Friday, February 27, 2026

Pasadena’s Handmade Market Comes Home for Its 11th Year Under the Oaks

Butterflies will be the newest artisans at Central Park this spring.

The Jackalope Indie Artisan Fair, which held its first event under the oaks at 275 S. Raymond Ave. in 2015, returns to Old Pasadena on April 25 and 26 with more than 200 juried makers, an interactive butterfly garden — a first for the fair — and free craft workshops run by its nonprofit arm. Admission is free.

The two-day market, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, showcases handmade goods only. Co-founder Sara Diederich said that policy is non-negotiable.

“First and foremost, our event focuses on handmade,” Diederich said. “We really want to make sure that artists are creating their work by hand. We’re not looking for vintage or AI-generated work. We want to have work that was hand-created by all the artists that are part of the event.”

Diederich and co-founder Melissa Kohout launched Jackalope in Pasadena after meeting at an international arts organization in Los Angeles in 2014. The fair has since expanded to Burbank, Denver, Minneapolis, San Diego, and Santa Barbara, but Pasadena remains its home base — three events a year in Central Park, according to the Jackalope website.

“Pasadena was our home of our first-ever event, and it still has just kind of that special place in our heart as being our number one home, especially Central Park,” Diederich said. “There’s just such a wonderful community vibe, and I think that the local businesses, the guests and the neighborhood really come out to support us.”

The spring edition introduces an interactive butterfly garden presented by Grace & Honor, where visitors can hand-feed butterflies before a release at the event’s close, according to the Jackalope website. Diederich told the Pasadena Weekly it is the first time the fair has featured the attraction.

“It’s the first time we’ve had them, but guests will be able to go into their space and interact with the butterflies flying around in there,” Diederich said.

Jackalope Gives, the organization’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will host free workshops including flower picture frame building and friendship bracelet making. The nonprofit was established after the January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires, which destroyed homes and studios belonging to several participating artisans, according to the organization’s website. Its initial fundraising effort raised more than $11,000 for affected makers, according to Jackalope Gives.

Among the more than 200 artisans, according to the Pasadena Weekly, are Altadena Maid Products, Arivka Jewelry, and Friendly Folk. Goods span jewelry, original art, handcrafted home décor, fashion, body care, and specialty food items, according to the Jackalope press release. Food vendors include Bao Bao Express and Thai Mex Cocina. Live music from Rusty Perez, Ricky England, and Paul Falcon will play throughout the weekend.

The fair is open to all ages, is handicap accessible, and welcomes leashed pets. It runs rain or shine. Parking is available at Fishbecks, 150 S. Raymond Ave., with additional garages nearby. The Metro A Line’s Del Mar Station is a two-minute walk from the park. The full artisan lineup is posted at jackalopeartfair.com/old-pasadena.