Jan. 1

  • Start off the new year with a little Noam Chomsky. Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? will be playing at Real Art Ways tonight at 7:30. General admission: $10.

Jan. 2

  • First Thursday Gods & Goddesses at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The Hartford Artisans Weaving Center will be doing a weaving demonstration and you can then go make your own art. You’ve never made art at a cocktail party? Time to live a little. The First Thursday festivities go from 5-8pm ($5 admission gets you access to entire museum, so you can just treat this as reduced admission and ignore the throngs of people if that’s your thing) and will be followed by a screening of Before Midnight.
  • The Blue Hills NRZ meets at the Blue Hills Branch Library, 649 Blue Hills Avenue. 6pm.
  • Also at 6pm, the Southend Neighborhood Revitalization Association meets in the Metzner Center, 680 Franklin Avenue.

Jan. 3

  • The Kabbalah House will be hosting a Soul Purpose Friday with the people from Eightsixty Custom. This will feature performances, b-boy/b-girl battles, and an open mic. This runs from 6pm-2am. Admission is $5 and a canned good, or $7 if you do not donate an item. The Kabbalah House is at 1023 Albany Avenue.
  • The Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival is what more holiday pageants should aspire to be. Tonight is the first of five performances at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. This Renaissance-period celebration features dancing, singing, and the parading of live animals. If you have any desire to go, get tickets — seats have been quickly filled in past years.

Jan. 4

  • Free admission to the Connecticut Historical Society galleries today, 9-5. Families can create their own “winter wonderland snowflake” crafts from 10-1.

Jan. 5

  • Drop-in for the Sunday Studio Drawing series at Studio N111 on Pratt Street. No registration necessary. $15. Class runs from noon until 1:30pm.
  • The Baby Grand Jazz series returns to the Hartford Public Library. For those of you who don’t know the deal, you need to grab a seat early if you want one. Music begins at 3pm. If you show up at 2:55 and expect a chair, it ain’t gonna happen. The performance lasts for one hour and is free. Today will feature Meg Okura and the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble.

Jan. 6

  • The Three Kings Day Parade begins at 95 Park Street in late morning (10?), heads down the street and around Park Terrace to enter Pope Park, where gifts are distributed near the rec center and children have a chance to ride the camels. The parade itself is not too large, but people join in as it passes.
  • The CSS/CON (Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood) meeting begins at 5:30 in the Capital Region Education Council building, 111 Charter Oak Avenue.
  • The Upper Albany Revitalization Zone Organization meets in the Albany Branch Library, 1250 Albany Avenue, 6pm.
  • The Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association holds its monthly general meeting at 6:15pm at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue.
  • Tonight is the last chance to view the Holiday Light Fantasia in Goodwin Park. (not free)

Jan. 7

  • The Hartford Board of Education will be holding a workshop meetin. This goes from 5:30-8:30pm and is open to the public. The topic of discussion, according to the website is “special education.” Topics of discussion, according to an email: Topics: (1) Lighthouse School, (2) Commissioner’s Network. The BOE website says the meeting will be held at Hartford High, 55 Forest Street, but an email from the BOE says it will be at Burns Latino Studies Academy, 195 Putnam Street, Hartford, CT 06106. (UPDATE: A second email has noted the location is at Hartford High and that the agenda includes discussion of Lighthouse Schools, Commissioner’s Network, and the swearing in of new BOE members. So, two out of three?)
  • At 5:30pm, the Clay Arsenal Revitalization Association meets at Community Health Services, 500 Albany Avenue.
  • Last chance to see Liv & Ingmar at Cinestudio. 7:30pm. General admission: $9
  • Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra plays at Black-eyed Sally’s, 8pm. Free.

Jan. 8

  • New to the area? Previously living as a hermit? Every month HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs) holds a free networking event, Get HYPEd, at a different Hartford venue. From 5:30-8:30 tonight, it will be at Laetus Restaurant & Lounge, 253 Asylum Street. They describe this as casual, but that means “business casual,” not like “leggings and sweatshirt casual.” The word “young” is wide open to interpretation. We have found ourselves neither the oldest nor the youngest in the room. No need to register. Show up with business cards and enough money (or charm) to get yourself a beverage.
  • Stop in to the Parkville Community Center (11 New Park Avenue) to take part in the Parkville Revitalization Association’s monthly meeting. Begins at 6pm.

