Music:
At The Big E, enjoy live music including DJ Zedd Friday, Third Eye Blind Saturday and the 90’s Tour with Vanilla Ice, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Montell Jordan and Rob Base Sunday. Buy your tickets at www.thebige.com
It’s a Dave Matthews Band Tribute in the Wolf Den at Mohegan Friday 8pm and an Allman Brothers Tribute Saturday at 8pm. These shows are FREE. www.mohegansun.com
Brian Setzer visits the Premier Theater Friday 8pm at Foxwoods. Tickets are $49-$83. www.foxwoods.com
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra celebrates it’s 80th Anniversary beginning with The Masterworks Series and Elgar’s Enigma Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm in the Belding Theater of the Bushnell. The Hartford Symphony Brass Quintet is prominently featured! Tickets $38-$73. 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org
Events:
Don’t miss the Big E at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield. Rides, Animals, the Avenue of States, shopping and look for the “Speakeasy” Prohibition Era bar hidden in the 1920’s Cobbler Shop in the Young Building. Cream puffs, Bacon Bombs, Main Blueberry Pie, Rhode Island Clam Chowder and live music. You can also celebrate halfway to St. Patrick’s Day with Ireland’s Dingle Peninsula Showcase (pottery, crafts and whiskey!) Enjoy an Authentic New Orleans style Mardi Gras Parade daily at 6pm. This is the FINAL THREE DAYS! Buy your tickets at www.thebige.com
The 25th Annual CT Renaissance Faire continues Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-6pm weekends through October 15th at the Lebanon Fair Grounds, 122 Mack Road. Thrill to continuous entertainment on 11 stages, including jousting knights, live-flight birds of prey, armored combat, circus-style performances, comedy, music, magic, and more. Try a variety of local craft brews and wines while you feast on turkey legs, bread bowl stews, desserts, and other Faire food. Explore New England's largest outdoor artisan marketplace with thousands of unique gift treasures from around the country. At just $15 for General Admission. www.ctfaire.com
The CT Sun battle the NY Liberty Friday 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm (if necessary) at Mohegan Sun Arena in the WNBA Semi-Finals! www.mohegansun.com
UConn Football is Saturday at noon at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. This week’s opponent is Utah State. Gates open early… bring a breakfast tailgate! www.uconnhuskies.com
Bark & Brewfest is Saturday 4-8pm at Trinity Health Stadium (Dillon Stadium home of the Hartford Athletic) Tickets are $35 to $50. Hosted by Dog Star Rescue, this event will bring together local microbreweries and distilleries at Trinity Health Stadium for a fall kick-off party with live music, food trucks, lawn games, raffles and puppies to pet. All proceeds will go toward the rescue's mission of guiding homeless or abandoned dogs to better lives. The ticket cost includes a souvenir cup for unlimited alcohol samples throughout the event, including local favorites such as Back East, Alvarium, and Waypoint Spirits.
Jurassic Quest is the world's largest, most popular Dino event with unique and exciting experiences for the whole family. Observe a herd of life-size animatronic dinosaurs including Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, and an INCREDIBLE T-Rex. Friday Noon to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 8pm and Sunday 9am to 7pm in the Earth Expo and Convention Center at Mohegan Sun. General Admission Tickets are $22. www.jurassicquest.com
Beyond King Tut is at the CT Convention Center now through October 15th. Wednesday & Thursdays 11am – 7pm, Friday and Saturdays 11am – 9pm and Sundays 11am – 6pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) A cinematic exhibition that takes guests on an expansive journey through the true story of King Tut, and one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. Using the next generation of visual storytelling, this immersive exhibition goes beyond a traditional artifact display and uses the power of photography and larger than life multimedia to invite guests into the world of the pharaohs and bring the archives of National Geographic to life. Through nine multi-sensory galleries, visitors are transported into the past through a unique narrative of this 3,000 year old story that the whole family can enjoy. Tickets $39-$79 from VIP to Standard Timed Entry. Less for Children. For more info https://beyondkingtut.com/city/hartford/
The Simsbury Fly-In, Car Show and Food Truck Festival is Sunday from 8am to 5pm. Enjoy the country fair, built around displays of over 700 beautiful airplanes and cars, with 100+ businesses displaying their products, many aerial demonstrations, and an amazing array of 15+ food trucks to satisfy your hunger. Come see an all electric airplane demo, charged by an electric F-150 Lightning Truck, powered by renewable energy. Rides will be available for purchase in either a helicopter and WWII Trainer aircraft. The car show which attracts over 450 cars each year will have trophies awarded in over 30 categories to best in class. Plus live music, gyrocopter demonstration, drone demonstration, and a formation flying demonstration by the Yankee Clippers. www.simsburyflyin.com
St. James Parish, 3 Mountain Rd. in Farmington, hosts it's 5th annual Fall Fair and Craft Show Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the parish's founding, The Fair will feature a Craft Show with regional artists, crafters, and vendors. Booths are inside and outside, so this is a rain or shine event! Also included will be a fabulous Bake Sale, an indoor Coffee Bar, a Craft Beer Booth, Grilled Hamburgers and Hotdogs with cold drinks on the lawn, activities for the kids, and live music by The Jolly Beggars, The Unionvillains, and more! The day will end with a concert featuring Virtuosi at 5:30. You may call the Parish office at 860-677-1564 for more information.
