Night Fall Community Jam Comes to Hartford's Keney Park

Night Fall, Hartford’s annual community celebration of art, music, dance, nature, and seasonal change, invites one and all to a celebration twelve years in the making! In lieu of the non-profit arts organization's traditional outdoor spectacular, the first-ever Night Fall Community Jamwill take place on Saturday, October 5 from 2pm to 6pm in historic Keney Park in the North End of Hartford. The event, which is free, will be sited near the Ridgefield Street entrance of Keney Park. The rain date is Sunday, October 6.

Night Fall Board Vice President and Treasurer Mellissa Craig states, "Night Fall is currently undergoing a process of reinvention and reimagination. The Night Fall Artistic Collaboration wants to engage with our friends in the community to find out what speaks to and excites Hartford about what we do. To that end, as we have for the past twelve years, we are going to gather in one of our city's beautiful parks on the first Saturday of October for a free event where we will perform, create, dance, eat, and celebrate the Night Fall spirit."

Highlights of the Night Fall Community Jam include:

• Free interactive workshops with Night Fall artists including Hip Hop Dance, Latin Dance, Giant Puppet Making, African Drumming and Dance, Mask Making, and more.
• Free face painting, beading, and temporary tattoos.
• Dancing with DJ Stealth.
• Activities with The Children's Museum (STEM activities and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library), Hartford Press Co-op art-making, and lawn games.
• Pop-up performances and appearances by Night Fall artists and friends including a stiltwalker and Double Dutch CT.
• Community tables for Hartford Decides, Stowe Center for Literary Activism, Keney Park Sustainability, Voter Registration with The Epsilon Omicron Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and Wadsworth Atheneum.
• Vendor booths including Stonington Clothing Co. and Chanti's Shea.
• And more to be announced!

There will be food trucks on site for your enjoyment including Quick Bites, No Pork on 'Dis Fork Hot Dogs, and the Rolling Roti. In true Night Fall fashion, attendees are invited to bring blankets, chairs, friends, family, and fun costumes that express your love of Night Fall and Hartford!

In keeping with Night Fall's love for the natural world, guests are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation, bicycling, scooting, walking, and ride-sharing.

Night Fall Community Jam is free and open to all. For more information, visit NightFallHartford.org. To volunteer for Night Fall Community Jam, please email volunteer@nightfallhartford.org.

The 2024 Night Fall Artistic Collaborative includes Casey Grambo, Cherokee Cowherd, Dejé Bennett, Deve-Ann Bennett, Greg Ludovici, Jeanika Browne-Springer, Julia Pistell, Jason Ramos, Kyle Grimm, Devonte Kunzika, Loren Denise, Mellissa Craig, and Ym Myla Neaj.

Night Fall is made possible with generous support from the The Betty Knox Foundation, The J. Walton Bissell Foundation,Connecticut Office of the Arts; CT Arts Foundation; The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation; Fontaine Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation; The City of Hartford, and Greater Hartford’s community of neighbors and small business owners. 

Night Fall welcomes new supporters and sponsorships. To donate to Night Fall, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, please visit nightfallhartford.org.

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