DISCLAIMERS

To get an event published for next month, send details to realhartford@gmail.com by September 25th.
Nothing is added after the calendar is published.

This information is accurate as of publication to the best of my knowledge. Events are sometimes cancelled or postponed. Verify with the venue if you are concerned about last minute surprises or want to know what the plan is for inclement weather.

This calendar is curated — it’s not a free-for-all. If an event is not in Hartford or kinda expensive or sketchy or unclear, it’s not going on this calendar without major convincing that it belongs here.

September 1

  • Free admission to the museum galleries of the Connecticut Historical Society (1 Elizabeth Street), 9 am – 5 pm. There are family programs from 10 am – 1 pm.

September 2

  • “Ramblin” Dan Stevens performs a mix of traditional blues, early jazz, popular favorites and originals at Hanging Hills Brewing Company (150 Ledyard Street), 3-5 pm. No cover.

 

September 3

 

September 4

  • Take a Qigong class  offered by Toivo at The 224 EcoSpace (224 Farmington Ave), 6 pm. They say: “Two minutes into his Qigong experience, [instructor] Deron Drumm felt himself relax in ways he never had before. Qigong has helped him come home to his body and awaken a greater capacity within himself for love, compassion, empathy, and creativity.” There is a suggested $5-15 donation, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

 

  • Or, if you want something more intense, there is a bootcamp-style workout class at the Riverfront, 6-7 pm. Bring water. Suggested donation — $5

September 5

  • Street Pianos at Charter Oak: Launch Day — They say: “Over 38 cities around the world have what are called “Street Pianos,” pianos placed on the street for anyone to play, regardless of ability and now Hartford is joining them. In providing free access to a musical instrument, Charter Oak enables Hartford to join the likes of New York, Melbourne, London, Sydney and Barcelona in bringing access to the piano to residents. […] Guests will have a chance to paint and play the new piano on Charter Oak Cultural Center’s (21 Charter Oak Avenue)  grounds, and free light refreshments will be provided.” 12-2 pm.

 

  • Get HYPEd: Network with young professionals and entrepreneurs at V’s Trattoria (280 Trumbull Street), 5:30-8:30 pm. There’s no cover or need to register — just show up with your business cards and cash for drinks.

 

  • MakeHartford Open House: check out the space, meet other makers, ask questions, learn about upcoming classes and events, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The makerspace is located at 30 Arbor Street, basement. Free.

September 6

  • Shawna Beth and Austin Hill give a free musical performance at noon on Pratt Street.

 

  • Take a free tour of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, anytime from 12-1:30 pm. There are a bunch of stairs to climb. This cancels in bad weather.

 

  • King Arthur Junior is playing at Hanging Hills Brewing Company (150 Ledyard Street), 5:30-7:30 pm. No cover.

 

  • Nails and Wagging Tails: No need to leave Hartford to get your pup’s nails trimmed. Bring $5 cash to have Jessica of 4 Legged Pet Service attend to your dog at Naturally Dogs and Cats (10 Trumbull Street), 6-8 pm.

 

September 7

  • Multimodal Meetup: Want to chat with other multimodal commuters? Drop by the Metro Cafe (580 Farmington Avenue, entrance on Tremont Street) from 7 – 9 am. They say: “This is a monthly, informal meetup of multimodal commuters. Walk, ride a bike, take a bus, carpool/vanpool, or take the train, we love it all and any combination. This meetup is also good for multimodal curious. Stop in for good vibes and great tips from your friends (new and old).” The first 20 people to show up and sign in get a free coffee or tea.

 

  • Band of Steady Habits gives a free lunchtime performance at the Old State House, 12-1 pm.

 

 

  • Pratt Street Salsa Social: Go dancing in the middle of the street, 5-7 pm. This is free and people of all dance levels and abilities are welcome.

 

  • The Mouth-Off: It Happened So Fast — at the Mark Twain House & Museum, 7:30-9 pm. They say: “Join host Chion Wolf as she leads a panel of storytellers sharing true tales around a common theme. Think you have a great story on the theme? Email mouthoffhartford@gmail.com with your name, and a short description of what your story is about. No need to write every detail, just a few sentences to get us curious. Submissions close a week and a day before the event, but the sooner you can email, the better!” Tickets are $10.

 

  • Cinestudio (300 Summit Street) is screening one of the funniest movies ever — Bridesmaids. If you harbor disdain for over-the-top weddings or if you have a deep love for Melissa McCarthy and Wendy McLendon-Covey, go! 10 pm. General admission: $10.

September 8

  • Like clean parks? Help spruce up Colt Park by picking up litter, 8:30 – 10:30 am. Meet by the Sam Colt statues. Bring your own gloves — all other supplies will be provided.

