Here’s your curated Hartford event calendar for July 2023

What makes this list? Events that I would either attend or recommend to a good friend. I don’t recommend events that obviously and immediately contribute to poor air quality or those whose organizers who willfully obstruct pedestrian access in parks year-after-year, either with cars or by fencing off portions of public parks.

ADD TO CALENDAR 

  • DRAG STORY HOUR: Start your month off with two of the things that bigots hate the most: drag queens and literacy! Xiomarie LaBeija will read a variety of children’s books aloud at Parkville Market (1400 Park Street) on July 1, 2023 from 1-3 PM. This is free and all are welcome. // There is bicycle parking outside of the building’s northeast corner; take the 31, 33, 101, 102, 121 or 128 buses
  • IN A BARBIE WORLD: Sea Tea Improv (15 Asylum Street) brings you Barbie improv, one night only. I can’t beat their own description, so let’s go with that: “An improv show for anyone who has ever heard of Barbie: diehard fans, complete haters & people who have no idea what the fuss is all about. Barbie’s power is immeasurable. Her signature high pony and hyperextended joints have permeated our society, culture, even our very minds. Whether we like it or not, there is no escaping her manicured hold. Join us for 90 minutes, while we unpack (no pun intended) everything there is about this toy: the fun to be had, her affect on our psyches, and the undeniable insidiousness that resides in her eyelid-less gaze.” How could you not want to be part of this? You’ve got one chance to experience Barbie improve: July 1, 2023 at 9 PM. Tickets are $10. // There are bike racks on the Main Street side of nearby Old State House; this is a short walk from almost any bus stopping in downtown Hartford.
  • CHAPEL AND CARILLON: At 6 PM on July 5, 2023, harpist Wendy Kerner will be performing inside the Trinity College chapel. Then, move outside to picnic on the quad and listen to carillonist Annie Gao at 7. This is free and open to the public. // There are bike racks along the quad; take the 37, 39, 41, or 61 bus
  • ASTEROID CITY:  The latest Wes Anderson film is screening at Real Art Ways and at Cinestudio through July 6, 2023. General admission at Real Art Ways is $12; at Cinestudio, it’s $10.  // Bike parking for Real Art Ways is located by the entrance; take the 31, 33, 69, 101, 102, 121 or 128 buses (all less than a 5-minute walk from venue). Over at Cinestudio, there are bike racks near the cinema entrance; take the 37, 39, 41, or 61 bus (but beware, there is no 61 bus on Sundays)
  • HANEEF N. NELSON QUINTET: Listen to jazz in Bushnell Park from 6:30-8:30 PM on July 5, 2023. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, a picnic dinner. This is free, but The Park Scoop will have ice cream for sale so don’t leave your wallet at home. // There is bike parking on the west side of the carousel, also next to the Corning Fountain. Almost any bus destined for downtown is a short walk from the park; this is directly across from Union Station.
  • HISTORIC PARK TOUR: Learn about the monuments and statuary in Bushnell Park, with an optional tour of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch on July 8, 2023 from 10-11:30 AM. This is free, but register. Nobody needs a sprawling tour group. Meet up by the carousel. // There is bike parking on the west side of the carousel, also next to the Corning Fountain. Almost any bus destined for downtown is a short walk from the park; this is directly across from Union Station.
  • WOODWORKING DEMO: Local woodworker Stephen Hammer will demonstrate the creation of a drawer at the Wadsworth Atheneum on July 8, 2023 from 1-3 PM. This is free with admission, which is free for Hartford residents or for anyone arriving that day before 2 PM. // Almost any bus destined for downtown Hartford is less than a 5-minute walk.
  • FIELD OF DREAMS: If you want to feel old, start looking at release dates for movies that you fully remember watching when they first came out. (Related: Cinestudio is doing a free screening of Pulp Fiction in November, so mark your calendar and brace yourself for the knowledge that you’ve been thinking about Big Kahuna Burger for 30 years) Bring your blanket or lawn chair and a picnic for this free movie on Constitution Plaza at 8:30 PM on July 8, 2023. // Bike rack by plaza-level building entrance; Constitution Plaza is a short walk from all downtown area buses
  • HPLCT: This is not the announcement you were waiting for, sorry. That will not be happening for quite awhile. Starting July 10, 2023, the main library will have limited hours on its patio, weather permitting, on Mondays from 10 AM to 1 PM. The building will not be open to the public. There will be seating on the patio, and the ability to get/renew library cards, and browse and borrow some books and DVDs — the library materials on hand will be freebies that require no card.  // There are bike racks out front, as well as covered bicycle parking behind the library. This is a short walk to most downtown area buses.
  • CHAPEL AND CARILLON: At 6 PM listen to Christopher Houlihan’s organ recital inside the Trinity College chapel, and then at 7, move out to the lawn to picnic and listen to carillonist Ellen Dickinson. For July 12, 2023 only, free dinner is provided, but you need to register in advance so they can have the right amount of food. Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs. //  There are bike racks along the quad; take the 37, 39, 41, or 61 bus
  • KALA FARNHAM: The current Connecticut State Troubadour will give an acoustic performance on Pratt Street from 6-7:30 PM on July 13, 2023. // Bike rack on more eastern end of the street. Pratt Street is a short walk from all downtown area buses
  • GHOSTBUSTERS: The 1984 film will be shown on Elizabeth Park’s East Lawn on July 13, 2023 at dark. Bring your own seating and any food you might need. Free. Sure would be nice if there were bike lanes on Asylum Avenue, helping people to safely ride to the park. // Use the 72 bus Monday-Friday to access Elizabeth Park.

