to its original Old Pasadena route in 2023, per the Pasadena Star-News. The Light Bringer Project's own site lists the gathering as the 46th Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade, set for Nov. 22 in Old Pasadena, according to the Light Bringer Project.
City rules offer some context for why a parade route can be harder to pull off than a park gathering. Pasadena requires a special events permit for any activity open to the public that takes place in a city park, street or other city facility, according to the City of Pasadena, and applications generally must be submitted six to nine months ahead of the event depending on its size and scope. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether this year's parade permit was denied, delayed or withdrawn — only that organizers described a permitting delay as the reason for the switch.
After-Party Caps Off the Day for Adults 21 and Up
Once the Memorial Park festivities wind down, an official Doo Dah after-party will take over Old Towne Pub at 66 N. Fair Oaks Ave., featuring live music from Ashton Slater's Grateful Getdown, according to Colorado Boulevard News. The after-party is free but restricted to attendees ages 21 and older. It is a similar formula to last year's scaled-back celebration, when NBC Los Angeles reported that Doo Dah skipped its march through Old Pasadena in favor of music, a new queen and a party at the same pub, alongside organizers' plans for a No Doo Dah Day bash, as Pasadena Now previously reported.
Memorial Park's Bandshell location includes restrooms, drinking fountains, a picnic area and a playground, according to Pasadena Now's reporting on the venue. Organizer Thomas Coston told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune the event is meant to offer relief after a hard stretch for the community. “We need a little bit of decompression and happiness and joy,” Coston said. “So we're hoping to spread joy.” Those with questions about the Love-In can reach organizers at (626) 590-1134 or [email protected].
