Arlington Garden, the three-acre free public garden in Pasadena, will celebrate its 20th anniversary with the annual Autumn in the Garden party and fundraiser on Sunday, October 25, from 3 to 6 p.m. at 275 Arlington Drive. The event doubles as a push to rebuild after a fire tore through the garden's infrastructure last year, destroying its storage shed, hand tools, and decades-old irrigation system.
The May 21, 2025, blaze struck in the early morning hours, destroying the garden's primary storage shed, tools, and its 20-year-old automated irrigation system, though the surrounding plantings survived, according to Pasadena Now. The garden cleared debris, remediated soil, and reopened to the public in August 2025, the outlet reported. That recovery has since evolved into something bigger: a 20th Anniversary “Wish for Renewal” campaign, backed by lead gifts from the Pasadena Beautiful Foundation and neighbors Alfrida and Greg King, seeking $200,000 to build a new volunteer hub, replace the garden's leaky original irrigation network, and expand educational programs, according to a City of Pasadena District 6 announcement published in April 2026.
A Free Garden With Deep Roots
Admission to Autumn in the Garden is free, and the event will feature live jazz from Pasadena-born pianist, poet, singer and songwriter Qur'an Shaheed and friends, along with wine, food, nature-inspired activities for all ages, and an auction benefiting the garden. The afternoon will also include special awards recognizing the garden's founding members, known as “The Originals.”
Those founders trace back to 2002, when then-Pasadena Councilmember Steve Madison approached local residents Betty and Charles “Kicker” McKenney about a vacant lot along Arlington Drive. The McKenneys, founders of the garden, broke ground in 2005. The land itself has a dramatic backstory: the three-acre property was home to the Durand estate from 1904 until 1964. Caltrans bought the lot for equipment storage related to the planned 710 extension. Community opposition eventually halted that freeway extension, leaving the lot vacant for nearly 40 years before the garden was established, according to a historical summary from City of Pasadena District 6. The land remains owned by the California Department of Transportation, leased to the City of Pasadena, which entrusts it to Arlington Garden in Pasadena, an independent nonprofit.
A Climate-Resilient Model Built From Reclaimed Materials
Today the garden holds 350 trees and thousands of drought-tolerant and native plants, and it operates entirely free of synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The garden describes itself as Pasadena's only dedicated public garden and stays open from sunrise to sunset every day of the year, a roughly 15-minute walk from the Metro Fillmore station.
New Leadership Steers Anniversary Campaign
Andrew (AJ) Jewell is the garden's executive director. Jewell oversees the 20th anniversary campaign alongside the garden's post-fire recovery efforts.
The garden has also become a gathering place for regional healing in the wake of the January 2025 Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures in nearby Altadena and Pasadena. In March, Arlington Garden hosted a public Land Healing ceremony led by sitarist Paul Livingstone, offering raga meditation and trauma recovery for fire-affected residents, Pasadena Now reported. More recently, Pasadena artist Kate Lain began hosting Watershed cyanotype workshops at the garden, inviting fire-impacted residents to craft a 50-foot textile stream scheduled for public display there in spring 2027, according to Altadena Now.
Funding the Next Generation of Programming
Expanding outreach to local students is one of three primary pillars of the anniversary campaign, alongside the new volunteer hub and irrigation replacement. The Tournament of Roses Foundation has awarded Arlington Garden a grant.
More information on Autumn in the Garden is available by calling (626) 578-5434 or visiting arlingtongardenpasadena.org/calendar.