  • THE LEAGUE: Documentary film based on the book The Negro Baseball Leagues by Bob Motley and Byron Motley. This is screening at Cinestudio is from July 14-20, 2023. Tickets are $10. // There are bike racks near the cinema entrance; take the 37, 39, 41, or 61 bus (but beware, there is no 61 bus on Sundays)
  • MUG PAINTING: Have you wanted to do ceramic painting but didn’t have it in you to schlep out to the suburbs first to do it and then to go pick it up? There’s a free workshop at the Hartford Public Library’s Park Street branch (corner of Broad and Park) on July 15, 2023 from 10:30 AM until noon. This is for all ages, not just kids. Registration is required. // Bike rack is by the library entrance; Take the 31 or 33 bus. The 61 bus will get you there as well.
  • YOGA ON PRATT: Pratt Street is not closed to cars for this yoga event. It’s closed to cars always, allowing for so much else to happen here, including a free yoga class with Afterglow Studio. Bring your own yoga mat and water. This is July 16, 2023 from 10-11:15 AM. // Bike rack on more eastern end of the street. Pratt Street is a short walk from all downtown area buses. Driving to yoga class feels more and more like doing it wrong.
  • CONNECTICON: Chances are, if you were hoping to attend the actual convention, you would already have tickets or be on their mailing list. But another way to enjoy this event, for those on a budget, is to visit downtown, but especially the area of the Convention Center and Riverfront, and appreciate the creative costumes. And the dedication to wearing them in the heat of summer. This year, ConnectiCon is July 20-23, 2023.
  • NEKITA WALLER: former Connecticut State Troubadour will be sharing her jazz, funk, and soul talents with all who show up on Pratt Street on July 20, 2023 from 6-7:30 PM. The concert is free and some seating is provided. // Bike rack on more eastern end of the street. Pratt Street is a short walk from all downtown area buses
  • GARDEN STORY TIME: Kids (age six and under) can join a librarian for storytime in Mt. Moriah Community Garden on Naugatuck Street, across from the Hartford Public Library’s Barbour Street Branch on July 21, 2023 from 11 AM until noon. There will be reading and wandering through the garden. // Take the 42 bus.
  • IRISH ROAD BOWLING: Pretty much what it sounds like. Go watch at the Riverwalk along the Connecticut River on July 21, 2023 from 1-4 PM. // There is bike parking in various locations of the Riverwalk, Riverfront Plaza, Riverside Park, and Charter Oak Landing. Entering the park on the plaza-level puts you in short walking distance of all downtown area buses, and a thing to ask yourself is why you would contribute to area traffic when you could just take a bus.
  •  SALSA SOCIAL: By now, you should know the deal. Pratt Street — which has been gloriously opened only to people for the last couple years — becomes a dance floor once a month. Show up ready to dance in the street. July 21, 2023, 5-8 PM. Free. // Bike rack on more eastern end of the street. Pratt Street is a short walk from all downtown area buses
  •  MUSIC AMONG THE MEMORIALS: Bring a blanket, chair, and picnic dinner to Cedar Hill Cemetery and catch a free performance by The Jolly Beggars. This is 6-8 PM on July 21, 2023. // Take the 61 bus to the Maple and Fairfield stop and walk about two minutes to reach Cedar Hill Cemetery. Somehow there is no crosswalk at the end of Fairfield Avenue, so be aware of that fact.
  • THE HE-MAN EFFECT: If you would rather have a quieter night indoors, there’s a virtual talk with author Brian “Box” Brown about his book that deals with the ways marketers targeted children in the 1980s, how as “this graphic history exposes a world with no rules and no concern for results beyond profit.” July 21, 2023 at 7 PM. Register online to get viewing information. Free.
  • JONATHAN BARBER & VISION AHEAD: If you’ve been to enough jazz shows in Hartford in the last decade, you’ve heard Barber on drums. Never disappoints. Check him at Black-eyed Sally’s (350 Asylum Street) on July 21, 2023 from 8-11:30 PM. Free. // Bike rack in front of neighboring building by bus shelter. This is a short walk to Hartford Union Station and to all downtown area buses; buses that stop almost directly in front of the venue include: 60, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, 76, 101, 102, 128, 902, 909, 923, and 928. The free DASH and Columbus Boulevard (CB) parking lot shuttles also stop here.
  •  REALLY REALLY FREE MARKET: We live in a time of material excess, and often, you can get what you need without stepping foot in the mall. Before you buy, visit the Really Really Free Market held at the Hartford Free Center (460 New Britain Avenue) on July 23, 2023 from 2-5 PM. You don’t pay an admission fee and you don’t pay for what you need or want. Each person is limited to two bags — and bring your own bags if you’ve got them. // Bike parking is located by the front door;  take the 37, 39, 41, or 63 bus
  • BOWL PAINTING: Paint a ceramic bowl at the Hartford Public Library’s Albany Avenue Branch (1250 Albany Avenue) on July 27, 2023 from 6-7:30 PM. This is free. Register in advance. // There is bicycle parking near the library at corner of Albany Ave and Blue Hills Ave, and there is a rack nestled by back entrance of library. Take the 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, or 74 bus, all of which stop directly in front of the library
  • BLACK-EYED & BLUES FEST: On July 28, 2023 starting at 7 PM the free performances will be indoors at Black-eyed Sally’s (350 Asylum Street). On July 29, 2023 from 2 PM until late, the free performances will be across the street in Bushnell Park. You can bring your own food and drink, always, into Bushnell Park because it is a public park. For this event, you can also purchase refreshments from the restaurant. // Bike rack in front of neighboring building by bus shelter if you’re going to the restaurant; for the park performance, you can find a bike rack by Corning Fountain. This is a short walk to Hartford Union Station and to all downtown area buses; buses that stop by the venues include: 60, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, 76, 101, 102, 128, 902, 909, 923, and 928. The free DASH and Columbus Boulevard (CB) parking lot shuttles also stop here.
  • EDWARD SCISSORHANDS: Free screening of this classic on Constitution Plaza on July 29, 2023 at 8:30 PM. Bring your own chair, blanket, and snacks. // Bike rack by plaza-level building entrance; Constitution Plaza is a short walk from all downtown area buses

