Hartford breweries Hog River and Hanging Hills on Friday evening will transform Bushnell Park into a beer garden, part of a new summer event series aimed at luring patrons downtown.
Organizers on Tuesday estimated the “soft opening” event could draw about 1,000 visitors to the park’s historic “Pump House.”
The two South End-based breweries will each sell between two to four types of beers, and hard ciders will also be available, from Wallingford’s New England Cider Co.
Upon entrance, attendees ages 21 and older can purchase drink tickets for $8 each. Guests under 21 years old must be accompanied by a legal guardian.
West Hartford’s Harry’s Pizza will sell food and beverages in a separate area.
Oversized yard games and various local bands and DJs will provide entertainment at the weekly event, held nearly every Friday through September from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The beer garden will cease during the Hartford Jazz Festival on July 19 and the Small State Great Beer Festival on Sept. 13.
Organizers recently received approval from city and park officials to trial the beer garden event over 11 Fridays this year. The event is sponsored by the city of Hartford and supported by the Bushnell Park Foundation, which manages the grounds and will receive a portion of the weekly profits.
If the inaugural event is successful, similar to the pop-up brewpub held on Pratt Street during the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament in March, organizers say they hope to host a more frequent beer garden next summer from Thursdays to Sundays with additional local breweries.
“It’s clear to us that people just really want this,” said Joy Braddock, who co-owns Hog River with her husband, Ben. “Hopefully we can continue to get the city’s support and bring a cool and innovative event for people to see the city is thriving.”
Ben Braddock said the two breweries have made a “significant investment” in rolling out this year’s event, which required them to hire 10 new workers.
The Braddocks are bullish about Friday’s potential attendance based on the thousands of positive responses they’ve read on Facebook and Instagram.
“We are hoping that if the buzz proves true Friday, we will be able to expand the event area next year,” Joy Braddock said.
