Glow Hartford is definitely geared toward children (as is to be expected, but perhaps a tad more…read morethan expected), with lights, light swings, hoppity-hop areas, color-changing pads they can jump between, a small train, and some photo ops that kids will love. It's all indoors and warm, which is a plus for New England winters, but personally I'd rather find local outdoor light displays instead. For the lights themselves, the standout for most kids was probably the hanging "icicle" garden -- rows of lights you can walk through, which seemed to get the biggest reaction. Do it early enough next year, and you may even get a decent shot or two in time for your Shutterfly or equivalent Christmas card. The snack options were fine, and there's alcohol for adults, though some things are a bit on the expensive side. You'll probably also end up giving in to some of the add-ons -- glowing cups, light-up wands, or similar extras -- so your kid isn't the only one without one. (Maybe prepare yourself with a preemptive "OK, but just ONE.") The self-stamped passport activity was a nice touch, and the PEZ dispenser prize at the end was a cute detail. All in all, it's an OK experience and a nice family option if you take advantage of everything inside. I'd call it 3.5 stars -- fun to do once, but probably not something I'd make a yearly tradition.

"Morning glow, filled with light You can make the whole day…read morebright" (Michael Jackson) Glow is a family-friendly indoor winter festival of lights currently open in five Canadian cities, Eugene Oregon, and good old Hartford, CT. It was a beautiful display of color and design, highlighted by plenty of dazzling lights in the shape of iconic landmarks from around the world. If you ever hoped to see Christmas lights in the shape of the London Eye, Eiffel Tower, Asian temples, Taj Mahal, the Louvre, and London Bridge... well you'll be amazed at the images you see here. Complementing the visuals are bars, rides, food, photo ops with Santa and the Grinch, live music, and a vendor trade show. Plenty of kiddie activities too - a bounce house, train ride, glowing swing sets, and games. We saw quite a few families with kids of all ages, including a lot of strollers enjoying the show and taking advantage of the hundreds of photo ops. No doubt many of the pics will end up on next year's Christmas cards. All in all, this was a very enjoyable experience.

Small event that is great for families and kids, good selection of food trucks and rides. Beer tent…read moreis always busy and everyone working is kind and helpful. Music can sometimes be very loud but what else would you expect from a music festival

"You are the apple of my eye Forever you'll stay in my…read moreheart" (Stevie Wonder) Wow, wow, wow!! Were we impressed by the Glastonbury Apple Harvest and Music Festival. The Festival grounds (located in Riverfront Park) was enormous. There was a big midway with amusement rides and games, plenty of food trucks, three stages of live music, craft and clothing vendors, a petting zoo, a pub, ice cream stands, apple pies and fritters, and even a 5k Road Race for tomorrow. We had such a fun time, just strolling the grounds, checking out all the food options. We eventually settled on a plate of Tofu Pad Thai and dumplings from Siam. We also picked up a 6-piece order of Apple Fritters and split that between three apple and three pumpkin. I also had a nice visit to the at the Pan De Oro booth and learned they make salsa and tortilla chips right in Hartford! Who knew? We parked at the high school and took a shuttle bus to the gate. Admission was $5 per person. Sure beats the crowded Southington Apple Festival in our opinion.

I have been going for the last four years and I always look forward to it. The festival takes place…read moreFriday, Saturday and Sunday at bushnell park in Hartford. They have jazz artists all across the country come and perform. They also have a bunch of vendors and food trucks come. All the food and drinks are delicious. A great variety! The festival is free to get into and also plenty of free on street parking. A lot of people come with blankets, wine and candles which makes for a nice atmosphere. It's a great time!!

Definitely follow Riverfront Recapture on Facebook for tons of great free events. Jerk festivals,…read moreAsian Dragon Boat Races, Free concerts, Food trucks, Fireworks, etc. It's always a well organized, safe good time.

I finally visited the Hartford waterfront today thanks to the Dragon Boat and Asian Festival. I…read morecan't say enough about how impressed I was! It was as scenic and as pleasant as can be. It was jam packed with couples and families and folks of all ages enjoying the sun, the scenery, and a perfect summer day. Hartford has really come a long way since I moved here in 1987. The Science Center, the Convention Center, a re-invigorated downtown, the Lincoln Sculpture Art Walk, and the beautiful Riverfront. I can't wait to see what the future brings.

