Summer is picnic season. Summer is the season for free evening concert series in Connecticut’s towns. Put them together and you’ve got a pleasant night alfresco.
All around the Hartford area, towns are hosting host free outdoor concerts. Music includes jazz, rock, pop, choral, rhythm-and-blues, country, soul, patriotic, symphonic, swing and world music.
So pack a basket and lawn chairs, get there early, find a good spot, chow down and relax to some tunes. If you don’t want to pack a meal, food trucks will be parked at many locations. Alcohol is prohibited at most venues. Check websites for details, parking locations, rain dates and rain sites and musical genres.
Here is a list of concert series and who’s playing when in the Greater Hartford area. It is not all-inclusive.
Hartford
The Butler-McCook House & Garden, 396 Main St. in Hartford historic garden, will hold its Sunset Sounds concerts on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. from June to September. ctlandmarks.org.
June 13: Kate Callahan & Friends, with Cynthia Wolcott, Michelle Begley and Atticus Kelly, with the opening act The Music Moves Hartford “Downtown Singers”
July 11: Jazz music with Louis Hayes, Dezron Douglas and Abraham Burton
Aug. 8: Connecticut State Troubadour Nekita Waller
Sept. 12: West End Blend.
Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz.
Jazz in Bushnell Park
The Hartford Jazz Society presents Paul Brown Monday Night Jazz at 6 p.m. each week in Bushnell Park. hartfordjazzsociety.com
July 8: Jovan Alexandre Quartet and Dezron Douglas / Black Lion
July 15: Jocelyn Pleasant and The Lost Tribe amd Sherry Winston
July 22: Orquesta Espada and Elio Villafranca Quartet
July 29: The Matt Chasen Generation Ensemble? and Antonio Hart’s Roy Hargrove tribute
Aug. 5: Mike Carabello Quintet and Darryl Yokely Sound Reformation
Aug. 12: Kris Jensen and OGJB Quartet
The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz is July 19 to 21 in Bushnell Park. hartfordjazz.org.
July 19: The Funky Dawgz Brass Band and Delfeayo Marsalis
July 20: Rohn Lawrence, Jazmin Ghent, Julian Vaughn, Braxton Brothers, Studio 860 and Personal Touch
July 21: The Funky Dawgz Brass Band; Steve Clarke; Zaccai Curtis featuring Craig Handy, Joe Dyson, Mike Boone and Brevan Hampden; Jonathan Barber; and The Nat Reeves Experience featuring Nat Reeves, Eddie Henderson, Mike Clark and Peter Zac
Elizabeth Park
Elizabeth Park, on the Hartford-West Hartford town line, is having a four-night series of concerts on the Rose Lawn on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. elizabethparkct.org
June 26: Mass-Conn-Fusion
July 3: Goza Latin Band
July 10: Latanya Farrell
July 17: Eight to the Bar
Connecticut Historical Society
The 4th annual outdoor concert series is on the third Thursdays in June, July and Aug. at 6 p.m. on the lawn of the CHS at 1 Elizabeth St. in Hartford. chs.org.
June 20: Ugandan fusion music by Zikina
July 18: Betsy’s Band, a New England country dance band
Aug. 15: El Conjunto Guajiba y Sharina “La Reinita que Canta,” Puerto Rican jíbaro music
West Hartford
Webster Walk in Blue Back Square in West Hartford hosts a variety of musicians on a variety of dates all summer. Concerts are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. westhartfordct.gov
June 14: The Accounting Crows
June 15: Fever
June 22: JME Strchild & The Masters of Space and Time
June 23 at 6 p.m.: Sunday Vinyl
June 28: Streetlight Shakers
June 29: Counting Blue Cars
June 30 at 5 p.m.: Julian Sherwood and Portrait Party
July 6: Fever
July 12: Majic Bullets
July 13: Stay Tuned Band
July 14: The Accounting Crows
July 19: Fever
July 20 at 5 p.m.: Julian Sherwood and Field of Birds
July 26: Accounting Crows
July 27: Randall Kane Quartet
Aug. 3: Stealhead
Aug. 8: Fever
Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m.: Hammersmith
Aug. 17: Halfton Tiger
Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.: Guinea Pigs
Aug. 24: Randall Kane Quartet
Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m.: Hammersmith
Sept. 13: Accounting Crows
Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.: Jennifer & Max
Sept. 27: Halfton Tiger
Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.: Jeff Mainville Trio
Sept. 28 at 3 p.m.: 3G
Glastonbury
The Riverfront Music Series is on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Welles Street Riverfront Park behind the Riverfront Community Center. crvchamber.org.
July 10: Shaded Soul
July 17: White Wedding
July 24: Maxxtone
July 31: ETA
Wethersfield
The Keeney Kooler Concert Series is at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center on Main Street in Old Wethersfield. Showtime is Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. wethersfieldct.gov.
July 9: Ed Fast and Conga Bop
July 16: TBA
July 23: Number Nine Band
Newington
The Edythe & Harry Mandell 2019 Summer Concert Series is at Mill Pond Park, 123 Garfield St. in Newington. Concerts are at 6 p.m. most on Thursdays. newingtonct.gov
June 13: Rock Solid Alibi
June 20: Wooden Horse
June 27: Southern Sky
July 11: Timmy Maia
July 17 (Wednesday): Larry Stevens Band
July 18: What It Is
July 19 (Friday): Last Licks
July 20 (Saturday): Dually Noted at 2 p.m. and Mass-Conn-Fusion at 6 p.m.
July 25: The Daily Planet
Aug. 1: First Company Governor’s Foot Guard
Bloomfield
Bloomfield Concerts on the Green are held on Thursdays at 7 p.m. on the Town Hall lawn. bloomfieldct.gov/leisure-services.
June 20: Latanya Farrell
June 27: Billy Pilgrim Band
July 4: Simply Swing
July 11: Avenue Groove
July 18: Still Kickin It and The Big City Horns
July 25: West Indian celebration
Aug. 1: All Funk’d up
Aug. 8: Personal Touch
Aug. 15: Shaded Soul
Aug. 22: Interfaith concert
Manchester
The Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell will hold its 42nd season of free concerts from July 6 to Aug. 21. All shows are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. manchesterbandshell.com
July 6: The North Cove Rogues and Mass-Conn-Fusion
July 10: Soul Sound Revue
July 12: Six Pack Blues
July 15: Night Shift
July 17: Angelo Sapia
July 19: Windham Concert Band
July 22: Lahot Jazz & Co.
July 26: Cruz Machine
July 29: 102nd Army National Guard Band (second show at 8:30 p.m.)
July 31: Kidsville Cuckoo Revue (6:30 p.m.)
Aug. 2: Blues on the Rocks
Aug. 5: Ticket to Ride
Aug. 7: Whodat!
Aug. 9: Undercover
Aug. 12: Survivors Swing Band
Aug. 14: Jim McCardle with New England Ceili Band
Aug. 16: Grass Routes
Aug. 19: Glenn Hansen Orchestra
Aug. 21: United States Coast Guard Band
East Hartford
East Hartford Parks and Recreation presents The Sounds of Summer on Thursdays at 6 p.m. in Great River Park, 201 East River Drive. easthartfordct.gov.
June 27: Off the Record
July 11: Espada
July 18: Shaded Soul
July 25: Dually Noted
Aug. 1: Goza Latin Band
Aug. 8: Soul Sound Revue
Windsor
First Town Downtown presents a concert series on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. on the Windsor town green. firsttowndowntown.org
June 27: Gene Donaldson and the Stingrays
July 4: Steve Lipman
July 11: BUS13
July 18: Off The Record
July 25: Army Band
Aug 1: Farmington Valley Band
Aug 8: Blue Skies
Aug 15: Big City Horns
Aug 22: Rock Solid Alibi
South Windsor
The Promenade Shops at Evergreen Walk in South Windsor will hold a concert series on Thursdays at 7 p.m. recreation.southwindsor.org.
June 20: Savage Brothers
June 27: Redhead
July 11: LA’s Backstage Pass
July 18: Avenue Groove
July 15: Number 9
Aug. 1: Southern Sky
Aug. 8: Island Castaways
Aug. 15: Soul Sound Revue
Windsor Locks
On Tuesdays at 7 p.m., music can be heard on the lawn of Southwest Elderly Housing at 124 Southwest Ave. in Windsor Locks. windsorlocksct.org.
June 25: Whiskey, Wine & Coke (this concert will be at the library at 28 Main St.)
July 2: Monthei Brothers Band
July 9: Stealhead
July 16: Full Krew
July 23: Kim Normal
July 30: Savage Brothers
Aug. 6: Caribbean Beach Bums
Aug. 13: Tirebiter
Middletown
Music at the Mansion is at The Wadsworth Mansion, 421 Wadsworth St. in Middletown, on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. wadsworthmansion.com
July 3: Shaded Soul
July 10: Hartford Jazz Orchestra
July 17: CJ West and the Downtown Train
July 24: Plywood Cowboy
July 31: Middletown Symphonic Band
Rocky Hill
Veterans Memorial Amphitheater in Elm Ridge Park in Rocky Hill is the site of the Richard D. Tulisano Summer Concert Series on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. Food will be available for purchase. http://rhparksrecprograms.info
July 9: Changes in Latitude
July 16: Rave On
July 23: Larry Stevens
July 30: Coyote River Band
Aug. 6: Draw the Line
Farmington
Alice Clover Pinney Park in the Unionville section of Farmington will have concerts on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. farmington-ct.org.
June 20: New Horizons
June 27: Ball in the House
July 11: L & B All Star Review
July 18: C-Side Alley
July 25: Wednesday Bowling League
Aug. 1: Mass-Conn-Fusion
Aug. 8: The Future Heavys
Aug. 15: Rotary
Plainville
Concerts will be presented on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Norton Park, 197 South Washington St. in Plainville. plainvillect.com.
June 11: Plainville Choral Society
June 18: Kenn Morr
June 25: Simply Swing
July 2: Last Fair Deal
July 9: Riverboat Ramblers
July 16: Nzinga’s Daughters
July 23: Center Stage Jazz
July, 30: Old Tyme Fiddlers
Bristol
“Rockin Out at Rockwell” will be at Rockwell Park Amphitheatre, 238 Jacobs St. in Bristol, on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. bristolallheart.com
June 25: Running On Empty
July 9: Southern Voice
July 16: Marty Q
July 23: LA Backstage Pass
July 30: 102 Army Rock Band
Aug. 6: Spirit Shakers
Aug. 13: South Sound Revue
Aug. 20: Latanya Farrell
East Haddam
The 13th annual Music on the River will be Mondays at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn of the Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main St. in East Haddam. easthaddam.org/Music-on-the-River/.
July 8: New London Big Band
July 15: The Suitcase Junket
July 22: Sierra Hull
July 29: The Rainbow Girls
Aug. 5: Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez
Aug. 12: Blair Crimmins and the Hoookers
Southington
The 26th annual Music on the Green series is on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Southington Town Green. A classic car show will be there on the evening of each concert. southington.org/music.
June 12: Darik and the Funbags
June 19: Norm Flash and the Starfires
June 26: What It Is
July 3: The Diamond Collection
July 10: Long Island Sound Band
July 17: Ball in the House
July 24: The Sam Vinci Orchestra
July 31: BootLeg Band
Aug. 7: Dennis Polisky & Maestro’s Men
Aug. 14: The Glamour Girls
Aug. 21: The Pop Rocks
Aug. 28: King Kountry
Sept. 4: Soul Sound Revue
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com