 

  • Thousands of Doors for Justice: Care about fair wages? Access to quality public education? Environmental justice? They say activists will “will be knocking on doors, making calls, registering voters, training volunteers and recruiting new activists. We will all be contributing in the best ways we can & embracing our collective struggle.” 9:30 am – 12 pm in the auditorium of Capital Community College (950 Main Street). Free.

 

  • Go on a mystery scavenger hunt at Cedar Hill Cemetery (453 Fairfield Ave.), 10 am – 12 pm. In teams of (up to) four people, decipher clues in the historic sections of the cemetery. $5 per person. Reservations are required: Call 860-956-3311.

 

  • Second Saturdays for Families: Free admission to Wadsworth Atheneum, 10 am – 1 pm. This includes family tours and art activities. Once in the door, you do not need to leave until the museum closes at 5 pm.

 

  • PrideFest Celebration: a celebration of the “diversity and achievements of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gender and Queer (LGBTQ+) community across Connecticut” takes place in September, not June. So, this will be going on today on Pratt Street, 12 – 6 pm. Free.

 

 

  • Hartbeat Music Festival: Free, day-long celebration of local and regional music, 12-9 pm, at the Mortensen Riverfront Plaza. The lineup includes Restless Mountain Bluegrass Band, Tang Sauce, Capitol Blondes, Joey Batts; Kate Callahan, and The Professors of Sweet, Sweet Music.

 

  • Visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (77 Forest Street) for an author talk and book signing by Nancy Lusignan Schultz, co-editor of Transatlantic Conversations: Nineteenth-Century American Women’s Encounters with Italy and the Atlantic World.This free event is from 2-3:30 pm.

 

  • Opening reception for Don’t Try to Boil the Ocean at ArtSpace Gallery (555 Asylum Street), 6-11 pm. This exhibit, curated by Joe Bun Keo, will include works by Caroline Woolard, Gene Gort, Hirokazu Fukawa, Luke Seward, Olu Oguibe, Raza Kazmi, Sarah Rohlfing, and Shadia Heenan Nilforoush.

September 9

 

  • Rosh Hashannah in the Park: Congregation Beth Israel once again brings an evening Rosh Hashannah service to Elizabeth Park, 5-5:45 pm. This is in the area near the main rose garden. Arrive early with blanket or lawn chair. Free. If the weather looks bad, check with the organizers to see if the service has been moved indoors.

September 10

 

  • RiverBarre: ballet + yoga + pilates at the Riverfront, 5:45-7 pm.  Bring a mat, sneakers, and water.  Suggested donation: $5

 

September 11

  • Take a Qigong class  offered by Toivo at The 224 EcoSpace (224 Farmington Ave), 6 pm. They say: “Two minutes into his Qigong experience, [instructor] Deron Drumm felt himself relax in ways he never had before. Qigong has helped him come home to his body and awaken a greater capacity within himself for love, compassion, empathy, and creativity.” There is a suggested $5-15 donation, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

 

September 12

  • MakeHartford Open House: check out the space, meet other makers, ask questions, learn about upcoming classes and events, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The makerspace is located at 30 Arbor Street, basement. Free.

September 13

 

  • Take a free tour of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, anytime from 12-1:30 pm. There are a bunch of stairs to climb. This cancels in bad weather.

 

  • The Know Good Market (30-50 Bartholomew Avenue) operates 5-8 pm. Free admission to this monthly food truck event.

 

  • Among the Acres performs outdoors at the Butler-McCook House & Garden (396 Main Street), 5:30-7:30 pm. See photographer John Hsu’s works indoors. Bring a blanket or lawn chair, along with picnic. Free.

September 14

 

 

  • Comedy Craft Beer Night at the Polish National Home (60 Charter Oak Avenue), doors open at 6 pm; show at 7 pm. Ryan Brauth, Jared Freid, and Justin Smith are the evening’s featured comedians. They say: “The complimentary buffet will include salad, bread, kielbasa and sauerkraut, pierogi, pasta, and brownies for dessert. Also included is your first pint of Hussar Ale.” $30 in advance.

 

  • Get A Clue Murder Mystery Tours: participate in a live-action version of Clue at the Mark Twain House. Members of Sea Tea Improv will feature in this as participants go through ” various rooms (secret passageway, conservatory, billiards room, and more) of the Twain house — and some of the author’s favorite literary characters — as part of the game.” This is $25. Tours leave every 15 minutes beginning at 7 pm. Make reservations!
Lao America Tradition will be at CHS on September 15, 2018 // Photo courtesy of Connecticut Historical Society

September 15

  • Help clean Heaven Skate Park (Wexford Park), 9 am – 1 pm. KNOX provides breakfast and lunch, so contact nicolaa@knoxhartford.org to let her know you’ll be there.

 

  • Health in Caribbean Hartford: This free, daylong forum in Trinity College’s Mather Hall  is open to the public. Talks will be given on “Hurricanes and Health Care in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean;” “The Colonial Origins of Caribbean Public Health: Disease Control Efforts in Cuba and Puerto Rico, 1898-1920s;”“The Other Caribbean: Decolonization and Autonomous Organizing for Health in Puerto Rico Post-Maria;” and more. 9:15 am – 4:45 pm.

 

  • Free admission to the Mark Twain House & Museum for Hartford residents today. Bring proof of address. Specialty tours are not included in free admission.

 

  • BiCi Co. Bikes and Brews: Grab your bike and helmet, and take part in a slow roll from BiCi Co. (95-97 Park Street) to Small State Great Beer. Meet at 10:45 am. There will be a little detour on the way to Constitution Plaza. The ride is free, but get your beer festival tickets in advance.

 

  • Lao American Tradition, a new statewide cultural organization dedicated to sustaining Laotian heritage, will present a cultural showcase at the Connecticut Historical Society (1 Elizabeth Street), 5-8 pm. This free event “features costume and textile displays, dance, and music by local Laotian artists. Light food will be available.” For more information, contact Manola Sidara (860-965-8912) or Ann Cunningham (860-729-2858).

 

September 16

  • SoulFlow with Lori: Start with yoga, then write. They say: “e begin by integrating our mind and spirit to our physical bodies with a grounding, earth-based yoga practice. Allow yourself to reconnect through meditative and nourishing movement. Provocative prompts are used to spark your creative spirit from a place of deep, mindful awareness, connection to self and free flowing creativity. Share your words within this safe, sacred circle. Be heard. Be seen. Be present. All yogis and writers are welcome. Wear comfy clothes, bring your favorite notebook, pen and an open heart. Bring your mat or use one of ours.” This is 10 am – 12 pm at Tainted Inc. (56 Arbor Street, #310A), $10.

September 17

 

  • RiverBarre: ballet + yoga + pilates at the Riverfront, 5:45-7 pm.  Bring a mat, sneakers, and water.  Suggested donation: $5

 

September 18

  • Learn about the trees in Bushnell Park on a free tour. They say: “Meet in front of the carousel. Bushnell Park is an arboretum of rare and native trees. From the beginning, the Reverend Horace Bushnell and Bushnell Park designer Jacob Weidenmann shaped a graceful landscape that included over 150 varieties of trees. Though many of the originals were lost over the years to both age and neglect, the Bushnell Park Foundation led a renovation in the 1980’s and 1990’s that included the planting of 400 additional trees.” 12-1 pm.

 

  • Take a Qigong class  offered by Toivo at The 224 EcoSpace (224 Farmington Ave), 6 pm. They say: “Two minutes into his Qigong experience, [instructor] Deron Drumm felt himself relax in ways he never had before. Qigong has helped him come home to his body and awaken a greater capacity within himself for love, compassion, empathy, and creativity.” There is a suggested $5-15 donation, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

 

September 19

  • MakeHartford Open House: check out the space, meet other makers, ask questions, learn about upcoming classes and events, 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  There is also a String Thing yarn dyeing make-along during this time, so bring a project or simply show up. The makerspace is located at 30 Arbor Street, basement. Free.

 

  • Book/Mark: Author Louis Klarevas will be talking about his book Rampage Nation, which “looks at the reasons for mass shootings and offers recommendations to reduce gun violence.” A book signing will follow the discussion at the Mark Twain House & Museum (351 Farmington Avenue), 7-9 pm. Admission is $10.

September 20

 

  • Take a free tour of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, anytime from 12-1:30 pm. There are a bunch of stairs to climb. This cancels in bad weather.

 

  • Connecticut Historical Society (1 Elizabeth Street) will host a gathering to welcome Kate Schramm as the new Director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program. The event will also mark the retirement of the amazing and kind longtime CCHAP Director Lynne Williamson. This free celebration of CCHAP’s work over 27 years is open to all who love Connecticut’s traditional artists and their communities. Folk musicians are welcome to bring their instruments for a music jam. For further information, contact Lynne_Williamson@chs.org . This is from 5-7 pm.

 

  • Take a Swift Factory Sidewalk Tour, 5:30-6:30 pm, to learn the history of the building and how the construction project will create 150 long-term jobs in the North Hartford Promise Zone. Meet at the Grey House at 60 Love Lane. Free.

 

 

  • Boast Toast! — The fabulous Caitlin Reese will play host as sixteen stand up comics sling “jokes filled with love and affection in a fight to the finish.” They promise that “friendships will be strengthened.” This begins at 8 pm at Sea Tea Comedy Theater (15 Asylum Street). Tickets are $10.

September 21

  • The Meadows Brothers give a free lunchtime performance at the Old State House, 12-1 pm.