Spent a glorious afternoon on the Hartford waterfront enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and taste…read moreof the Riverfront Dragon Boat & Asian Festival. Food Half a dozen Asian food stands whipping up fresh batches of lo mein, rice, chicken & veggies, skewers, pad thai, egg rolls, spring rolls, on and on and on. Also saw Rita's Italian ices! Entertainment Music and dance all day long. We saw a lady doing trick bicycle riding on the way in and a group of kids playing drums on the way out. Dragon Boat Races Very impressed by the races and the racers. They came from all over the East, including MA, NY and Philadelphia. It was fun walking down to the team tents and reading the banners to see where they were from. Many of the teams were cancer survivors, so it definitely reminded me a lot of Relay For Life. There was a touching memorial moment when they played Somewhere Over the Rainbow and then people tossed pink carnations into the water. The Venue My first time down on the Hartford Riverfront and I was very impressed. To be honest, it was beautiful. Multi levels to explore from the waterfront up to the Science Center. The Lincoln Financial Sculpture Walk looks like a great way to spend an afternoon Room for improvement? Well, I thought there was much too much "down time" between the boat races. The dead time wasn't helped too much by the MC who could have been a little peppier.

Ambiance: SUPER nice and festive - tons of people, the waterfront plaza was clean and had a good…read morenumber of benches/railings to sit. Vendors: the sellers of "things" were few and far between, but interesting to look at while walking Parking: we parked across the street for $10 - easy ! Food: I was really excited to eat "authentic Asian" food as described per the event flyer, but alas, we are still in Connecticut. Bastardized Thai food galore, a Thai restaurant selling Japanese food, a sandwich food truck, Carvel truck, and italian ice. mmm... there is more to Asia than Thailand. There was also an Asian beer garden which was great!! Food gets a big fat F. Entertainment: was interesting! two "stages" separate enough from each other to enjoy acts without being distracted by the other. We watched hula, aikido, kung fu, tai chi, Chinese dance, modernized taiko, and some Chinese singing. It was all great! Dragonboat racing: I have to agree with the other reviewer that there was a lot of down time between heats which made it kind of boring. The emcee should probably have announced WHEN each race started because you only really ever knew once they came towards the finish line that the race had even started. Really cool to see so many people share a hobby, though! Overall, I would go to the Waterfront again, but I would not really look forward to attending this festival again. They need better food, more vendors, and more variety of things to eat/do/see. The food was so lackluster and unsatisfying, that we left to go to eat at Pho Saigon afterward. :P Future tip: bring a picnic blanket or chairs if you want to watch the dragon boat races for a long time!

Dunkin' Donuts Park is a whole vibe! I came here for the 1st annual Foodie Fam Fest,& BABYYYY... it…read morewas a time to be had! This is a really nice stadium: spacious, clean & well-kept. & this ain't my 1st rodeo here either! I've been here for a couple of concerts b4, so I already knew what I was walking into. Whether it's for a game,concert or event, this place knows how to host! 1 thing I have to give major props for is the staff. Every employee I encountered was SUPER, SUPER nice. I chatted it up a little w/ a bunch of peeps, and everybody was just so friendly & welcoming. You know I love when the staff has good vibes! I had a gr8 time @ Foodie Fam Fest,& I'll def be back to Dunkin' Donuts Park! Whether it's for another concert or the 2nd annual Foodie Fam Fest next year!

I'm not a huge fan of baseball at all but I will never say no to a yard goats game because Dunkin'…read moreDonuts park is so much fun! The people that work here are so incredibly friendly and hard working. Everyone from the people scanning tickets, the people at Bears Bbq, and the mini melts stand, to the people making sure the park is clean. All incredible and so hard working. This is a very family friendly venue and they've got everything from a little goat petting zoo to all the ballpark food you can think of. Having a relative that is allergic to peanuts I am so grateful that this is a peanut free facility. There are no bad seats here but some of them are more comfortable than others. Try to get clubhouse tickets during the peak summer dates as the clubhouse is air conditioned!

