October arrives, as do three more Oktoberfests.
Tuesday, September 30
A few hours before the presumptive start of the Halloween season, RJ Julia’s bookstores in Madison and Middletown both have murder mysteries on the mind. At 6 p.m. in Middletown, Katie Tietjen will discuss and sign copies of her new “light historical mystery,” Murder in Miniature. At 6:30 in Madison, Joan O’Leary will do the same regarding her “juicy debut whodunit,” A Killer Wedding.
At 7, Best Video also presages the thrilling month ahead, with a screening of the beautiful and unsettling dark fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).
Wednesday, October 1
A month of events built up around Erector Square Open Studios, which happens on October 18 and 19, begins at 5 p.m. with an opening reception for Glorious Index, “a group exhibition of small works by artists participating in New Haven’s October Open Studios” at the Institute Library.
At 6:30, East Rock Brewing hosts an animated movie trivia night.
At 8, the Movies in the Plaza series, held in Pitkin Plaza, goes darker with Poltergeist, though I don’t know if it’s the 1982 original or the 2015 remake.
Thursday, October 2
Leo Villareal, the artist behind the Celestial Garden installation (closing October 10) at Yale’s Schwarzman Center, comes to the Yale University Art Gallery for a 5:30 p.m. discussion primed to incorporate “issues central to Villareal’s practice, including public art, communal experience, and the physical and psychic impact of his works on viewers.”
Friday, October 3
From dusk (6:30ish?) to 10, Lyman Orchards in Middletown returns with Evidence of Evil, an annual monthlong weekend haunted attraction “blend[ing] cinematic storytelling, live actors, and high-intensity scares that’ll leave you gripping your friends and questioning your life choices.” Note: Tickets are only sold online.
Fright Haven in Stratford is also back for this witching month’s weekends, offering “over 20,000 square feet of scares” across two themed areas: the infernal Hotel Hex and a Barbie-inspired “nightmare built on plastic smiles and painted lies” called The Dreamhouse. Hours this weekend run from 7 to 10 p.m. today and tomorrow and 7 to 9 on Sunday.
Also at 7, Armada Brewing hosts a horror-themed trivia night that sounds like it’ll reach well beyond movies, “diving deep into the world of things that go bump in the night.”
Saturday, October 4
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Unitarian Society of New Haven, located in Hamden, hosts a Giant Flea Market/Tag Sale. “Come for bargains—household items, toys & games, jewelry, books, plants, artwork, and more.”
From 11 to 4 in West Haven’s Old Grove Park, a festival called Westie Pawlooza presents a pooch-focused program of attractions including dog rescues, food trucks, vendors, raffles, K9 demos, music, a doggie photo booth and a costume parade (presumably also for the dogs).
Twelve Percent Beer Project in North Haven celebrates Oktoberfest starting at 11 a.m. today and ending at 6 p.m. tomorrow with “live music, games, pretzels, sausages, dancing, and plenty of delicious BEER!” The live music, by the way, includes modern German and Polish polkas and “Alpine-American rock.”
From noon to 6, Milford Porchfest convenes well over 100 musical acts in five zones around the town. Organizers say food trucks will be “stationed in each zone,” though of course you can bring your own vittles—and lawn chairs.
From 1 to 11 in Hamden, the Cellar on Broadway hosts Doom and Brews VI, a nine-band stoner doom metal festival whose refreshments include Detroit-style pizza and “the best in New England beer.”
Also in Hamden, from 6 to 8, the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop kicks off October in the Barn, an event series in the Eli Whitney Barn. First up is a concert by The Bargain, a local trio offering “a fusion of guitar-driven acoustic pop pieces and soaring ballads, bolstered by vocal harmonies and mandolin.”
Sunday, October 5
From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wonktoberfest, an Oktoberfest party with a Willy Wonka dimension, fills New England Brewing Company’s Branford campus with limited-edition German-style beers, food specials, live music, stein-hoisting competitions and a “Golden Lid Challenge” hiding five golden lids for celebrants to find and redeem for prizes.
From 11 to 4, the Bethany Harvest Festival at the old Bethany Airport convenes “food trucks, entertainment, crafters, vendors, animals, kids’ activities and more!”
Also starting at 11, the Madison Beach Hotel holds its Annual Fall Festival and Marketplace, offering live music, food and drink for sale, a beer sampling with East Rock Brewing, kids’ activities and a popup market of “artisans, crafters and producers.”
Finally, from noon to 6, West Haven’s Harugari German-American Club holds an Oktoberfest of its own—reportedly Connecticut’s oldest such tradition, which would certainly make sense—featuring German refreshments, live music, vendors and, to go by one of the flyer photos, lederhosen and dirndln.
Written by Dan Mims. Image features a moment from Pan’s Labyrinth. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
