A party starts it, and celebrations finish it.
Monday, June 13
Long Wharf Theatre’s “Big Tent Party,” its “biggest fundraiser of the year,” begins at 5 p.m. with cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres, tasting stations and live jazz; continues at 6:15 with live music, the premiere of a short documentary film incorporating Long Wharf costumes and a “paddle raise” auction; and culminates after 7:30 in a dance party fueled by food trucks and dessert stations. Tickets to the whole shebang start at $300, with a $30 option for those wanting to attend just the dance party part.
Tuesday, June 14
After a break yesterday, the first full week of this year’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas begins. Today alone, get “Lost” in a private collection of local artifacts, take a “super moon paddle tour” on “open water in the dark” or experience a Dallas-based dance company committed to the “highest level of artistic excellence.”
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Wednesday, June 15
Loosely coinciding with Juneteenth, local tea-maker New Line Blending & Roastery hosts a $5 tasting—“explor
Thursday, June 16
The next Salsa in Ninth Square, featuring salsa instruction followed by social dancing, starts at 6 p.m. on Orange Street north of Crown.
Also at 6, Sav-Rite Liquors in North Haven hosts what could be a fun pre-Father’s Day night out: a ticketed “Bourbon 201” class covering flagship and “super premium” brands from “the top six distilleries” and including “light appetizers and nine 1/3 shot samples.”
Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, pursues his macabre and musical revenge just five more times at Madison Lyric Stage, beginning with tonight’s 7:30 performance.
Friday, June 17
Hamden Town Center Park hosts the Hamden Food Truck Festival starting at 4:30, featuring 17 confirmed food trucks with tunes from DJ Rachel and the classic rock band Not Sorry.
A rescheduled standup comedy show by actor and writer Chris Gethard—who had a small but scene-stealing turn as the would-be hitman Trevor on The Office, among many other TV and film roles—finally comes to The State House at 7 p.m.
Also at 7 tonight (as well as 11 a.m. tomorrow), the Hamden Heronettes, a girls’ artistic (a.k.a. synchronized) swimming crew, present “Artistry in Motion” in their home pool at Hamden High. For $12 per ticket, organizers say you can expect a “large-scale performance” of “competitive routines” in “glittering competition suits!”
Saturday, June 18
From 11 to 2 in Brent Watt Park, the city of West Haven celebrates Juneteenth a day early, promising food, vendors, a talent showcase, live music and “family fun.”
“Are you looking to put yourself out there and make new, real friends while doing fun activities?” If so, organizers of a “Frenzies”—“Friendsies”?—event in East Rock Park from 2 to 6 promise “activities that take the planning and effort out” of making friends.
Sunday, June 19 – Father’s Day & Juneteenth
If Dad likes trains, history or mechanical topics in general, the Shore Line Trolley Museum’s Father’s Day tours offering “a rare peek behind the scenes… to see the car restoration process in action!” might be right on track. “Free admission for Dad, Grandpa, or the father in your life (included with one paid admission)” is promised, with admission time slots starting at 11 in the morning and tours at 11:30.
From noon to 2:30, the New Haven Museum’s Pardee-Morris House celebrates Juneteenth by remembering Pink and Stepna, “two enslaved individuals who are now memorialized with Witness Stones”—“cement and bronze markers which note the names of enslaved individuals, their trades, and whether they were emancipated or died enslaved, along with corresponding dates”—onsite.
Arts & Ideas offers a whole itinerary celebrating Juneteenth. After an opening salvo yesterday featuring jazz, gospel and traditional drumming, a shoppable “Juneteenth Village” inspired by Tulsa, Oklahoma’s historic “Black Wall Street” district, the site of a race massacre in 1921, starts at 1 p.m., followed by a themed bike ride at 2, an African cooking talk and demo at 3 and an “Elder Honoring” ceremony at 7:30.
Jazzy’s Cabaret combines both Juneteenth and Father’s Day into a “burlesque revue” inspired by the Harlem Renaissance. Ticket options offer dinner and a show ($50), just the show ($25) or a spot in the separate bar room ($0).
Written by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
