A Mahjong Monday meets a down-home dance, edifying experts, candlelit classical, studio stops and bartending ballplayers. Plus two very different kinds of rock shows.
Monday, April 6
From 5 to 9 p.m., New England Brewing Co. in Branford hosts its next Mahjong Monday, inviting new and seasoned players to join “casual tables [and] friendly faces.”
Wednesday, April 8
At 7 p.m., Best Video in Hamden screens McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. “Set in Washington State during the early 1900s,” this “anti-Western” (because it “ignores or subverts a number of Western conventions”) “follows a mysterious gambler and alleged shootist (Beatty) who recruits a British madam (Christie) to run a boomtown brothel, later running afoul of powerful business interests.”
A 7:30 bill brings headliner Bad Suns and their “magnetic blend of indie rock and ’80s synth”—more recently augmented by ’90s house influence—to Toad’s Place.
Thursday, April 9
From 6 to 11 p.m. at MakeHaven, Liam Doherty-Nicholson brews some beer while discussing the craft. “This is a drop-in-friendly session, so feel free to stay for the whole brew or just pop in for a bit to ask questions and see the setup. We will be crafting a favorite IPA recipe while talking shop about temperature control and lager techniques… Feel free to bring a couple of your own favorite beers or meads,” whether purchased or home-brewed, “to share with the group.”
Kickin’ It for Community, a beginner-friendly “high-energy line dancing night” and fundraiser for the Guilford Community Fund, moves from 6:30 to 9 at VFW Post 7666 in Guilford.
The Connecticut-rooted band Cheem and its unapologetically uninhibited “nu pop”—whose DNA includes the impertinent nu metal of early Incubus and the affected emo pop of Fallout Boy, among other choice strains—headline an 8 p.m. show at Hamden’s Space Ballroom.
Friday, April 10
At 7:30 p.m. today and tomorrow, “experience the intimacy and beauty of orchestral music by candlelight” during the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Candlelight Concerts at St. Mary’s Church, where only scattered seats remain.
Saturday, April 11
The New Haven Mineral Club’s 50th Annual Show, a “gathering of collectors and rockhounds” at North Haven’s Clarion Inn, rolls from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 10 to 4:30 tomorrow (though a different listing offers slightly different timing). Expect “minerals, gems, jewelry, fossils, crystals [and] ‘metaphysical stones’” and “exhibits, demonstrations, kids’ activities, door prizes [and] refreshments.”
It’s that time of year. An Ask a Gardener event from 10 to 2 at the Wilson Branch Library offers a chance to query for “tips and resources from master gardeners and members of the Davenport Community Garden,” with the latter also providing “info about how to get involved in community gardens in your neighborhood.”
A New Haven Open Studios event offers access to a collage of artists, artworks and art-making spaces, all pasted together by a complimentary shuttle bus. Visit the studios of the Ely Center’s current Keyhole artists-in-residence from noon to 5; of participating MFA students and art-major undergraduates at the Yale School of Art (and its satellite space at 32 Edgewood); and of NXTHVN’s current student fellows and residents from 1 to 5.
From 5 to 8 p.m., ex-New York Yankees and World Series winners Chuck Knoblauch and Shane Spencer are guest-bartending at Riva in West Haven. A VIP option appears to take things up a notch, offering a meet-and-greet with the players, a pair of guaranteed autographs (bring your own items to be signed) and a complimentary cocktail.
Sunday, April 12
Back at Riva, a 2 p.m. watch party for the final day of the 2026 Masters Tournament boasts a golf simulator where you can “step up, swing big, and test your skills in our Longest Drive Competition and Putting Challenge,” with “prizes and bragging rights” on the line.
Written by Dan Mims. Image, featuring Cheem, photographed by Abby Clare. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
