Heritage Festival

At 7:30 on the morning of Sunday, October 11, 2026, the Heritage Run starts the day: a 5K and a 10K organized by Aztlan Athletics, with a free 1K for children. New for 2026 is a Top Dog Division, in which runners bring a dog along for the 5K. The City of Montebello calls the race “one of Montebello’s favorite traditions” and schedules it first.

At 10:30 a.m. the parade comes down Whittier Boulevard with floats, marching bands, community organizations and local performers. Among the walkers in 2026 is D.E.S.I., Designated Exceptional Services for Independence, a nonprofit with offices in East Los Angeles and Huntington Park. Its founder and executive director was raised in Montebello, and the group’s calendar calls the parade “a special moment for her to walk with her organization.”

From noon until 9 p.m. the festival fills Montebello City Park, at 1301 West Whittier Boulevard. The grounds hold carnival rides and games, food trucks and food vendors, artisan and craft booths, and a beer garden. Bands and cultural performances play the Main Stage through the afternoon and evening. Admission is free. The city co-hosts the 2026 day with Adventist Health White Memorial Montebello.

The city’s own pages describe the festival’s length in different ways. The Eventbrite listing for 2026 gives a single Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The city’s Eventbrite profile calls it “the 3-day Heritage Festival in October.” The municipal calendar lists a 2026 Heritage Festival session on Friday, October 9, from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Department of Recreation and Community Services runs the festival. It is one of a round of annual city-wide events that runs from Egg-Stravaganza in spring through the Independence Day Spectacular and Downtown Street Fest in summer to Winter Wonderland and its tree lighting. Two weeks after the 2026 parade, the same department holds its Halloween fest, renamed MonsterBello for 2026, at Grant Rea Park. In the department’s list, the Heritage 5K Run, Parade, & Festival carries one line of description: “A celebration of history and community.”