41st Annual Festival of Trees and Traditions - Wadsworth Antheneum - Hartford - December 4 - December 14 - 10:00am - 5:00pm Festival of Trees & Traditions opens at First Thursday, Dec. 4, at 5 p.m., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, Dec. 14 (closed Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 8 and 9.)
On Thursday, Dec. 4, the museum celebrates 41 years of Festival with First Thursday, "Night of Illumination," hosted by Honorary Chair Kara Sundlun of WFSB 3 Connecticut. The evening will feature music by DJ Jon Eastman and the Connecticut Yuletide Carolers, cocktails and food provided by Onyx Moonshine, Olde Burnside Brewing, NoRA Cupcake Co., Infinity Music Hall & Bistro and Bear's Smokehouse BBQ. This is the first opportunity for the public to purchase a tree or wreath. Throughout the week there will be live music in Avery Court and in Aetna Theater performed by over 30 local choirs, bands and orchestras. Mr. and Mrs. Claus will make a return appearance along with the balloon artist, Bella the Clown. Docent-guided tours will be offered daily.
Other programs taking place during Festival include:
Hartford Gay Men's Chorus, "Winter Wonderland: Men in Tights," Dec. 5 & 6
CONNetic Dance, "The Nutcracker Suite & Spicy," Dec. 12-14
The 16th Annual Groton Holiday Lights Parade - Groton - December 6 - 5:00pm.. The line of march is along U. S. Route 1 in downtown Groton from South Road to Drozdyk Drive. Plenty of free parking is available for parade attendees.
There will be floats from community groups, local fire trucks, the Sphinx Shriners, the Silver Dolphins, Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen, Cynthia Dias; Capt. Carl A. Lahti, Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Submarine Base; and music to please the ears. This year's marching musical units, include the Robert E. Fitch Senior High School Marching Band and Guard, the Nutmeg Volunteer Junior Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, the Colchester Continental Fife & Drum Corp, the Westbrook Senior Drum Corps, the Junior Colonials Fife and Drum Corps, and the Grasso Tech High School Band. Immediately after the parade, Santa Claus will have the honor of lighting the holiday tree on the green at the rear of the Groton Shopping Plaza. Parents, you are invited to take your child's photograph with Santa Claus.
Steve Elci and Friends will provide the post-parade entertainment.
There will be free refreshments and a small gift for kids, For weather cancellation info, please call (860) 441-6791.
The Ugly Sweater Run - Bushnell Park - Hartford - December 6 - 11:00am Rummage up the Ugliest Sweaters you can find and celebrate the Holidays by participating in the Merriest 5k on the Planet. Join thousands of runners and walkers. If you've never run a 5k before, this is a great way to burn some calories before receiving hot chocolate and a choice of Sam Adam's Winter Lager, Boston Lager, or Angry Orchard Hard Cider. All you have to do is register online to join in the fun. All kids 5 and under are FREE. If they would like a hat, you can purchase a kids ticket during checkout for $10.
The start line will have huge inflatable's, photo stations, and awesome holiday music. Once you're on the course, you'll find holiday themed stations at every mile. After you've completed your run, join us at the post run festivities. Awards for best real mustache, best fake mustache, best beard, worst sweater, best sweater will follow the race. Register now for your local race!<http://theuglysweaterrun.com/locations>
Make the World Better with a Sweater....After registering, you'll get access to quick, simple tools to create your personal webpage to help you put the "fun" in fundraising. And it's a great place to post photos from your event - including your "elfies" - ugliest holiday wear selfies. Fundraising is optional, but 'tis the season to help this wonderful cause! Don't have a race in your area but still want to show off your ugliest sweater and help Save the Children? You can still Make the World Better with a Sweater, click here<http://www.savethechildren.org/sweater> to find out more!
Register now!<http://theuglysweaterrun.com/locations/> The Ugly Sweater Run(tm)<https://vimeo.com/108842020> from Human Movement<http://vimeo.com/user20834424> on Vimeo<https://vimeo.com>.Go to http://theuglysweaterrun.com/about/
Winterfest Hartford - Free Photos with Santa Claus - Bushnell Park - Hartford - December 6 - December 7 - 12:00noon - 3:00pm Winterfest wouldn't be complete without a visit to Santa, so visit the Pump House and have your photo taken with him for free. Each family receives 1 free 5×7 photo; additional prints may be purchased on the page, the day after you skate. http://www.hartford.com/venue/winterfest/
8th Annual Winter Wonderland at Ray of Light Farm - 232 Town Street - East Haddam - December 6th and 13th - 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Sam and Cody, our Percheron team, will take holiday revelers on a wagon ride through the woods to a festive campfire gathering. We will then warm by the fire, sip hot cocoa and sing carols. Come early to meet the animals of Ray of Light, including rescues and horses available for adoption. $8 per person ages 2-80, free to guests under 2 or over 80! At 4:00pm, a professional photographer will be available for outdoor family photos. There is a price for taking photos, one to five people in the picture will cost $10, first come first served. Santa Claus will arrive at 5:30pm. Parking is always FREE even if you have a tree attached. Ray of Light Website<http://www.rayoflightfarm.org>
Annual Olde Mistick Village Holiday Carnival - Mystic - December 6 - 12:00noon - 6:00pm Free Horse drawn wagon rides, stilt walkers, fire jugglers, holiday choirs, festive brass, kids only shopping with Mrs. Claus, gingerbread house displays, & photos with Santa & your pets! Throughout the Village there will be FREE entertainment all afternoon. The ladies of the Rolling Pin will have children dancing around the duck pond and choirs from Stonington, Mystic and Montville will be leading the caroling. As always the Festive Brass will be playing in the Gazebo and parading around the village. http://www.oldemistickvillage.com/Festivals.aspx
Heights and Lights - Downtown Stamford - December 7 - 5:00pm - 7:00pm From 22 stories high above, watch and cheer for Santa Claus as he makes his daredevil descent, twisting and flying from the top of one of Stamford downtown's tallest buildings, Landmark Square. Then follow Santa up Bedford Street to Latham Park for an evening of holiday music and fun and join in the countdown of the annual lighting of Stamford's Holiday Tree. http://stamford-downtown.com/events/heights-lights
Holiday Light Fantasia - Goodwin Park - Hartford - November 27 - January 1 - 5:00pm The city-wide celebration captures the true spirit of the holiday season! We hope our festive show offers an enchanting evening of fun for family and friends while providing a much needed break from the hectic holiday season. $15 per car (up to 10 passengers) www.holidaylightfantasia.org/<http://www.holidaylightfantasia.org/>
Sunday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Winterfest Hartford - Free Ice Skating - Bushnell Park - Hartford - November 29 - February 1 - 11:00am - 8:00pm Skate for free 7-days-a-week at the Winterfest ice rink on the east side of Bushnell Park near the Pump House. Come after work, on your lunch break or as a part of a trip downtown to see some of the city's cultural treasures. Don't have your own skates? There are free skate rentals, too. Winterfest is brought to you by the iQuilt Partnership and the City of Hartford. http://www.hartford.com/venue/winterfest
The Chocolate Expo - Connecticut Science Center - Hartford- December 7 - 11:00am - 6:00pm Get ready for Connecticut's new holiday tradition. You will enjoy a different chocolaty treat with every step. Taste confections by 40 vendors from the simple to the elaborate, including chocolates, baked goods, gelato and much more. You can even get a jump on holiday shopping- these delicious items make perfect gifts and will be available for purchase. http://www.thechocolateexpo.com/
3rd Annual Lake Compounce Holiday Lights - Bristol - December 5 - December 21 - (Fridays- 5:00pm - 9:00pm - Saturdays- Sundays 4:00pm - 9:00pm) Festive activities includes a spectacular light show every half hour at the main gate, featuring tens of thousands of dancing lights set to holiday music. Kiddieland rides and family-themed rides, the train is transformed into the North Pole Railway and operated by a very special train conductor with a magical holiday story to tell. There will be strolling carolers, ice carvings and festive entertainment including clowns and lots of holiday characters. Indoor activities include cookie decorating and gingerbread house making. Children can create their letter to Santa and enjoys story time with Mrs. Claus. https://www.lakecompounce.com/holidaylights
20th Annual Fantasy of Lights - New Haven's Lighthouse Point Park - New Haven - November 28 - January 6. Check out over 60 attractions that include animated and LED light displays! While you're there, share your experience with your friends on social media using #fantasyoflights. You can show off your favorite displays all while participating in a great cause. So whether it's your first or twentieth year enjoying the Fantasy of Lights, get ready to be dazzled by over 100,000 lights! $10 per car. http://www.eastersealsgoodwill.org/events
Sunday - Thursday 5:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday - Saturday 5:00pm - 10:00pm
Lantern Light Tours - Mystic Seaport - Mystic - November 29 - December 27 - 5:00pm (leaves every 15 minutes) Experience a New England holiday tradition at Mystic Seaport and step back in time of Christmas Eve 1876 for a guided tour of Greenmanville. Both young and old will enjoy seasonal delights during this 70-minute progressive play that features a traditional tavern dance, a horse-drawn carriage ride and the beautiful glow of hundred of lanterns that light the way. Lantern Light Tours require a special ticket in lieu of admission. http://www.mysticseaport.org/
Bob Chudy
Program Director
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
Office of Global Affairs
University of Connecticut
Rowe Center Room 126
Storrs, CT 06269
phone: 860-486-6653
email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
web: www.isss.uconn.edu<http://www.isss.uconn.edu>
