Between literal parades, a big Saturday may offer the most impressive procession of all.
Monday, May 29 – Memorial Day
Parades mark the occasion in Hamden, West Haven and Madison.
Tuesday, May 30
The Yale Salsa Society’s first Salsa Under the Stars this summer starts at 6:30 p.m. with “a short lesson at the beginning for new folks” followed by a dance party from 7 to 9:30.
The “infamous” film Ishtar (1987)—“a comedy whose greatest joke is still widely thought to be its own monumental failure,” according to recent apologetics in The Guardian—screens at Hamden’s Best Video at 7. “Entry is FREE for members/$7 for non-members. The Best Video Coffee Bar will be open, serving beer, wine, cafe drinks and FREE POPCORN!”
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Wednesday, May 31
Hear familiar music somewhere exotic and exotic music somewhere familiar. First, from 12:30 to 1, the Haven String Quartet perform at the Yale University Art Gallery “accompanied by conversation, close looking at images, and a question-and-answer session.” Second, at 8, Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band, “a contemporary group from Burkina Faso… steeped in the Mandingue musical traditions of their ancestral legacy” and “a formidable force… in Ouagadougou’s DIY underground musical culture,” perform at Cafe Nine.
Thursday, June 1
Want a free piano lesson? Mitchell Library is hosting free half-hour sessions between 3:30 and 6 p.m. Just “sign up… at the circulation desk.”
Friday, June 2
At 7:30 at the Lyman Center, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra presents a tribute to Aretha Franklin “featur
From 9 p.m. until late, “funky beats, dazzling lights, and non-stop disco hits” led by “a local star-studded lineup” of DJs are the promises of For the Culture’s next Boogie Nights dance party at Stella Blues.
Saturday, June 3
“A great day of fun with music, competition, food and beverages” starts bright and early, at 8 a.m., during the Canal Dock Boathouse’s 6th Annual Dragon Boat Regatta.
From 10 to 4 today and tomorrow, Edgerton Park hosts the Bonsai Society of Greater New Haven’s annual show featuring demonstrations, lessons, raffle prizes and a display of 50 trees.
Starting at 11 a.m., the Alchemy Music and Arts Festival at The Beeracks in East Haven promises more than a dozen musical acts across two stages; commercial and artistic vendors; “several food trucks to satisfy all tastes and diets”; and, of course, lotsa beer.
Speaking of beer, from noon to 9, New England Brewing in Woodbridge throws a 21st-anniversary carnival. Along with food trucks, live music and, of course, lotsa beer, organizer promise an impressive commitment to the theme with acts and attractions including “magic, solo & duo juggling, hand balancing, unicycl
Speaking again of beer, also starting at noon, host Armada Brewing and partner Strange Ways join forces for a Pride Month celebration with a “curated LGBTQ+ vendor market” that doubles as a release party for their collaborative sour beer, “Queer Occult.”
From noon to 4, Jazzy’s Cabaret holds A Jazzy Gospel Brunch hosted by Rhythm of the City’s Big Ern and featuring saxophonist Quinn Mitchell “and friends.”
Also at noon, Taste The World, a “multicultural family festival” hosted by Neighborhood Housing Services, aims at “inclusively fostering community” by convening “various food trucks and carts from the city, cooking demonstrations, and entertainment… from different cultures.”
Starting at 1, a Dixwell neighborhood festival at the Q House features musical entertainment, line dance instruction, a fashion show and additional “activities, tabling, and takeaways.”
From 1 to 6 at the Quinnipiac River Marina, this year’s Quinnipiac Riverfest offers food and drink, live music and other entertainment and nearly 30 community vendors.
At 3, the Hyland House Museum in Guilford hosts a Jazz in the Garden party to “celebrate our opening day.” “Libations and tapas” are on the menu.
Sunday, June 4
At Milford’s Lisman’s Landing, the town’s 21st Annual Pirates Day promises a “fun, family-friendly day of adventure, treasure, and, of course, pirates!” The docket starts as early as 9 a.m. with “Pancakes with the Pirates,” followed around midday by “the arrival of Captain Kidd and his crew on The Elixir” and, from 1 to 3 on the Milford Town Green, steel drum music. Also, somewhere in there, “We’ll have Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate join us for pirate songs, story time, crafts, vendors, food trucks, Mystic Seaport’s Free Men of the Sea at The Milford Historical Society, and, of course, a treasure hunt through participating DMBA member businesses.”
The New Haven Museum’s historic Pardee-Morris House opens its summer season with tours from noon to 4 and guided tai chi at 2.
Finally, at 1:30 p.m., the 57th Annual Freddy Fixer Parade, “one of the oldest Black American parades in the Northeast,” steps off for the first time since 2019, taking a straight shot down Dixwell Avenue from Bassett Street to Lake Place.
Written by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