06/08/24: First time at this huge event hosted by Town of West Hartford! It's a two day event; June…read more8, 10-6 and June 9, 12-6. My family and I had a great time. There were rides, food trucks/tents, vendor/arts/craft booths, and music. First we started off at the carnival rides. They had a ferris wheel, huge slide, and various of other rides my little one enjoyed. Then we had food; so many options to to choose from. We had the fried potato/cheese/corn balls from Chompers food truck. My husband and son had hot dogs at another vendor. I had pad Thai from a Thai booth. All were good and decently priced. There's ice cream for dessert; something for everyone! There were over 150 vendor booths. We bought some art from various vendors. The quality and craftsmanship at these booths were great. I am happy to support small businesses! The turn out was great, there were hundreds of people. Overall, a fun family event and can't be missed!

'Twas a fun and fantabulous time. With the rain looming, the crowds piled into the streets early,…read moreprobably at its peak at 7pm. There was plenty of seating - if you also include the benches and fountain - and great vendors to choose from. I appreciated the diversity, and it was great to be reminded - by smell and taste! - of the variety Glastonbury has to offer. For $7, the ribs at J. Gilbert's was a solid choice. They practically fell off the bone, and the sauce was complementary without being overwhelming. Some other items were a little pricey for the portions, though. There were only two beers to choose from - Sam Summer and Ten Penny - and a few more wines. I'm kind of surprised they charged $1 for the ID band. They don't even do that in NYC! A quintessential local event. It was very fun and tasty. Great people watching, as well.

Got to witness the historic partnership of TheatreWorks and Hartford Stage's production of Sweeney…read moreTodd. Brilliant production directed by Rob Ruggiero. I also enjoyed their specialty drink crafted by the Hartford Flavor Cocktail Parlor on Pratt st. It was delicious! was Made with Sour Cherry Vodka, Wild moon liqueur, Cranberry liqueur, and grenadine. It was smooth and it came with a special souvenir cup for $19 dollars. A bit pricey but the drink was enjoyable.

Come to see a Christmas Carol on its 25th year at Hartford Stage. There's a parking garage next to…read morethe theater and only costing $7 for the evening which is pretty decent. The doors opened about an hour or so before the show leaving enough time for concessions, bathroom and finding our seats. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house at all. We came for pre-opening night so the cast was rehearsing songs and it was lovely to get to hear the tunes before the show. The experience was entertaining and love that some of the cast came from the audience giving a different feel to the show.

"Walking in the wild west end Walking with your wild best…read morefriend" (Dire Straits) We found the West End Farmer's Market behind Farmington Avenue between Clemens Place Apartments and the Mark Twain House. There is excellent signage on Farmington Avenue that leads you to a big lot behind the market. We saw a smallish number of eclectic vendors - a Jamaican food stand, a bakery, a few produce stands, a jewelry stand, an artwork stand, a Hartford Library on Wheels truck, and more. We made two purchases - a Nutella babka from Manchester's Wicked Good Bakes and a Jerk Barbecue Mushroom Patty Panada from Hartford's The Ital Juicery Company. I had an absolute blast at the Ital Juicery stand. They had three generations of charming and delightful women behind the counter. That Patty Panda (sort of a cross between an Empanada and a Jamaican Patty) was a good-sized portion, somewhat justifying the hefty $10 price tag, but the flavor was amazing. Smoky, savory, and spicy, I mean sneaky spicy. Not sure what kind of peppers were in there, but if you told me they were Jamaican Scotch Bonnets I would not be surprised. That afterburn lasted over half an hour. I'll definitely be on the lookout for The Ital Juicery Company when I make the rounds of upcoming Farmer's Markets. As for the West End Farmer's Market, they're open on Tuesdays between June and September from 4pm-7pm. The hours change slightly to 3pm-6pm in October. PRO TIP Five stars for their community service vibe. "The West End Farmers' Market of Hartford believes that everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy and delicious food". To that end, they match SNAP/EBT spending, effectively doubling the amount a buyer can use there.

The West End Farmers Market is the best Farmers Market of all CT!!…read more I went to 3 Farmers Markets today. This is truly what I have been looking for. Native healing herbs. Friendly, knowledgeable and willing to share suggestions with the community. Kind and supportive. Every table I touched was so passionate about what they have grown, or made to offer. To future customers I would like to share don't ever judge a book by its cover. The road work did not stop me. So glad I found my way. From the freshest fruit of the season all the way to the Maple Syrup, Sour Dough. Micheal and his abundant happy herbs, jewelry and soap. The comfrey plants were such a joy to my eyes. Healing through herbs is the way we're supposed to heal. Coexist with the plant kingdom. The community at this market was nothing but love Looking forward to my next return back to CT