 

September 22

  • Hartford Freedom Trail Slow Roll: Learn about fourteen Freedom Trail sites in Hartford on a ten-mile slow bike ride that begins at the Connecticut State Library (231 Capitol Avenue), 9 am. This tour is approximately three hours. Show up from 8-9 for a bicycle safety check. View the Freedom Trail Quilt at 12 pm. Free, but donations welcome.

 

  • Free admission to Connecticut Historical Society’s (1 Elizabeth Street) museum galleries, 9 am – 5 pm. For this, you will need to present a Museum Day ticket.

 

  • Peace, Love, & Music Together: For the sixth year, Hartford will be hosting this free, family music festival. It is again in Bushnell Park, 10 am – 1 pm. Yoga, drumming, art, and more.

 

  • Pollinator Festival: from 10 am – 1 pm, enjoy “crafts and games designed to raise awareness about pollinators. Honey-tastings, face painting, craft workshops and live music.” Hartford artist “Carol Padberg will lead a community weaving workshop to make a Pollinator Meditation Shawl for use in the Trinity Church Garden, and will also facilitate beeswax candle-making. The festival will showcase the Regeneration Cycle, a mobile ecology lab made in 2016 through the Greater Hartford Art Council’s Neighborhood Studio program. The bike-powered Regeneration Cycle was designed and built by Hartford area youth in the Neighborhood Studios at KNOX.” This all-ages event will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church (120 Sigourney Street) and is free.

September 23

  • Incredible India Fair and Walkathon: Bushnell Park, 10 am – 5 pm. Free admission.

 

  • RBG screens at 2:30 and 7:30 pm at Cinestudio (300 Summit Street). General admission: $10.

 

  • Ensemble Origo presents La Rue à Dijon in the Trinity College Chapel, 5-6:15 pm. Free

September 24

 

September 25

  • Attend an Arts & Letters tour of Cedar Hill Cemetery at 10 am. They say: “Meet Cedar Hill Cemetery’s creative residents including our most distinguished artists, actors and authors. We will introduce you to lesser-known personalities such as Nicholas Hudson Holt, Fern Andra and Frances Laughlin Wadsworth, as well as the noteworthy William Glackens, Wallace Stevens and Katharine Hepburn.” $5 admission.

 

  • Take a Qigong class  offered by Toivo at The 224 EcoSpace (224 Farmington Ave), 6 pm. They say: “Two minutes into his Qigong experience, [instructor] Deron Drumm felt himself relax in ways he never had before. Qigong has helped him come home to his body and awaken a greater capacity within himself for love, compassion, empathy, and creativity.” There is a suggested $5-15 donation, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.

September 26

  • A mobile mammography bus will be at Trinity College today, 9 am – 1:45 pm, near the Ferris Athletic Center. Women 40+ who have not had a mammogram in over a year are eligible, and those without health insurance may have this service done for free. Contact Samia Hussein at 860-972-1141 or mobilemammography@hhchealth.org to register by September 12.

 

  • MakeHartford Open House: check out the space, meet other makers, ask questions, learn about upcoming classes and events, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The makerspace is located at 30 Arbor Street, basement. Free.

 

  • RBG screens at  7:30 pm at Cinestudio (300 Summit Street). General admission: $10.
Ensemble Origo performs at Trinity College on September 23

September 27

 

  • Take a free tour of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park, anytime from 12-1:30 pm. There are a bunch of stairs to climb. This cancels in bad weather.

September 28

 

  • Books on Pratt: Meet 50 local authors on Pratt Street, 11:30 am – 3:30 pm. Free.

 

 

  • Didn’t make it to Small State Great Beer? Tapping Into Twain raises money for the Mark Twain House & Museum  and features over 20 regional breweries, micro-breweries, and home brewers. 5-10 pm at the Twain House & Museum (351 Farmington Avenue), ticket prices vary.

September 29

 

  • Drop by Cedar Hill Cemetery for A Monumental Man: The Art of James Batterson,10 am. They say “James Batterson, co-owner of New England Granite Works, played a key role in the establishment of Cedar Hill. And monuments attributed to his prolific company are scattered throughout the cemetery. Foundation Director Beverly Lucas highlights Batterson’s incredible monuments on this walking tour of the historic cemetery.” $5 admission.

 

  • Gary Shteyngart will talk about his new novel Lake Success at the Mark Twain House & Museum (351 Farmington Avenue), 7 pm. The $30 ticket price includes a copy of this book, which can be signed following the talk.

September 30

  • Walk Hartford: Want company for a slow, meandering social walk? Meet by dome on Van Dyke Ave (closer to Sequassen than Masseek) at 10 a.m. — (Looped route)We will be walking along the Connecticut River, through downtown, and back to the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. There will be stops to look at street art. Most of walk will be on sidewalks or paved surfaces. Approx. 3.75 miles. Bring cash for drinks or snacks, as this will include a stop at an inexpensive or moderately priced establishment. Children welcome if supervised by parent/guardian. Only cancels for severe weather.