On a recent episode of Where We Live there was discussion about what “young people” look for in a place where they will live. Remarkably, the myth is still alive that Hartford does not have enough to do.

I rolled my eyes too.

Here is a list of selected events happening in May, so you can figure out now how you might clone yourself in order to make it to all the “nothing to do” that will be going on.

May 1

  • International Workers’ Day will be marked by marching, speaking, drumming, and singing. People will gather at the Charter Oak Cultural Center at 4:30pm and leave around 5 to walk down to the Old State House. There will be a queer contingent marching together and a “Maypole for Justice.”
  • After, head over to La Paloma Sabanera, where the new bike racks will be celebrated with a screening of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. This starts at 7pm; there is a suggested $3 donation, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. While there, check out the new used Book Nook, where books are sold by the ounce.

May 2

The House of Essence (go to Pratt Street, follow the trail of scent until you find it) will be hosting a free afternoon of application demonstrations of LAMIK, a line of vegan-friendly, paraben-free, mineral based beauty products. Wine, hor d’oeuvres, and raffles will also be complimentary. Maybe support a small, local business while you are there. They have decorative soaps in the shape of pugs.

May 2&3

Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour: 8pm at the Civic Center.

May 3

  • Art After Hours at the Wadsworth Atheneum from 5-8pm. Sample Chilean and Argentinian wines, listen to Andean music by SURCARI, and watch capoeira demonstrations by the Omulu Guanabara Capoeira Group. There will be tango lessons by harts.
  • Emily Brooks, author of CT Farmer & Feast, will be at the Studio at Billings Forge to talk about sustainable food. This is free and begins at 6pm. Two tickets to the CT Forum (Michael Pollan, Dan Esty, and Majora Carter) will be raffled off.
  • “Race on a Musical String” — free lecture and musical demonstration at the Mark Twain House & Museum. Starts at 7pm.
  • If you decided to go to Art After Hours at the Wadsworth Atheneum, then you can stay for the Venezuelan film Hermano, showing there at 8pm, for no extra charge. Hermano, the winner of several Audience Awards, is about two boys, raised as brothers, in the slums of Caracas, who dream of escape through soccer. There are subtitles. If you miss the film tonight, you can see it on May 4th at 7pm or May 6th at 2pm; general admission is $9, Seniors and Students w/i.d.: $8, Members: $7, Film Buff: $3.50, Film Stars: Free, Senior 62+

May 4

The pop-up art studio is one of the least depressing uses for vacant storefronts in downtown Hartford. Today will be the opening of the second one at 55 Pratt Street. Artists represented in this exhibit: Anne Cubberly, Howard el-Yasin, Gene Gort, Barbara Hocker, Carol Padberg, Nina Salazar, Patrick Schmidt, Gil Scullion and Dave Sinaguglia. The reception goes from 6-9pm. This space will be filled with art through May 26th.

May 5

  • Jane’s Walk (free) will take place from 10-noon. Three concurrent tours will be available in the West End, with two starting from the United Methodist Church (Farmington and South Whitney) and one starting from the Connecticut Historical Society (Elizabeth Street). These walking conversations are designed to “put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating spaces for cities to discover themselves.”

The tour South of Farmington Avenue will be led by Mary Falvey and will depart from the United Methodist Church, as will the tour of the Oxford/Whitney Historic District, led by Mary LaPorte.  The CT Historical Society/Green Walk will be led by Mike McGarry and Don Poland; this may require some off-roading, so put on footwear that can handle the type of surface you’d expect to find along a river.

This will conclude with free activities at the CT Historical Society.

  • There are six Vintage Base Ball games scheduled for May, with the first beginning at 11 in Colt Park. Free, family fun involving old timey uniforms.
  • 6th Annual Samba Fest, from 11-6 at the Riverfront. Performers will include: Trinity Samba Ensemble, Directed by Eric Galm; Brazilian Capoeira with Ginga Brasileira & Efraim Silva; Ray Gonzalez y su Conjunto Antillano; GuakiBom Jazz, Directed by Ray Gonzalez; Artists Collective African Connection Dance and Drum Ensemble; Bomba Ashe; Negrura Peruana; Summit Steel Juggle Joy Educational Entertainment; Berimbrown from Brazil with Dinho Nascimento. This is on, rain or shine.

May 6

Eve Ensler, feminist powerhouse, will be doing a performance and book signing for I am an Emotional Creature. This free event begins at 4pm in the Downtown library.

May 8

  • The Science on Screen Film Series continues at Real Art Ways with a screening of The Time Machine (1960). At 7pm, before the film begins, Professor Ronald Mallett of UConn will give an introduction during which he will discuss his research in the area of “theoretical physics and its application to time travel.” Admission prices vary, but the most expensive is $10.
  • Full Moon Tour at Elizabeth Park. Meet in front of the Pond House at 8:30pm. Free.

May 10

  • Free salon at the Stowe Center from 5:30-7pm: Stereotyping and Bullying 21st Century Style. Rsvp.
  • Another free option this evening is the “Second Thursday” Cultural Cocktail Hour at the Butler-McCook House & Garden. This will mark the opening of Lisa Pressamarita’s Trees and Landscapes. David Mack will provide music for the evening. This runs from 5:30-7:30pm.

May 11

Bikers! The Wadsworth Atheneum, in collaboration with Cutting Edge of Berlin, will be presenting Strength in Numbers, a film shot over the span of two years in some of what are being called mountain biking’s most iconic locations. Film starts at 7pm.

This event was just added to the museum’s calendar and no price has been announced yet, but there may be a few tickets available to Real Hartford readers who win upcoming rounds of Place this Place, the Monday guessing game.

If the Wadworth’s screening of Bicycle Dreams was any indication, plan to secure tickets early, as the theater will fill quickly. And ride your bike. Why drive your car to a film about bicycles, especially when there are something like eight bike racks in the area right around the museum?

May 12

If you can handle being up, out the door, and to another location by 6:30am, then there is a free bird walk at Cedar Hill Cemetery, led by Jay Kaplan of the Roaring Brook Nature Center. This walk will take place on Cedar Mountain, so appropriate footwear is recommended, along with water and binoculars.

May 15

Every month the Partnership for Strong Communities holds a free, public forum at the Lyceum on Lawrence Street. The topic this time is “Case Studies in Conflict: Who Decides Where, When, and How We Create Housing.” The space opens up at 8:30 for networking and breakfast; the actual forum runs from 9 until noon.

May 17

Free screening of The Village at 7pm at the Wadsworth Atheneum. The M. Night Shyamalan film is set in an isolated 19th century village where they “believe that their peaceful coexistence with the mysterious creatures that inhabit the forest around them is coming to an end.” The film features Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, and Sigourney Weaver.

May 21

The HYPE Entrepreneur monthly meet-up will be at Vito’s by the Park (26 Trumbull) from 6-8pm. Unlike the happy hours, these are meant as more than purely social events. Want to get input on an idea from freelancer and entrepreneur peers? Show up.


May 24

Faith in the Public Square: from Tahir to Tiananmen Square and Home Again. Ned Lamont will be speaking at the Hartford Seminary at 6:30pm.

May 31

Carmina Burana! Normally this type of event would not be listed because many readers would not be able to afford it, but the Hartford Symphony Orchestra is offering reduced price tickets: $10 for students and $25 for patrons under 40. The show begins at 7:30 tonight. (Shows during June are at different times) This is in the Belding Theater at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

What Hartford events did I neglect to add to the calendar this time? Let me know in the comment space below.