Music, sports and pop culture, then history, dance and humor, bookend the big annual fireworks show.
Monday, July 1
Three very different cups of tea:
At 7:30 p.m., the Milford Concert Band—“the official band of the city of Milford”—gives an outdoor performance under the roof of the Walnut Beach Pavilion (85 Viscount Dr, Milford). The program features “pop, swing, Broadway and patriotic medleys.” Free.
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Starting at 8 p.m., local music hangout Stella Blues (204 Crown St, New Haven) is celebrating 10 years with a local music hangout starring singer/songwriter Seth Adam, jam band/Jerry Garcia enthusiasts Legion of Jerry and funk/experimental band Rizzo’z Dilemma. No cover.
Starting at 8 p.m. as well, Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281) hosts a show headlined by Dreadnought, whose “elements of progressive rock, black metal, post rock, doom, and folk” are imbued with a rare sense of majesty and technical prowess. Also featuring Sea of Bones’s guttural lo-fi sludge and Mourn the Light’s patient, crisp take on the doom genre, the bill is a study in contrasts and affinities. $5 at the door, or free with RSVP.
Tuesday, July 2
The US women’s national team faces England—one of the toughest teams around—in a 3 p.m. semifinal game at the Women’s World Cup. Any number of local bars will be showing it, as will outdoor screens in Pitkin Plaza (weather permitting). Same goes for the rest of the games this week, culminating in the finals match at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Wednesday, July 3
Themed trivia returns to the East Rock Brewing Company (285 Nicoll St, New Haven; 475-234-6176) at 7:30 p.m. The questions this time revolve around a show whose characters hilariously embody some of the worst in humanity: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Free.
Thursday, July 4 – Independence Day
Perhaps because it’s the largest city in the area, New Haven always gets the actual Fourth of July for its Fourth of July fireworks (assuming good weather, or else it’s delayed a day). They start popping at around 9 p.m., somewhere in the sky near the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument atop East Rock. You can watch it from the official viewing area at Wilbur Cross High (181 Mitchell Dr, New Haven)—though you want to get there early to grab a decent parking spot—or “from anywhere you can see the monument.”
Friday, July 5
From 4 to 5 p.m., the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (121 Wall St, New Haven; 203-432-2977) hosts its annual reading of the Declaration of Independence followed by Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” “Read by Beinecke Library curators, staff, and friends,” the readings are “presented in conjunction with a special display of one of the 26 known copies of the historic first printing of the Declaration of Independence”—a copy that happens to reside within the Beinecke’s collections.
Saturday, July 6
A New Order / Joy Division Dance Party commences at 9 p.m. at The State House (310 State St, New Haven), and it’s just what it sounds like. DJs Wave and R.I.C.H.A.R.D. helm the decks, with a $5 cover after 10 p.m. and no cover before.
Sunday, July 7
You can end the week with a laugh at Three Sheets (372 Elm St, New Haven), where local comic Josh Levinson hosts a monthly comedy open mic. If you’re there to listen, the comedy starts at 7 p.m.; if you’re there to perform, signups start at 6:30. No cover.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
