Happy Birthday, Monrovia! 

Monrovia Days is finally here, and 2026 marks 140 years for our All-America City. There's no better way to celebrate 140 years of history than spending the weekend together, cheering on our youth and enjoying all the fun in store for the 2026 Monrovia Days Community Festival! The festivities kickoff tomorrow, May 14, with the annual Monrovia Days Parade. This year's parade features the "Spirit Award," which will be awarded to the best school entry using one of this year's three themes: Route 66 Centennial, Western, and our country's 250th birthday!

Starting Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17, the celebration continues with carnival rides, game booths, live youth performances from Monrovia Unified School District and Centre Stage, live bands closing out every night, and Merengue's Famous Pie Eating Contest! 

None of this comes together without a tremendous amount of work from a lot of dedicated staff, community members, and partners. My sincerest 'Thank You' to Keely Milliken and the Centre Stage team; Rob Hammond, Dr. Paula Hart-Rodas, Brigitte Lugo and everyone at the Monrovia Unified School District; Mayor Becky Shevlin, Councilmember Larry Spicer and City Council; our City departments; and all of our community sponsors and partners whose support makes Monrovia Days possible. To our Old Town merchants, event partners, and the hundreds of performers who have been rehearsing for weeks - thank you and we can't wait to celebrate this weekend with you!

In this Special City Manager's Update, you'll find everything you need to plan your visit, including:

As a reminder, there will be no City Manager's Update this Friday, May 15,  just come on out and enjoy Monrovia Days! We'll see you out there!

Sincerely,

Dylan 

Email: dfeik@monroviaca.gov

Schedule of Events

Thursday, May 14

The Monrovia Days Parade will start at 7:00 p.m. on Myrtle Avenue at Olive Avenue, and will head north on Myrtle Avenue to Library Park. The following awards are up for grabs:

• Monrovia Days Spirit Award! This trophy will be awarded to the school entry which best displays any of the following themes: Western, Route 66 or the Celebration of our Country's 250th Birthday! 
• Best Musical Entry
• Best Float
• Judge's Award
• Most Unique Entry
• Best Overall Entry

Friday, May 15

• 5 – 10 p.m. - Carnival rides, food and games
• 5 – 6 p.m. - Monrovia Unified School District & Youth Performances
• 7  – 10 p.m. - Live Entertainment, Bumptown, Funk & Soul Band 

Saturday, May 16

• 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Friends of the Library Book Sale
• 12  - 10 p.m. - Carnival rides, food and games
• 12  - 4:00 p.m. - Youth Entertainment
• 12 - 5 p.m. Yesteryear Exhibit in the Multi-Purpose Room
• 4 - 5 p.m. - Parade Awards Ceremony
• 5 - 5:30 p.m. - Merengue Bakery Pie Eating Contest
• 7 – 10 p.m. - Live Entertainment, Blue Breeze Band, Funk & Soul Band

Sunday, May 17

• 12 - 8 p.m. - Carnival rides, food and games
• 12 – 4 p.m. - Youth Performances
• 12 - 5 p.m. - Yesteryear Exhibit in Multi-Purpose Room
• 5 – 8 p.m. - Live Entertainment, Stone Soul - Motown Band

*Subject to Change - find us at @MonroviaDays on Instagram or monroviadays.org for any updates!

Carnival Wristbands and Tickets

Join us for fun carnival rides and games all weekend long! Presale wristband sales end tomorrow, May 14 at 11:59 p.m.! Please keep in mind that lines for ticket booths at the event do get long and we encourage you to visit our website and take advantage of the pre-sale wristbands if you haven't done so already.

Presale Wristband Pricing:

• 1-Day: $15
• 2-Day: $25
• 3-Day: $35

Wristbands include:

• Unlimited carnival rides
• Unlimited carnival game booths
• Photo Booth
• Jump Houses

Day of sales are available for wristbands and tickets, and begin Friday, May 15, when ticket booths open at 4 p.m.

Day-Of Wristband Pricing:

• 1-Day: $20
• 2-Day: $30
• 3-Day: $40

Tickets will also be available for purchase for $1 per ticket for those who are interested in paying as you play. The number of tickets required per ride and game varies from 1-5 tickets per ride or game.

Please note: To enjoy rides, riders must be at least 36" to ride. Refunds will not be issued for long lines. Please plan accordingly as rides close promptly at the event's end time, and being in line does not guarantee a ride.

Kidz Corner

For our youngest guests under 36" tall, Kidz Corner will be available throughout Monrovia Days weekend! Kidz Corner is free and will feature slides, ball pits, and more!

Monrovia Days of Yesteryear Exhibit

Reminisce about the days of old and check out the Monrovia Days of Yesteryear Exhibit in the Community Center Multipurpose Room! The exhibit will be available on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, from 12 to 5 p.m.

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Friends of the Library Book Sale

Join the Friends of the Monrovia Public Library on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Monrovia Public Library for their annual book sale during Monrovia Days! 

All proceeds from donations, book sales, and the bookstore benefit programming, collections, and services at the Monrovia Public Library! 

Parking and Transportation

We expect a large turnout for Monrovia Days and encourage all visitors to plan for limited parking and increased traffic around Old Town Monrovia. While ample free parking will be available, including street parking, designated public parking lots and public parking garages in Old Town, these lots do fill up early! Please pay careful attention to all posted signs when choosing your parking spot.

For a list of and directions to available parking lots and garages during Monrovia Days weekend, visit our Monrovia Days Parking page online. Or, leave your car at home and take GoMonrovia powered by Lyft! 

Hungry? You have options! On-site at Monrovia Days, you'll find Kona Shaved Ice, Parker's Confections, and a Beer Garden. If you're looking to extend the evening, Monrovia restaurants are just around the corner! Visit our website for a full list of Monrovia businesses near the fun.

 Parade Street Closures | Thursday, May 14

In preparation for the Monrovia Days Parade, a number of streets in and around Old Town will be closed from 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The parade begins at 7 p.m. and travels north on Myrtle Avenue from Walnut Avenue to Palm Avenue.

The following streets will be fully closed with barricades and monitored by Police Department personnel:

The streets below will be closed to through traffic, though parking will remain available. Signage will be posted at each intersection along Primrose and Ivy Avenues:

Foothill Boulevard, Huntington Drive, Ivy Avenue, and Primrose Avenue will remain open to through traffic. Mid-block parking lots will stay open where applicable for merchants and patrons.

Festival Weekend Street Closures | May 15–17

To accommodate carnival setup and festival operations, several streets in Old Town will remain closed through Monday, May 18 at 6:00 a.m.

• Lime Avenue – Myrtle Avenue to Primrose Avenue (closed beginning Tuesday, May 12; mid-block parking lot remains open)
• Palm Avenue – Myrtle Avenue to Primrose Avenue (closed beginning Thursday, May 14)
• Myrtle Avenue – Lime Avenue to Palm Avenue (closed beginning Thursday, May 14 at 5:00 p.m.)

City staff will be working directly with businesses on Lime, Myrtle, and Palm Avenues to minimize any impact. Designated parking will be reserved for Lime Avenue businesses and their customers and monitored by City staff throughout the event.