A 3 in 1 Church event…Tag Sale, Breakfast and Fall Plant Sale is Saturday from 9am to 1pm at the Berlin Congregational Church, 878 Worthington Ridge, Berlin. Everyone is welcome, rain or shine. For more information, Eventsberlincongchurch@gmail.com or 860-828-6586.
Goodspeed Musicals presents the new musical The 12, which explores a moment in one of the greatest stories of all time now through October 29 in East Haddam. Jerusalem. The disciples are in disarray. Torn apart by the unthinkable death of their leader, see how twelve ordinary individuals come together to create one of the most powerful movements ever known. Filled with power and passion, The 12 is a universal story of love and how each of us must eventually navigate the loss of whatever we hold most dear. Tickets are available through the Box Office (860.873.8668), open weekdays at 10:00am, or online at www.goodspeed.org
The Adventure Park at Storrs, the area’s best zipline and climbing adventure experience and hosts “Glow in the Park,” featuring a different themes Saturday nights through the fall. Tickets for Glow in the Park, and all the Park’s activities, are available on the Park’s website, www.myadventurepark.com/SAP
Enjoy family fun in Bushnell Park in Harford. Carousel hours are Friday through Sunday noon to 5pm. All rides are $2. www.bushnellpark.org
Farmington Miniature Golf and Ice Cream Parlor is open for the Fall season with family fun and tasty flavors of ice cream. Miniature Golf hours: Monday-Thursday 11am to 8:30pm and Friday - Sunday 10am to 8:30pm. Ice Cream Parlor opens 30 minutes after golf daily. www.FarmingtonMiniatureGolf.com
Halloween Fun:
Phantom Fall Fest invades Lake Compounce Friday nights 6-10pm and Saturday and Sundays noon to 10pm with fear kicking in at 6pm through October 29th! Enjoy 4 haunted attractions including new ones "Sinister Circus" and "Deadsville" plus the return of M-Alice in Wonderland PLUS Scare Zones throughout the park. No BOO Necklaces are available to keep the creeps at bay! www.lakecompounce.com
Legends of Fear Haunted Hayride and Trail in Shelton brings thrills and chills Saturday through November 4th. www.legendsoffear.com
Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours is back at the Mark Twain House and Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford. Featured on Syfy's Ghost Hunters and Biography's My Ghost Story, The Mark Twain House and Museum is filled with haunted history, dark tales, and Victorian traditions surrounding seances and spirits. Take a ghost tour and hear all about these investigations and learn about Mark Twain's own interest in the supernatural. Tickets $21-$26. www.marktwainhouse.org/events
Scarecrows on Main inhabits the historic district of charming Old Wethersfield every day in October 8am to 10pm. Bring the family to see an extensive and creative display of scarecrows along Main Street. Grab a bite at the local ice cream parlor, pizza shop, cafe or restaurant while enjoying this lively and unique scarecrow display in the midst of historic homes, museums and architecture. https://oldwethersfield.com/event/scarecrows-along-main-street-2/
The Southington Apple Harvest Festival begins Friday and runs this weekend and next on the Southington Town Green. The Festival is one of Connecticut's top tourist events held during the height of New England's beautiful fall foliage. Visitors will enjoy a jam-packed schedule of events, entertainment, activities, specialty foods, crafts and fun for all ages. The Zion Lutheran Apple Fritter Booth will remain open daily between the two weekends! www.southington.org/ahf/
Six Flags New England leaves no tombstone unturned to deliver the most terrifying Halloween event on the planet… Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS®. This year’s Halloween season opens Saturday and promises to deliver epic thrills and even bigger scares for the highly anticipated event. Weekends and select days through November 5th. NEW Fright Fest & Kids Boo Fest Lineup includes Soul Harvest, Wasteland, Necropolis: City of the Dead, a Hypnotist Show, Kids Boo Fest Plaza, a Boo Express Kid-Friendly Train and more! www.sixflags.com
The Fair Weather Acres Fall Festival and Corn Maze runs from now through October 29th. So much family fun with pumpkins, petting zoos and lots of activities! They are off Route 3 in Rocky Hill on the Cromwell line and are open Friday, Saturday, and Monday Columbus Day, October 9th 9am-6pm with the last ticket entrance at 4:30pm.
Foodies and families will also enjoy the Lyman Orchards Corn Maze and Cider Donut Festival taking place Saturday and Sunday. From apple cider donut sundaes, pumpkin spice soft service ice cream, pumpkin spice popcorn, kettle corn and steamed, buttery corn on the cob. They’ll have plenty of pick your own apples and pears. There is also free yoga and a drumming circle over the weekend. And … what kid doesn’t like a horse-drawn hayride and face painting. On Friday, there is the “Brew Maze” – with adults enjoying local craft brews during the twilight event – sip, play and find your way through the corn maze.
The Dark Manor in Baltic offers the more classic Haunted House now through October 29th. www.thedark-manor.com
Haunting at the Ridge has transformed Powder Ridge Mountain Resort into a terrifying experience now through October 29th. www.powderridgepark.com
The Forsaken Lands of Goshen shows the spooky side of a desolate farm community now through October 29th. www.forskaenlandshaunt.com