The Fourth of July weekend kicks off in Hartford today with three days of American history-themed concerts, talks and screenings, anchored by Hartford Bonanza in Bushnell Park on Saturday.
An event series, “Long Weekend Hartford,” opens today at Colt Park, where the city will rededicate the newly restored Colt Monument. The opening ceremony starts at 12:30 p.m., followed by a talk on the sculpture’s conservation at 1 p.m. and a Coltsville walking tour at 2 p.m., with family activities and food trucks running through 4 p.m.
The action moves to Mortensen Riverfront Plaza at 6 p.m. for a concert featuring Windsor Fife & Drum, Culture 4 A Cause, the BAP Pack, Mixashawn and the 102nd Army Band, while Pratt Street hosts a watch party for the U.S. men’s World Cup match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ticketed events round out the night, including a 7 p.m. talk from Atlantic writer Clint Smith at the Bushnell’s Belding Theater and an 8 p.m. screening of “The Featherweight,” a film about Hartford boxer Willie Pep, at the Wadsworth Atheneum, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The headline event arrives Saturday: Hartford Bonanza 2026 + America 250, which serves as the state’s official commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
Bands will perform on Bushnell Park’s two stages starting at noon, with Connecticut State Troubadour Charlie Widmer, Sea Tea Improv and a poetry hour on the Trinity Street Stage, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Chorale and WimBash — featuring Doug Wimbish and Bernard Fowler — on the Main Stage.
Bushnell Park will host a free commemorative concert at 7:30 p.m., ending with fireworks over the State Capitol at 9:30 p.m. The festival’s civic marketplace, veterans’ tent and small business expo will run throughout the day. The rain date is Sunday, July 5.
East Hartford is running its own America 250 programming.
East Hartford’s Raymond Library will host a community reading of the Declaration of Independence today at 5:45 p.m., timed to the moment in 1776 when the document was first read aloud to the public.
Here’s where you can see fireworks this weekend:
Friday, July 3
- Bristol: Fireworks Over the Lake, Lake Compounce, 9:30 p.m.
- Fairfield: Jennings/Penfield Beach, 9:15 p.m.
- Norwich: Norwich Harbor Fireworks, festivities start at 6 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m.
- Norwich: Norwich Sea Unicorns, Dodd Stadium, fireworks at end of game
- Simsbury: Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Talcott Mountain Music Festival, Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center, concert at 7:30 p.m., fireworks to follow (rain date July 5)
- West Haven: Savin Rock Fireworks Spectacular, Savin Rock Park, music at 7 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. (rain date July 5)
- Weston: Weston’s “3rd” of July Fireworks, Weston Middle School, gates open 4:30 p.m., fireworks at dusk
Saturday, July 4
- Bristol: Fireworks Over the Lake, Lake Compounce, 9:30 p.m.
- Hartford: Hartford Bonanza 2026 + America 250, Bushnell Park, commemorative concert at 7:30 p.m., fireworks at 9:30 p.m. (rain date July 5)
- Middlebury: 4th of July Beach Party and 3D Fireworks, Quassy Amusement Park, beach party at 8 p.m., fireworks around 10 p.m.
- Morris: Morris Bluegrass Festival, South Farms, doors at noon, music at 1 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m.
- New Britain: Great American Boom, Walnut Hill Park, event starts at 3 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. (rain date July 5)
- New Canaan: New Canaan Family Fourth of July Celebration, Waveny Park, time to be announced
- New Haven: New Haven Fourth of July Fireworks, East Rock Park, 9 p.m.
- Norwalk: Rowayton Civic Association 4th of July Fireworks, Bayley Beach, event starts at 4:30 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m.
- Waterbury: Waterbury’s Independence Day Fireworks, Holy Land USA, 9:15 p.m. (rain date July 5)
- Warren: Lake Waramaug Association’s Fireworks Celebration, Lake Waramaug, 9:30 p.m.
