Armenian Festivals Near Me: Los Angeles 2026 Guide

If you search "Armenian festivals near me" from anywhere in Los Angeles, you'll find five kinds of events: annual festivals, food fairs, church picnics, wine festivals and bazaars. Most of them run from spring through fall in Glendale, Pasadena, Montebello, Santa Clarita and the surrounding neighborhoods. The live festival calendar on Armat Platform lists each one with its date, venue and ticket details.

Start here: Open the full festival calendar on Armat and filter by date or area. Hub last updated: November 11, 2026.

Armenian Festivals and Church Picnics Near Los Angeles in 2026

Armenian festivals in Los Angeles feel more like a neighborhood reunion than a big-ticket event circuit. Parishes host picnics on their own grounds. Community groups set up food fairs in parking lots and parks. A few larger festivals each year draw families from across Southern California.

Organizers submit their own event details to Armat, so the listings come straight from the people running each event. The calendar also shows how many events are listed right now, which beats scrolling back through an old flyer someone posted months ago. Want lectures, film nights and heritage programs too? Our guide to Armenian cultural events in Los Angeles covers the wider picture.

First Armenian festival? You're welcome to come. Most of these events combine food, music and dancing, and local churches host a lot of them. You don't need to speak Armenian or know the customs to have a good time.

Upcoming Festival Dates, Venues and Ticket Prices

The table below sorts the featured listings by type. Each Armat listing shows the date, venue and price exactly as the organizer submitted them.

Dates and prices can change. Check each listing before you head out.

Annual Armenian Festivals in California That Come Back Every Season

Some Armat listings carry a "recurring annual event" flag. It means the festival returns each year, even if the organizer hasn't posted the new date yet. Personally, I think it's the most useful planning feature on the page. You can mark a weekend on your calendar months ahead and confirm once the listing updates.

Pasadena Armenian Festival

The Pasadena Armenian Festival ranks among the larger Armenian gatherings in the San Gabriel Valley. Plan on food stalls, live music, dancing and plenty of families. Our Pasadena Armenian Festival details page walks through what to expect. For exact dates and official information, watch for announcements from the hosts, such as the AGBU Pasadena Glendale Chapter.

CBS LA aired a short preview showing what the festival looks like in person:

Food fairs run by local parishes

Parish food fairs hold the whole calendar together. Take the Holy Cross listing above: a church community turns its grounds into a festival, cooks home-style dishes, brings in music and sees the same faces return year after year. Our page on annual Armenian events that return every year gathers these recurring events in one spot.

How the season usually unfolds:

1. Spring: feast-day picnics open the season, often tied to the Ascension.
2. Summer: outdoor picnics and Vartavar water celebrations.
3. Late summer into fall: grape blessing picnics, parish food fairs and the bigger festivals.

The Armenian Church Picnic and Feast Day Celebrations

Here is why so many of these events cluster around church dates: the Armenian Apostolic Church ties several summer and spring feasts to community meals outdoors. Each Armenian feast day celebration below has its own backstory.

What happens at an Armenian church picnic

An Armenian church picnic is an outdoor gathering hosted by a parish, either on church grounds or at a nearby park. You'll usually find grilled meat, circle dancing, live or recorded music and long tables of families catching up. Some picnics add raffles or games, and the listing will say so when they're planned. The St. Sarkis Santa Clarita picnic is a classic of the type.

Vartavar (also spelled Vardavar)

Vartavar is the summer Feast of the Transfiguration in the Armenian Apostolic Church, and it's best known for its playful water splashing. The church observes it 98 days after Easter, so the date moves every year. Going to a Vartavar picnic? Pack a change of clothes. Kids, and more than a few adults, will try to soak you.

Hampartsoum (Ampartsum), the Feast of the Ascension

Hampartsoum marks Christ's Ascension and falls in spring, forty days after Easter. Some communities celebrate with picnics and traditional songs. The spelling depends on whether a flyer follows Eastern or Western Armenian transliteration, so expect to see both versions.

Grape blessing picnic

The grape blessing, called Khaghoghorhnek (sometimes spelled Haghoghorhnek), happens in late summer around the Feast of the Assumption. The priest blesses the season's first grapes, and the congregation shares them afterward. Many parishes hold a picnic the same day. The Western Diocese of the Armenian Church publishes the church calendar if you want to check feast dates yourself.

For services and parish gatherings beyond festivals, see our page on church events across Los Angeles.

Church picnic vs. festival vs. food fair

Armenian Wine Festival and Food Festivals

Armenian Wine & Spirits Festival

Armenia has a long winemaking history, and this Armenian wine festival brings its wines and brandy to Los Angeles audiences. The Armenian Wine & Spirits Festival listing carries the current venue, date and ticket details.

What to eat at an Armenian food festival

Let's be honest: this is why most people show up. Look for khorovats (Armenian barbecue, usually skewered and grilled meat) and lahmajun (thin flatbread topped with spiced minced meat, also written lahmacun), along with pastries and sweets. Menus differ from host to host, so read the listing first. The Armenian Cuisine Festival makes a good starting point.

Between festivals, our list of Armenian restaurants in LA will keep you fed.

Day-Trip Festivals: Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Scottsdale

Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage

The Coachella Valley has an active Armenian community, and its festivals attract visitors from LA. Any Armat listings for the area appear in the festival calendar, and our Palm Desert festival guide for 2026 has more detail.

Scottsdale

Scottsdale falls outside Armat's coverage area. For dates, menus and tickets, go to the organizer's official site.

What You'll Find at an Armenian Bazaar

An Armenian bazaar is a cluster of vendor stalls, usually set up inside a festival or food fair. Expect baked goods, preserves, handmade items, jewelry and books. Plenty of people come for the pastry table alone, and I can't say I blame them. Our page on what an Armenian bazaar offers goes further. Readers should also check the Armenian Book Fair listing.

Finding Armenian Festivals Near Me Today on Armat

Let's break it down:

1. Open the Festivals category.
2. Filter by date or area.
3. Click a listing to see the price and venue.
4. Look at the last-updated date.
5. Return in spring, when organizers post the new season.

For more search tips, read how to track down Armenian community events near you, or browse our roundup of Armenian community events in LA. Our page of all Armenian events in Los Angeles covers every category.

Looking for this weekend across every event type? The events-this-weekend page has it. Concerts and live music live in the Armenian concerts category.

List Your Festival or Church Picnic

Organizing a festival, food fair or parish picnic? List it on Armat so families can find it. Organizer submissions are what keep this calendar accurate, and each new listing gives someone a plan for their weekend.

Put this in your submission:

• Event name and type (festival, picnic, food fair, bazaar)
• Date and hours
• Venue name and address
• Ticket price or "free entry"
• Whether it returns every year
• An organizer contact

Next steps: read how to get your Armenian event noticed and these tips to put your event in front of more people.

Submit your festival to Armat and let the LA community know it's coming.

FAQ: Armenian Festivals Near Me

When are Armenian festivals held in Los Angeles? Mostly spring through fall. Ascension picnics come in spring, outdoor church picnics and Vartavar in summer, and grape blessings, parish food fairs and larger festivals in late summer and fall. Feast dates follow the church calendar, so they shift each year. The Armat festival calendar shows confirmed dates.

Are Armenian festivals free to attend? Many are. Church picnics and parish food fairs often charge nothing at the gate, and you pay for food. Wine festivals and some larger events sell tickets. Prices change, so open the Armat listing for current entry details before you go.

What is usually served at an Armenian festival? Look for khorovats (grilled kebab), lahmajun, stuffed grape leaves, pastries and Armenian sweets. Many events serve coffee too, and wine festivals add Armenian wine and brandy. Every host cooks a little differently, so menus vary. The listing often includes food details.

How can I add my festival to the list? Submit your event on Armat with the name, date, venue, ticket price or free entry, whether it repeats each year, and a contact person. Submissions confirmed by organizers keep the calendar current and help Los Angeles families find your festival.

Sources

• Vardavar, Wikipedia
• Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America
• AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union)