St. Patrick’s Day grabs the headlines, but it’s actually just one of three holidays in this week’s shamrock.
Monday, March 10
At 6 p.m. at MakeHaven, instructor Stacy Uchendu breaks out a compound microscope and leads “a deep dive into the hidden details of a prepared slide.”
Tuesday, March 11
From 7 to 10 p.m. at Cafe Nine, New Haven Jazz Underground’s next Tuesday Night Jazz Jam offers “a night of jazz performance… with a house band/performer followed by an open jam session.”
Wednesday, March 12
Competing trivia nights pose a dilemma for fans of vintage NBC sitcoms. At 6:30, East Rock Brewing gets together with Friends, while Branford’s Stony Creek Brewery clocks into The Office at 7.
Thursday, March 13
Wilson Library always “offers free seeds and books on how to grow them, but sometimes plant problems can be tricky.” Between 2 and 5 p.m., “stop by with a leaf, a picture or a question about your gardening challenges and get great resources from a local master gardener, Dr. Faith Bailey. Gardening crafts and refreshments may be available while supplies last!”
From 6:30 to 8, a St. Patrick’s Day Cocktail Class at the Madison Beach Hotel offers an Irish whiskey tasting followed by a “hands-on workshop” focused, presumably, on the same spirit. “You’ll learn some techniques, try your hand at mixing and shaking, sample your cocktails, and enjoy some small snackable bites.”
At 7, Yale’s Humanities Quadrangle and NYU film academic/archivist Dan Streible host a screening to mark the first Amateur Movie Day. “Featuring award-winning gems from the Yale Film Archive as well as works from archives around the world,” the internationally celebrated occasion promises cinematic “treats you’ll likely never find anywhere else!”
Friday, March 14
Starting at 6 p.m., Branford’s Thimble Island Brewing gets ahead of things with a St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Kickoff. “Come join us for live music featuring Some Hacks, Irish food specials, and Irish style beers!”
At 7, the Quinnipiac men’s hockey team takes on Brown University at home for the first game in a best-of-three series to determine who will advance to the 2025 ECAC tourney semifinals.
At 9, a Holi party at Terminal 110 promises “Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood beats” via “the hottest desi tracks,” as a neon glow party ambience invokes the Hindu holiday’s bright colors without the traditional powder-flinging mess.
Also at 9, Demystification—“a night of goth/darkwave music in a mixed format of live bands and DJs”—begins at Cafe Nine.
Saturday, March 15
From 9:30 to 11 a.m., Best Video in Hamden conjures “the time-honored tradition of Saturday morning cartoons and bad cereal.” In addition to the cartoons, the venue “will supply the bad cereal, bowls, spoons, and milk. You just bring your bad selves and the kiddos (or not). Feel free to stay in your PJs! $5 suggested donation.”
Back at Stony Creek Brewery, the seventh annual Shenanigans Irish Festival dangles “beer, food, specialty cocktails, live music, vendors, competitions and prizes!”
Mezzo Grille’s patio in Middletown hosts what organizers claim will be “Connecticut’s biggest St. Paddy’s Weekend Darty.” That’s not a typo; it’s a portmanteau of “day party,” in this case starting at 2 p.m. and promising “500+ attendees, Jameson tastings and swag, all-day Guinness [and other] specials [and] sounds by Donny-D & Friends.”
Sunday, March 16
The Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade, billed as “the largest free single-day spectator event in the state of Connecticut,” steps off at 1:30 p.m. from Sherman Avenue and Chapel Street, proceeding down the latter until Church Street, where it hangs a left around the Green. The procession then turns right on Elm, passing the parade’s Family Fun Zone, which opens at noon. Some nearby bars will be open earlier, warming people up for the annual show of marching and rock bands, dance troupes, classic cars, parade officialdom and more.
And, of course, bars will be open afterward. The Trinity, the last Irish bar standing downtown, is sure to be packed, but Cafe Nine is back in the mix, too, with “two rowdy sets of traditional Irish folk and fight songs” from A Drop of the Pure, “New Haven’s premier traditional Irish ensemble,” starting at 3 p.m. “We’ll have corned beef sandwiches on deck and the Guinness and whiskey will be pouring heavily all day and night.”
Written by Dan Mims. Image, featuring a moment from the 2022 parade, photographed by Jeremy Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