Jan. 9

  • Practice conversational Hebrew at Shulchan Ivrit and don’t worry about your level of proficiency. This is meant to be fun and casual. Snacks will be provided. Free. This is held at the Moishe House, 157-159 South Quaker Lane in West Hartford. 6-7pm.
  • The Maple Avenue Revitalization Group meets at 6pm in Saint Augustine’s Church, 10 Campfield Avenue.

Jan. 10

  • The Bushnell Park Foundation will be celebrating winter with a Fire and Ice party from 5-8pm. Check out Erik Person’s photography of Bushnell Park, skate in the rink, and enjoy appetizers. Beer will be available for purchase. There is a suggested donation of $10.
  • The Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford (MCC) hosts the monthly Somewhere Coffee House this evening from 7-9. The MCC is located in the Colt Memorial Parish House of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 155 Wyllys Street.
  • Also at 7 in the same neighborhood: Read It & Sleep, Charter Oak Cultural Center’s child-oriented story time. Storyteller Sara deBeer will be reading Snowzilla. There will be snacks and each family can take home a copy of the book. This is a pajama party.
  • If you’d rather be at an adults only event, there’s one over in Parkville. Real Art Ways will be celebrating the opening night of Bettie Page Reveals All in style. No photography will be allowed. Dot Mitzvah and Kitty Katastrophe will bring the live burlesque performances while those daring can take part in Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. Tickets: $15 general, $12 for RAW members. The art is at 7:30pm; movie begins at 9pm.

Jan. 11

  • Last chance to see Hysteria, Historia, Hypnosis… , oil pastels by Francine Gintoff, at the 100 Pearl Street Gallery. The gallery hours today are 8am until noon.
  • Free admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum from 10am-1pm.
  • Welcome to Bohemia: Winter Masquerade begins at 7pm at TheaterWorks, 233 Pearl Street. CONNetic Dance will perform while guests look at art and are treated to surprises. Christian Cajar will DJ the event. Ticket prices vary.
  • Learn to ballroom dance and then spend the rest of the evening doing it! The Rumba dance class is from 7:30-8pm; an evening of dancing follows, wrapping up around midnight. This is held at the Hartford Ballroom, 30 Arbor Street, Suite 306. Admission: $10. Bring own snacks and beverages.
  • Stop by the Carriage House Theater (360 Farmington) for a real treat: an improvised musical. You have Sea Tea Improv to thank/blame for what promises to be a hilarious hot mess. 7:30pm. Tickets: $10.

Jan. 12

  • David Chevan and the Afro Semitic Experience will give a free performance at 3pm in the Hartford Public Library as part of the Baby Grand Jazz series.

Jan. 13

Jan. 14

  • The South Green NRZ is scheduled to meet at 5:30 on Bacon Congregate Housing, 43 Morris Street.
  • HartBeat Ensemble brings the Truth & Power: A-Z this evening, a happy hour followed by play reading. Doors open at 5pm; reading begins at 6pm. Tickets: $10. This will take place at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue.
  • Today is the last day to see the Bodies Revealed exhibit at the Connecticut Science Center.
  • The Behind the Rocks NRZ meeting takes place at Broadview Community Church, 45 Oliver Street. 6-7:30pm.

Jan. 15

  • The South Downtown NRZ meets in the Hartford Public Library, 3rd floor at 6pm.
  • Stop by Studio N111 for Poetry Night. 7-9pm at the space on Pratt Street. Refreshments provided. $10.

Jan. 16

  • The Billings Forge Farmers’ Market continues every Thursday (except holidays) from 11am-2pm. In cold months, you can find the market operating out of The Studio at Billings Forge, located on the block of Broad Street between Capitol Avenue and Russ Street.
  • Real Art Ways’ Creative Cocktail Hour is this evening, 6-10. Art, music, dancing, and light refreshments. The Urban Heat Island exhibit opens today. $10 general admission, $5 for RAW members. Real Art Ways is on Arbor Street.

Jan. 17

  • The Livable and Sustainable Neighborhood Initiative (LSNI) is holding its quarterly stakeholder meeting at 10am in the Youth Program Room on the third floor of Hartford Public Library. This is a public meeting. Today is also the last chance to see David Borawski’s ArtWalk exhibit, also located on the library’s third floor.
  • MLK Day Social Justice Shabbat: Select a topic of interest, have discussion, move to action. As of publication, the topic has not been decided upon yet, but so far the options include education inequality, immigration reform, mass incarceration and war on drugs, nutritional justice and food access, LGBTQ rights, housing justice and tenants’ rights, and women’s rights. Voting takes place on Facebook. The actual shabbat event will be held at the Moishe House, 157-159 South Quaker Lane in West Hartford.

