Here is your curated Hartford event calendar for August 2022. 

What makes this list? Events that I would either attend or recommend to a good friend.

Check with each venue for information about Covid protection procedures and to verify that an event is still happening. If I think a venue’s Covid protection policies are soft, its indoor events are not listed.


ADD TO CALENDAR

  • LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKET: On August 1, 2022 (repeating Mondays throughout season) you can visit a very small, very local farmers’ market at 75 Laurel Street, 11 AM until 2 PM. How local? This is food grown by KNOX urban farmers.
  • YOGA IN POPE PARK: Sara Balkun is leading a Hatha yoga class in Pope Park near the Park Terrace/Hillside entrance on August 2, 2022 from 10-11 AM. Registration requested.
  • YOGA FLOW: Take a Vinyasa yoga class on August 3, 2022 from 6-7 PM (repeating Wednesdays in August) down by the Connecticut River. Take the steep ass stairs down to the Riverwalk and look for people in the grassy area with a few trees. Bring your own water and yoga mat. The class is free; $5 donation suggested.
  • SUMMER MUSIC SERIES: Listen to Ray Gonzalez and his Latin Jazz Quintet perform in Bushnell Park on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, from 6:30-8:30 PM. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for this free show. As with any concert in a public park, you can bring your own picnic. If you want ice cream, bring money.
  • RIVER ZUMBA: If you’re ever down at the Riverfront in the evening, watching a group of people dancing to loud music, looking like they’re having a blast, you’re actually watching this class. Go do some Left Sharking on Thursday, August 4, 2022 from 6-7 PM. It’s free, but a $5 donation is welcome.
  • TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN: Dance, music, and food by the Connecticut River. This has all the highlights from the parade, but without spending four hours on hot pavement with long gaps between floats. There, I said it. From 11 AM – 9 PM, you can find stilts walkers and people in mas costume, jerk pits and food trucks, and a lot of steel drum music. My favorite time? 11:30-1 when the Hartford Steel Symphony performs and the Carnival Parade comes through the plaza. This is Saturday, August 6, 2022 at the Riverfront Plaza. Follow the scent of barbecue to find it. Free.
  • THE MUPPET MOVIE: And while you’re over this way, watch The Muppet Movie on Constitution Plaza starting at 8:30 PM on August 6. It’s free. Bring something soft to sit on.
  • HANEEF N. NELSON QUINTET: Come hang out with the Hartford locals in Bushnell Park on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 from 6:30-8:30 PM. There is no charge for this outdoor concert.
  • SUNSET SOUNDS: Annoyed that the Butler-McCook House has its garden sealed off most of the time now? Here’s your chance to walk through it for free. There’s also a lawn concert taking place, with music by Steve Davis and Abena Koomson-Davis. Bring your picnic blanket and garden-terrorizing-self to the Butler-McCook House & Garden on August 11, 2022 from 6-8 PM. Free.
  • MOANA: Watch Moana in Elizabeth Park on August 11, 2022 starting around 8 PM. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to the Elizabeth Street entrance. Free.
  • MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ: August 15, 2022 is the last chance for Monday Night Jazz this season in Bushnell Park. Music begins at 6 PM. Closing out the season will be Go: Organic Orchestra and Brooklyn Raga Massive with a blend of Indian Classical, jazz, and West African music. Admission is free and picnicking is encouraged.
  • THE LOST TRIBE: Another night for gathering with friends in Bushnell Park and listening to free, live music. The Lost Tribe performs on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 from 6:30-8:30 PM.
  • HARTFORD STEEL SYMPHONY: Didn’t get enough of them at the Taste of the Caribbean & Jerk Festival? Here’s another chance to hear the Hartford Steel Symphony. This free lawn concert will be from 6-7:30 PM on August 18, 2022 at the Connecticut Historical Society; museum galleries will be open during the event. Bring your own blanket or lawn chair.
  • SALSA SOCIAL: Dance salsa in Pratt Street. Where? Pratt Street. When? You could do it whenever, but this organized event is on August 19, 2022 from 5-8 PM. Free
  • DRAGON BOAT & ASIAN FESTIVAL: Watch people race boats dressed like dragons. Check out martial arts demonstrations. Enjoy the music and dancing. Another free, full day festival at the Riverfront Plaza. Saturday, August 20, 2022 from 8 AM – 4 PM.
  • BRASS BAND BONANZA: A whole afternoon of music from brass bands! There are not enough exclamation points for this. It’s free! It’s outdoors! It’s a brass! band! bonanza! Scheduled to perform: The Hartford Hot Several, The Expandable Brass Band, Hartford Proud, Fly By Brass Band, Papo Vázquez & Mighty Pirates Top Brass. This festival will be at Real Art Ways on August 20, 2022 from 12-6 PM.
  • FESTIVAL DEL COQUI: Celebrate Puerto Rican culture with music, dancing, and food in Bushnell Park on August 21, 2022 from 1-8 PM. Free admission.
  • MUSIC IN THE PARK: Bring your picnic to Bushnell Park to hear live music by the Michael Carabello Trio on Wednesday, August 24, 2022 from 6:30-8:30 PM. Free.
  • ROM-COM IN THE GRAVEYARD: Bring a lawn chair or blanket and watch Desk Set with and “with” Katharine Hepburn at Cedar Hill Cemetery. The free film will begin around 7:30 PM on August 25, 2022. This will be on the lawn between the Garden and Cedar Mausoleums.
  • CRITICAL MASS: A slow-paced, fun 5-8 mile roll (bike, scooter, skateboard, anything that rolls slowly) through Hartford. Meet by the carousel in Bushnell Park at 6:30 PM on August 26, 2022. Free. Helmets required only for kids under 12.
  • MUSHROOM WALK: Walk around the cemetery grounds learning about mushrooms. This will be guided by Joe Lenoce of Connecticut Valley Mycological Society. Meet by the entrance bridge of Cedar Hill Cemetery at 10 AM on August 27, 2022. There’s a $10 fee for those who aren’t Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation members.
  • SOUND WALK: Take a “sound walk” gallery tour with Adam Lenz at the Wadsworth Atheneum, ending in Naama Tsabar’s MATRIX exhibit. The tour is free with museum admission, and museum admission is free for Hartford residents. This is August 27, 2022 from 1-2 PM. Register for the tour.

Many dates:

  • Yoga in Our City: from May through October there are free yoga classes every day of the week– weekdays at 5:30 PM, weekend days at 10 AM. These take place in Bushnell Park, Elizabeth Park, Keney Park, Colt Park, and Pope Park. To see which ones when, view their schedule and see map showing exactly where in the park these classes happen. You do not have to register. Just show up with your yoga mat/towel and water.

CULTURAL ASSETS
For ongoing free education, entertainment, and resources — like 24/7 food pantries and libraries — check out this map. Zoom in and click on the icons for more information. More sites have been added since June.