CONNECTICUT — It’s festival season in Connecticut, and that means music, food, art and…rodeos? There’s something for every taste this weekend, if you know where to look.
Festival festivities kick off the annual Taste of Hartford Street Festival at noon Friday at the intersection of Pratt and Trumbull streets in downtown Hartford.
This street art festival has always been about art, and this year it didn’t disappoint. Local arts council Hartford Creates is funding a series of “instagrammable” mini-murals, and the community will have the opportunity to contribute to several mini-murals that will be displayed in vacant storefronts in downtown Hartford. Food options at local restaurants are diverse and plentiful, and more than a dozen musical acts will perform live at multiple locations throughout the weekend. The festival runs on Friday and Saturday from noon to 9pm, rain or shine.
What would you do if you encountered a drunk sailor? This weekend, you’ll be sending him to the 2024 Connecticut Ocean Music Festival in Essex from Friday to Monday. Daytime events at the Traditional Maritime Folk Festival are free and donations are accepted, while ticketed evening concerts are required. Try attending some or all of the free Ocean Music Workshop, which takes place at Essex Town Hall on Friday from 9am to 4:15pm.
There will be less salt water and more bass on both stages at the 10th annual Localpalooza Music and Arts Festival in Bethany on Saturday, June 8. ), where Mighty Purple will reunite this weekend. (If you know, you know…) Artists will be creating in the art tent, and there’s even a “Kids’ Corner” with arts and crafts activities to keep the littlest ones entertained. Proceeds support the local music and arts community. Doors open at 11:00am and show starts at 11:30am.
A brand new festival is taking place this weekend in Olde Mistick Village, which is no stranger to huge street markets. The first annual Strawberry Festival will “celebrate all things strawberry” throughout the village on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Restaurants and food trucks from across the region will be showcasing their best and most creative strawberry concoctions (think strawberry shortcake, strawberry biscuits and strawberry lemon tea bread from Standish Brook Farm in Colchester; from Yankee Cider Company’s hard cider and Strawberry Liquor, East Haddam’s strawberry cheesecake, and nearly three dozen vendors.
Looking for something a little less New England-y? How does a rodeo sound? 18th Annual Goshen Stampede Offers two, as well as demolition derbies, monster truck rallies, horse shows and truck pull competitions featuring amateur and professional truck pull drivers. The three-day festival at the Goshen Fairgrounds will also feature plenty of activities for the miniature cowboys, including carnival rides. The full calendar of events is here and tickets can be purchased here .
The eighth annual Katherine Butterfly Party and Large Pet Adoption Event will be held Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Each year, the Katherine Violet Hubbard Sanctuary brings hundreds of adoptable animals to potential “further” free of charge Home” with no rescue fees required, making it the premier pet adoption event in the area. To sweeten the deal, there are a full suite of demonstrations (including a military K-9 demonstration) and children’s activities. The Fairfield Hills campus at 3 Primrose Street, Newtown, is naturally packed with food trucks, as well as many vendors you might not expect.
