City Of Pasadena Will Host Van Halen Stage Ceremony

A dedication ceremony conceptualized as a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen following his passing in 2020, will be hosted by the city of Pasadena on September 20.

A citywide survey last year saw residents nominate the venue to be named Eddie Van Halen Park, but the Van Halen family insisted on naming the stage area after the entire Van Halen band. It was then amended by the officials and a recommendation on the name change to celebrate the group happened.

The band was formed in 1972 by local legends and brothers, Alex and Eddie Van Halen. The Van Halen Stage is just part of the 1-acre Playhouse Village Park, located at 701 East Union Street between El Molino Avenue and Oak Knoll Avenue.

The whole place includes a children’s play area, a dog run, a trellised structure over the sitting/stage area, lighted pathways, restroom and storage building, and a 48-space parking lot. On September 10, the City will dedicate the new park and the Van Halen Stage with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and will be followed by a community celebration from 10 a.m. to noon.

According to the District 3 Council office, no speakers have yet been named for the ceremony. The adopted hometown of the brothers Van Halen, Pasadena honored Eddie last year with a memorial plaque on a wall outside of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where Van Halen performed 14 times between 1975 and 1978 before the release of their groundbreaking 1978 self-titled debut album.

Van Halen was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.