RECURRING THROUGH AUGUST 14
MONDAY NIGHT JAZZ! Every Monday get treated to two free musical performances in Bushnell Park from July 10 – August 14, 2023. The first act starts at 6 PM, second act at 7:30 PM. Bring your own chair or lawn blanket, bring a picnic, bring your friends. This isn’t exactly rain or shine, but they’ve usually stayed in the park if there’s light rain or passing showers. Anything more ominous will move the show indoors to Asylum Hill Congregational Church. // There is bike parking on the west side of the carousel, also next to the Corning Fountain. Almost any bus destined for downtown is a short walk from the park; this is directly across from Union Station.

RECURRING THROUGH OCTOBER
Free yoga every day of the week! Bring your own yoga mat and water.

  • Sundays: Colt Park by Wethersfield Avenue entrance at 10 AM
  • Mondays: Bushnell Park by Pump House Gallery at 5:30 PM
  • Tuesdays: Elizabeth Park by Rose Garden stage at 5:30 PM
  • Wednesdays: Bushnell Park by Pump House Gallery at 5:30 PM
  • Thursdays: Elizabeth Park by Rose Garden stage at 5:30 PM
  • Fridays: Keney Park by Woodland Street entrance playground at 5:30 PM
  • Saturdays: Pope Park near parking lot at 10 AM

See CTtransit for bus schedule.

CULTURAL ASSETS
For ongoing free education, entertainment, public art, and resources — like 24/7 food pantries and libraries — check out this map. Zoom in and click on the icons for more information. This was last updated in June 2023: