Here’s your curated Hartford event calendar for July 2024.

What makes this list? Events that I would either attend or recommend to a good friend.
What doesn’t? Nonsense that costs $100+ for concert tickets in a public park that is then shuttered to city residents; venues and/or event organizers that have proven disappointing and/or problematic.

Review events with the host/venue to confirm details have not changed since publication.

ADD TO CALENDAR

  • FANCY DANCE: This is screening at Cinestudio at 7 PM on July 1-3, with open caption screening on July 1, 2024. They describe this as: “Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax has cared for her niece Roki by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of Jax losing custody to Roki’s grandfather, Frank, the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow. What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system.” Tickets are $10.
  • SUMMER MUSIC SERIES: Every Wednesday in July, enjoy free concerts at Trinity College. At 6 PM, there’s music inside the chapel (you can’t miss it . . . it’s the structure on campus that looks like what you envision when you hear the word “chapel”) and then that’s followed at 7 PM by a carillon concert on the lawn outside. Come for one or both! Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and a picnic. This is rain or shine. For those who are intense fans and want to know which musicians to expect, you can see Trinity’s website for yourself.
  • SUMMER MUSIC SERIES, BUT A DIFFERENT ONE: Don’t blame me — I didn’t do the naming. This one is on Fridays from 12-1 PM at the Old State House in downtown Hartford. It’s free. This happens to overlap with the farmers’ market on site each Friday. Go to their website for the lineup of musicians.
  • LUKE MOLINA & CHARLIE DIAMOND: Live and free musical performance on Pratt Street, from 5:30-7:30 PM on July 5, 2024.
  • IMPROVISED ANIME: Sea Tea Comedy Theater brings you improvised anime at 7 PM on July 5, 2024. They say: “Are you a die-hard Japanese animation or ‘anime’ fan? Or a casual fan who maybe followed a couple of shows growing up? Or maybe a complete newbie who heard of anime (and some spiky haired characters) once from their weird cousins? Well, this show is for all of you!” Admission is $10.
  • IMPROVISED SEINFELD: Also on July 5, 2024, but starting at 9 PM, Sea Tea Comedy Theater offers “an improv comedy show about nothing.” Tickets are $10.
  • SUNSET SOUNDS: Free lawn concert performance by Kojo Melché Roney Quartet at the Butler-McCook House & Garden from 6-8 PM on July 11, 2024. Bring a blanket/chair and picnic.
  • BOB CRELIN & BIG JOE & THE STOLEN HEARTS: A free, live musical performance on Pratt Street from 5:30-7:30 PM on July 12, 2024.

  • KIM’S VIDEO: Watch this documentary at the Wadsworth Atheneum and then stick around for a tape and disc swap. They describe this as a “tale of a gritty New York City video store into a high-stakes adventure across the Atlantic,” but watch the trailer for a better sense of what that means. One chance to view: July 17, 2024 at 7 PM. $12 general; $8 for Hartford residents.
  • OH, THE PLACES WE WILL GO!: We know where they are now, but before underfoot in Cedar Hill Cemetery, some of its residents went on Arctic expeditions and visited with Russian royalty. Hear some of their stories at the cemetery on July 20, 2024 from 10-11:30 AM. $10 for general public.
  • IRISH ROAD BOWLING: You can see people competing in this in Riverside Park on July 20, 2024 from 12-4 PM. It’s in a park, so you don’t have to pay money to walk through and observe.
  •  BALLET UNDER THE STARS: Watch a free ballet performance in the Rose Garden of Hartford’s Elizabeth Park on July 20, 2024 from 6:30-8 PM. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
  • BELLE & YSANNE: A free, live musical performance on Pratt Street from 5:30-7:30 PM on July 26, 2024.
  • MUSIC AMONG THE MEMORIALS: Concert in the boneyard? Hartford Has It! Bluegrass band Five ‘n Change will be performing from 6-8 PM on July 26, 2024 at Cedar Hill Cemetery. If it rains out, the make up date is the following day. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
  • IMPROVISED CRIME SCENE: At Sea Tea Comedy Theater on July 27, 2024 at 7 PM: “A crime (from your suggestions). A witness (who can’t hear). Can our detectives get the details, reconstruct this scene & crack the case?” All yours for $10.
  • CONTEMPLATIVE ART: The Spiritual Life Center is offering a three-part workshop for those who’d like to learn how “creative activities can aid in self-awareness, presence, and spiritual focus. No specific talent or creative skills are required for meaningful participation in this program as everyone has creative potential. […] During this workshop, participants will be introduced to art activities that encourage self-awareness and creative presence. Projects may be individual, in dyads, triads and small groups. Art activities may include drawing, painting, collage, and sculpting. The tone of the workshop will be supportive and non-judgmental.”  This takes place at 76 Sherman Street, home to an outdoor labyrinth. The class meets on Tuesdays July 30, August 6, and August 13, 2024 from 6-8 PM. There is a $30 fee (for all three classes) — so, $10 per class.

REPEATS!

FREE YOGA  through October 13, 2024
Bring your own yoga mat or towel; free, no registration required

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 2024. If you know of things that should be added to the map, contact me. I can’t be everywhere at once.

GETTING TO EVENTS
See CTtransit for bus schedule.
If you would like better bus service, contact CTtransit.
If you would like bicycle parking at a venue, contact that venue directly.
Ask for the kind of world you want to live in.