Jan. 18

  • About You performs Living Water in the atrium at the Hartford Public Library, 3pm. This is described as a “seven-part cantata depicting the lives of an African-American mother and son during slavery, and the struggles they endure.” Free.

Jan. 19

  • Come to a figure drawing class with a focus on Manga Superheroes & Fantasy Figures. Rusa D’Alessandro will be the guest teacher. Studio N111 says, “Children with a strong interest in Japanese Anime, superheroes, comics and role-playing art will love this class!” The studio is at 75 Pratt Street. 1-4pm, $25. Materials are included.
  • Maxine Martin, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, will be the featured artist in this afternoon’s edition of the Baby Grand Jazz series at the Hartford Public Library. The free performance begins at 3pm.
  • Sea Tea Improv will be doing its thing at the City Steam Brewery at 7pm. This is free, but it’s in a restaurant, so be classy and order something. Also, if you are underage, you’ll need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Jan. 20

  • Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Day at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Free admission from 10am-5pm.
  • The Dirt Salon along with the Hartford Denim Company will be hosting a Pop-Up Market from 6-9pm at 50 Bartholomew Avenue.
  • At 6pm the Northeast Revitalization Association meets in Parker Memorial Community Center, 2621 Main Street.

Jan. 21

  • Are you a Frog Hollow resident or business owner? Do you just care what happens in the neighborhood? Stop by the monthly Frog Hollow NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone) meeting tonight at 5. This will take place at the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street.
  • The regular meeting of the Hartford Board of Education is scheduled from 5:30-8:30pm. This is open to the public. It will be held at the Journalism & Media Academy Magnet School, 150 Tower Ave.

Jan. 22

Jan. 23

  • Last chance to watch More Than Honey, a 95-minute film about bees. This screens at Real Art Ways, time TBA. General admission: $10.

Jan. 24

  • Winterfest Happy Hour by the Pump House Gallery and ice rink. 5-8pm. The Hooker Beer Garden will be on the Pump House Gallery’s patio. This event is 21+. Proceeds go toward keeping Winterfest running in years to come.

Jan. 25

  • Kirstin Chen will discuss her new novel, Soy Sauce for Beginners, at the Hartford Public Library at 2pm. This is free and will be held in the Center for Contemporary Culture. Copies of books will be available for purchase; a portion of book proceeds will benefit the Hartford Public Library.
  • Also at 2pm, Real Art Ways will be screening Blue is the Warmest Color. General admission: $10.

Jan. 26

  • At 3pm, catch a free Baby Grand Jazz series performance at the Hartford Public Library. Trombonist Allie Bosso is the featured musician this afternoon. If you want a seat, get there early.
  • Nina Salazar is seeking to expand her Studio N111, the art classroom on Pratt Street. She wants to move the space to street level, create a community classroom for youth, begin to offer creative corporate creative lunch breaks for downtown employees, and open a “community living room” which would host open mics and concerts. To do all this, she needs to raise money. Tonight will be a massive fundraiser for the Studio N111 expansion, to be held at the East Coast Dog/Hartford Room, at the corner of Ann Uccello Street and Asylum Street. Caravan of Thieves will be headlining the event that goes from 5-10pm. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door.

Jan. 27

  • Rabbi Dena Shaffer of Congregation Beth Israel will be moderating a discussion at Moishe House West Hartford about the recent Pew Survey of American Jews. This discussion is intended for “young Jews,” those in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. It is co-sponsored by NextGen of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, Big Tent Judaism, and the Moishe House West Hartford. This is free, open to the public, and there will be snacks. The Moise House is located at 157-159 South Quaker Lane, West Hartford.

Jan. 28

  • Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra plays Black-Eyed Sally’s tonight at 8pm. This is an 18-piece jam band. Free. Black-Eyed Sally’s is at 350 Asylum Street.

Jan. 29

Jan. 30

  • The ice rink in Bushnell Park will only be open for a few more days. It’s free. Skate rentals are free. Your ankles might hate you later, but you’ll forget about the pain before next season.

Jan. 31

 

Is there anything not on this list that should be? Let us know in the comments.

Have an item for next month’s event listing? Submit details by the 25th. The calendar is intended for Hartford residents; preference is given to items that are free or inexpensive, along with those that are community-oriented. Events should take place in Hartford proper. Revisions are not made to the event listing after publication except for in cases of cancellations. 

Information is as accurate as possible at time of publication. If you are someone bothered by changes in time, venue, or cost, contact the hosting venue before showing up, especially at this time of year when even the rumor of a snowflake might postpone events.