There are events not included on this list because organizations have not released final details yet. That is to say, you have even more to choose from than what is posted here.
November 1

  • Maybe it’s not the most exciting thing, but small business owners might benefit from a free morning workshop that teaches how to navigate and search for federal, state, and municipal bids. This means potentially freeing you up so that you have more time to spend on, well, those exciting things you’d rather be doing. The workshop begins at 9:30 and ends at noon. This will take place at the Entrepreneurial Center; register online.
  • Let The Fire Burn begins screening at Real Art Ways. This documentary centers on the bombing of MOVE in Philly. Contact Real Art Ways for exact show times and ticket prices.
  • Hannah Sims and Pedro Bermudez will be on hand for the launch of Hartford River Dreams, a film series. Screening begins at 7:30pm at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. $10 at door.
  • The Witching Hour will be performed by the Ensemble of the Judy Dworin Performance Project. They describe this as follows: “The Witching Hour, an award-winning dance/theater piece, brings Connecticut’s 17th century witch craze to life through the untold stories of women who were accused, tried and convicted as witches. Bridging the gap between the 17th and 21st centuries, The Witching Hour lyrically and evocatively explores what happens in communities when difference becomes dangerous, and folk culture–as practiced by herbalists, midwives, women landowners, and indentured servants–clashes with Puritan hierarchical authority.” This begins at 7:30pm in the Wadsworth Atheneum.  Ticket prices vary on this one.
  • On the first Friday of each month, the Kabbalah House hosts a free, all-ages open mic from 9pm-1am. The Kabbalah House is located at 1023 Albany Avenue.
  • Another option for the grown folks: Pontani Sisters Burlesque-a-pades at Black-Eyed Sally’s. Contact the venue for ticket info. Performance begins at 9pm.

November 2

  • Free admission to the museum galleries at the Connecticut Historical Society today from 9-5. There will be activities for children including a visit by storyteller Sharon Lynch (1-2pm). Check out Through a Different Lens: Three Connecticut Women Photographers and photography contest entries while you are here.
  • Learn about Women and Mass Incarceration in the Youth Program Room at the Hartford Public Library today at 1pm. Beatrice Codianni, a former member of the Latin Kings, and Dr. Sandra Enos, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Bryant University, will be the featured speakers.
  • At 7pm the Avodah Dance Ensemble will be performing A Way In, exploring themes of beauty, truth, love, and God. Ticket prices vary for this event at the Charter Oak Cultural Center.
  • Celebrate two years of the Dirt Salon at the Dirt Flirt from 7:30-11:30 this evening. Ada Pasternak & Milksop-Unsung will be providing the music. Several artists’ works will be on display. The Night Fall skeleton dance will be performed. This is a pay-what-you-can event. The Dirt Salon is located at 50 Bartholomew Avenue.

November 3

The film is free and will be shown in the library’s Center for Contemporary Culture. Discussion follows the film.

  • The Grass Routes play at the Firebox starting at 5pm. Sunday night bluegrass is free and goes until 8pm.

November 4

  • The moment we’ve been waiting for: there will be a groundbreaking ceremony at 4pm for the new and official Heaven skatepark, located in the New Ross, County Wexford Park in downtown Hartford. This has been in the works for years and great to see the project moving another step forward. Want a thriving downtown? Come and support the culture that already exists here.
  • CSS/CON, the neighborhood association for Sheldon/Charter Oak area, begins at 5:30pm at CREC, 111 Charter Oak Avenue
  • Upper Albany Revitalization Zone Organization meets at 6pm at the Albany Branch Library.
  • Monthly meeting of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, 6:15pm at Asylum Hill Congregational Church.
  • Rabbi Ayelet Cohen will be speaking about Forty Years of LGBT Rights and Religious Transformation: The LGBT Synagogue of New York. She will be coming to the Charter Oak Cultural Center for the 7pm lecture.  Get tickets ($5) online

November 5

  • The polls are open from 6am-8pm. Go vote.
  • Kim Lutz, the Director of the Connecticut River Program at the Nature Conservancy, will be giving a presentation on the past, present, and future of the Connecticut River. She will be speaking at the Hartford Public Library from 12;45-1:45pm. The presentation is part of the Hartford Garden Club’s first annual meeting. Reservations are suggested.
  • There will be a roundtable discussion about retention and success of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at the Legislative Office Building from 2-4pm. Speakers include Linda Barrington, Executive Director of the Institute for Compensation Studies, Cornell Institute for Labor Relations, and Patrick Flaherty, Economist with the Connecticut Department of Labor. This free event is scheduled to take place in Room 1-A.
  • Monthly meeting of the Clay Arsenal Revitalization Association at Community Health Services, 500 Albany Avenue. The meeting begins at 5:30pm.
  • The Southend Neighborhood Revitalization Association meets at 6pm in the Metzner Center, 680 Franklin Avenue.
  • The Bated Breath Theatre Company will be giving a free performance of Freedom: In 3 Acts at 6pm. This will take place in the Aetna Theater at the Wadsworth Atheneum. This original piece explores the emancipation of slaves.

November 6

  • Every Wednesday night the Unitarian Society of Hartford (50 Bloomfield Avenue) offers a free Tai Chi for Beginners class starting at 5pm.
  • Get HYPEd at Arch Street Tavern: this free and casual networking event moves to a different venue each month. Today, it’s here from 5:30-8:30pm. Bring business cards to exchange and money if you want drinks. These events tend to skew younger (early-to-mid twenties) but everyone is welcome.
  • Want something more with your church? First Wednesday Worship at Asylum Hill Congregational Church tonight features music by Kate Callahan. 7pm. Free.
  • Stop by Wood-n-Tap for  Torah on Tap. This starts at 8pm. First drink is free. Expect lively conversation.

November 7

  • The Climate Stewardship Summit takes place today at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, from 8am-5:30pm. Mary Evelyn Tucker of the Yale Divinity School & School of Forestry and Environmental Studies will be the event’s keynote speaker. There will be roundtable discussions on “Faith, Morality & Climate Change” and “Pathways for Advocacy and Action.” Workshops include “The Science of Climate Change & Global Warming,” “Putting Our Values to Work Through Effective Policy Advocacy,” “Divest & Reinvest Now: Fossil Fuel Divestment – and Reinvestment in a Clean Energy Future for Faith Communities,” “Challenge & Opportunity: Raising Environmental Stewardship as a Religious Ethic,” “City On  A Hill: How Communities of Faith Can Lead By Example Through Energy Efficiency & Renewable Technologies,” “Spiritual Help for Hard Times:  Ancient  Scriptures’ Hope for Life on Earth,” “The Sanctity of Nature: A Shared Value for All,” “Tapping  Into Potential: Encouraging Youth Action for Environmental Justice,” “Worshiping  the Holy in an Age of Climate Change,” and “Faith in Action: Climate Change & Social Justice.” The event includes worship service, other discussions, and lunch. There is a suggested donation on a sliding scale.
  • Today’s First Thursday event at the Wadsworth Atheneum features a bluegrass band, landscape painting activity, and tour of An Artificial Wilderness. Art After Hours goes from 5-8pm and is $5. This is followed by a screening of Edward Scissorhands at 8pm; the film is included in the AAH admission.
  • From 6-8pm you can check out the opening reception and kick-off of this year’s Open Studio Weekend. The theme is “Art in Action.” The reception at ArtSpace Gallery (555 Asylum Street) is free.
  • The Blue Hills NRZ meets at 6pm at the Blue Hills Branch Library.
  • Also at 6pm, stop into the Moishe House (you gotta leave Hartford for this one) to participate in a laid back conversation in Hebrew with Alexa Mannheim and Raz Newman. Shulchan Ivrit is an informal opportunity to practice Hebrew and is meant for people of all levels. The Moishe House is located at 157 South Quaker Lane in West Hartford.

November 8

  • Today is the beginning of the two day Where Integration Meets Innovation: Creating, Sustaining and Improving Dynamic & Diverse Public Schools for the 21st Century conference. The schedule today includes magnet school visits and a lunch panel. See website for more details about the times and locations of this free conference.
  • Stitches East is open to the public from November 8-10th. There are admission fees for this crochet/knitting convention/show at the Connecticut Convention Center.
  • At 7:30pm you will be able to listen to John Dankosky, host of WNPR’s Where We Live speak with Congressperson Luis Gutiérrez on the latter’s work in the fight for immigrants’ rights. This discussion at Real Art Ways (56 Arbor Street) will be recorded for broadcast on Where We Live. This is free and open to the public.

November 9

  • The main part of the education conference (see Nov. 8) takes place today at The Learning Corridor on Vernon Street. Real Hartford will be taking part in the “Be the Media, Influence the Media” panel. It’s free to attend.
  • A Girl Like Her screens at 1pm at Real Art Ways. This is free, but this is also the only time you can catch it there! This film is about the women who put their children up for adoption in the 1950s and 1960s because of societal pressures and expectations surrounding women’s sexuality.

November 10

  • Today is the second day of the 40th Annual Russian Tea Room and Bazaar at the All Saints Orthodox Church on Scarborough Street. There is free admission and parking, 12-3pm. Stop in to tour the church and check out the Russian iconography. Shop for matryoshka and lacquer jewelry boxes. Eat some borscht.
  • The Chilean film Life Kills Me will be shown in the Center for Contemporary Culture at the Hartford Public Library today at 2pm. The free film is described as:

a smart, funny, and profound contemplation of life and death. The Chilean film follows the life of Gaspar, a lonely, young cinematographer, who is affected by his brother’s death. Unable to deal with his over achieving sister and sick grandfather, Gaspar spends his time with Susana, an eccentric actress who believes she making her masterpiece, an avant-garde opera. When he meets Alvaro, an idealistic traveler whom Susana picks up on their way to a funeral, Gaspar’s life changes.

This is in Spanish with English subtitles. Discussion follows.

November 11

  • Are you a veteran? Get free admission to the Connecticut Science Center November 9-11. Your family gets half off general admission price. This is valid for both retired and active duty military personnel.
  • The Hartford Jazz Orchestra begins its free performance at 8pm in the Arch Street Tavern. Expect lively jazz!

November 12

  •  South Green NRZ meets in Bacon Congregate Housing, 43 Morris Street, at 5:30pm.
  • The monthly Southwest and Behind the Rocks NRZ meeting is tonight from 6-7:30pm at the Broadview Community Church, 45 Oliver Street.
  • Regular meeting of the City Council at 7pm in City Hall.
  • Tired of the same old stuff you’re eating? Want to learn how to grow microgreens? Sprouts? Tara Tranguch, certified health coach and farmer at Serafina Says Farm, will be giving a talk at tonight’s “Healthy Potluck” dinner organized by CT Health Foodies. The potluck begins at 7:15, talk at 7:45, and is scheduled to wrap up around 9pm. If planning to attend, know that the potluck has a few restrictions, namely, you’d better label the food and name all the ingredients. Participants should also bring their own reusable plates, silverware, etc. A small donation is requested. This will be held in the ArtSpace Gallery at 555 Asylum Street.

November 13

  • Parkville Revitalization Association meets in the Parkville Community Center, 11 New Park Avenue, at 6pm.
  • Sea Tea Improv Comedy Night at the Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club at City Steam Brewery. Doors open for this HYPE event at 6pm for complimentary hors d’ouevres and cash bar. Improv starts at 7pm. Admission is $15 for HYPE members; $25 for everyone else.
  • Another Torah on Tap at the Wood-n-Tap on Sisson/Capitol. Stop by at 8pm. I’ve heard that the Rabbi buys the first round.

November 14

  • Remember that time Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a “slut” and then apologized? (She was advocating for affordable access to contraception) Well, she’s going to be visiting Trinity College from 12:15-1:30 today. You can hear her speak in the Washington Room of Mather Hall. Yes, you. This is free and open to the public.
  • Live or work on or near Maple Avenue? MARG meets at 6pm in St. Augustine’s Church, 10 Campfield Avenue.
  • Writer Marge Piercy will be giving a poetry reading at Charter Oak Cultural Center. The event begins at 7pm. Tickets are $10 and available online.
  • Last chance to sit on that giant planter bench on Main Street across from the Wadsworth Atheneum before it is removed tomorrow.

November 15

  • The Entrepreneurial Center is offering a free workshop on how to prepare a bid package. The discussion is said to cover terminology, pricing, delivery instructions, and more. This begins at 9:30am and finishes around noon. Register online.
  • Last chance to catch The Wanderlust of Sed Miles exhibit at the ArtWalk Gallery in the Hartford Public Library.
  • Free Faculty Dance Concert in the Austin Arts Center at Trinity College. Works by Judy Dworin, Lorelei Chang, Rachna Agrawal, and Adrian Jevicki to be performed by students and faculty. This starts at 7:30pm.

November 16

  • The Hartford Public Library is hosting a community conversation about mental health, 10am-2:30pm. Lunch and refreshments are included; reservations requested.
  • As part of the 24th annual Open Studio Weekend, artists will have work on display for viewing and purchase from 11am-5pm today and tomorrow. Hop on the free shuttle to go from point-to-point without worrying about parking.
  • The Isham-Terry House will be open for free self-guided tours today from 11-5.
  • pixELATION! Cinestudio’s Fall Gala is tonight! From 6-10pm participate in the reception, silent auction, and screening of Young Frankenstein at this red carpet event. General admission is $25. This is held at Cinestudio Theater on the Trinity College campus.
  • Elsewhere on campus, Vivaldi’s Gloria! will be performed by the Trinity College Choir and members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. This free performance begins at 7:30pm in the Trinity College Chapel.

November 17

  • Free screening of Cairo 678 at the Wadsworth Atheneum. This film shows three women dealing with sexual harassment in their lives. 2pm. English subtitles. Discussion follows.
  • Stop by Connecticut Historical Society during Open Studio Weekend to see works by over a dozen West End artists. While here, check out Vicente Garcia’s outdoor sculpture installation. 11-5; free to view artists’ works and free to visit the CHS galleries!

November 18

  • The monthly Northeast Revitalization Association meeting is scheduled for 6pm at the Parker Memorial Community Center, 2621 Main Street.
  • To Blog or Not To Blog? That is the Question! The Entrepreneurial Center will host a free workshop on blogging. This will take place in the University of Hartford’s Butterworth Hall, 1265 Asylum Avenue, from 6:30-8:30pm.

November 19

  • Stop by the Lyceum (227 Lawrence Street) for the monthly Frog Hollow Neighborhood Revitalization Zone meeting. This begins at 5pm.
  • Regular meeting of Hartford’s Board of Education. 5:30-8:30pm at the Global Communications Academy, 85 Edwards Street.
  • Eyes Wide Open screens at Charter Oak Cultural Center from 7-9pm. Tickets are $5 and available at the door.

November 20

  • Keep Calm and Hartford On: Parking — Everyone has something to say about parking in Hartford. If this is something you want to talk more about, stop by to participate in this Family Feud-style event. The free event takes place at the Old State House, 800 Main Street, from 6-8pm. If you can’t find on-street parking, may I suggest the low cost and often free Morgan Street Garage?
  • The South Downtown NRZ meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 6pm in the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue.
  • On the third Wednesday of each month, stop into Studio N111 for a poetry slam! This goes from 7-9pm at 75 Pratt Street, #301. Refreshments will be provided. There is a $15 drop-in fee.

November 21

  • Giselle Jacobs-Lawson, the Community Outreach and Advocacy Specialist with Breaking the Cycle, and Virginia Lewis, the Program Manager for Community Partners in Action, will be speaking at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center from 5-7pm about the forgotten victims of incarceration– children. This is free but you should make reservations.

November 22

  • Connecticut International Auto Show is today through 11/24 at the Connecticut Convention Center. Admission prices vary.
  • Disintegration Loops Part II: Takes of the Uncanny will be performed at 4:30 and 8:30pm in the Austin Arts Center at Trinity College. Free.
  • The last program in Connecticut Historical Society’s “Focus on Furniture” series will feature Will Neptune, winner of the 2013 Cartouche award from the Society of American Period Furniture Makers. He will be discussing and demonstrating construction techniques that were unique to Cabinetmaker Eliphalet Chapin — straight outta East Windsor — in the late 1700s. This is $10 for CHS members; $15 for nonmembers; free to one lucky winner of an upcoming Place this Place. The event takes place 5:30-7pm at CHS on Elizabeth Street.
  • Sea Tea Improv and guest groups perform at The Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad Street. The show runs from 8-9:30pm. Admission is $10 at door.

November 23

  • Today is the second annual Cranksgiving, and Hartford is one of over two dozen cities participating. Cranksgiving is described as a “food drive on two wheels.” Bring your bike, bag, lock, and some money for groceries to participate in a kind of scavenger hunt. Registration is at 9am (Bring that $20 for groceries) and the race is at 10am. This starts near the chapel on the Trinity College campus. All proceeds benefit the Grace Church Food Pantry, 55 New Park Avenue.
  • Holiday Light Fantasia opens in Goodwin Park. This is a cash-only, drive-through light show in Hartford’s South End. Proceeds benefit the Channel 3 Kids Camp.

November 24

  • Indian film Shyamal Uncle Turns Off the Lights will be shown at the Hartford Public Library at 2pm. This has English subtitles. After the free screening, there will be a discussion in the Center for Contemporary Culture within the library.

November 25

  • Regular meeting of the Hartford City Council, held in City Hall. Meeting begins at 7pm.

November 26

  • Attend Jewelery Making 101 and take home your creations. This community program is offered from 4-5pm at the Blue Hills branch of the Hartford Public Library.

November 27

  • Blues jam with Tommy Whalen at Black-eyed Sally’s. Starts at 8pm. All ages, but those under 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent.

November 28

  • Thanksgivukkah: You might’ve heard. Thanksgiving and Chanukah overlap this year. Dine accordingly.

November 29

  • A Christmas Carol opens at Hartford Stage. Ticket prices vary…almost every seat in Hartford Stage is a good seat, FYI.
  • Grand opening for Winterfest!

November 30

  • Didn’t feel like waiting in line last night? Go to Bushnell Park today to take a spin (or splat) on the ice rink.

Sometimes events get delayed, cancelled, or moved to different venues. Sometimes people post the wrong admission prices. Check in with the venue in advance if you want to verify accuracy of details.