Night Fall 2023 to Proceed Rain or Shine This Weekend

Night Fall, Hartford's annual community celebration of art, music, dance, nature, and seasonal change, scheduled for Saturday, October 7 at 6pm in Bushnell Park will be proceeding rain or shine.



Acknowledging the likelihood of rain, Night Fall has some updates to the previously announced event activities.

• The grounds are officially opening at 4pm instead of 2pm, including vendors and food trucks

• Guests are requested to wear layers and consider bringing lawn chairs instead of blankets.

• Attendees may bring their own lantern, glow sticks, or flashlights to light up our finale!

• The Bushnell Park Carousel will be open until 6:15pm with rides for only $1!

• The organizers are looking into moving some activities and vendors indoors. Details will be made public on NightFallHartford.org and on @NightFallHartford social media channels.

If the weather conditions are extreme and prohibit Night Fall from safely moving forward with the performance, a cancellation will be announced on NightFallHartford.org and @NightFallHartford social media by 12 noon on Saturday.

This free outdoor performance features multi-talented artists and performers drawn from the Hartford region as well as eye-popping costumes, masks, and giant puppets. 

Night Fall was created to celebrate the city's public park system and neighborhoods by rotating its annual presentation to parks throughout the city. Now created and produced through a fully collaborative artistic model, this year's production will be presented adjacent to the historic Pump House near Pulaski Circle on the eastern side of Bushnell Park (home to the carousel and playground).

Centered in Night Fall's commitment to activate the arts and Hartford's parks as welcoming, inclusive, accessible, and joyful gathering places, Night Fall is free and open to all. For more information, visit NightFallHartford.org.

Focusing on the change of seasons and the many talents of its collaborative team, Night Fall takes the audience on a visual and musical journey. The show features dancers and actors appearing as a variety of animals, magical beings, and other characters in scenes that reflect multiple community stories. Although the script and the production change from year to year, each Night Fall performance culminates with a lantern procession and the arrival of the majestic Solstice puppet.

The fun begins at 4 pm for guests to enjoy vendors, community organizations, art-making, and food trucks. Attendees should bring lawn chairs with picnicking encouraged. As part of Night Fall's commitment to sustainability and accessibility, audiences are urged to use multimodal transportation to travel to the show including walking, e-scooting, riding a CT Transit bus or a CT Rail train, carpooling, or cycling, with a monitored Bike Valet service courtesy of BiCi Co. Parking is available near the park and on surrounding streets, as well as downtown pay lots and garages. More information is available on the website.

To donate to Night Fall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, please visit nightfallhartford.org.

Photo credit: Bill Morgan Media

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