Weekend Winner: International Festival of Arts and Ideas
Dateline: 06/24/98
Head to New Haven, Connecticut, this weekend for an explosion of arts, music, children's activities and more at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. This annual event features interactive exhibits, literary readings, a street fair, and a vast array of spectacular performances.
Festival events actually began Tuesday, and they will be in full swing all weekend long. Highlights of performances which have an admission fee include:
- Siemens Telecom Networks presents Copenhagen, a play about the relationship between a German and a Danish physicist who found their collaboration jeopardized by the outbreak of world war, performed at the Long Wharf Theatre by the Royal National Theatre of London. Tickets are $25 and $32 for performances at 2 and 8 p.m. each day through Saturday.
- Salomon Smith Barney sponsors performances by the exciting international theatrical circus group Cirque Baroque, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Shubert Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $8, $12, or $20.
- NORTEL Northern Telecom sponsors "Great Entertainment in Great Places," a variety of musical performances performed in the libraries and courtyards of Yale University. As part of this series, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs New Orleans-style jazz on Saturday evening at 8 p.m. at the Hall of Graduate Studies Courtyard at Yale.
For more information, or to order tickets for any of these events, call: 1 888-ART-IDEA.
But wait! There's more! Many of the best things at the festival are absolutely free, including:
- Enchanting evening musical performances on the World Stage at the New Haven Green.
- Fun, interactive, arts and science activities for children presented by 35 Connecticut organizations and multicultural performances for children on the Small Green Stage at the New Haven Green each day--the complete schedule of children's events is mind-boggling.
- Downtown events which center around the street fair on Orange Street, which runs adjacent to New Haven Green. Highlights include a juried craft show and music and dance performances on three stages.
- Big Ideas for the Millennium, a series of free lectures and lively conversations.
- Rock 'n' Roll icon Little Richard performs a free public concert on Saturday, June 27, at 6 p.m. on the New Haven Green.
If you're going, a downtown map and lodgings information is available from the City of New Haven, and the New Haven Convention and Visitors Bureau offers suggestions for accommodations, shopping, and more in the greater New Haven area.
And... if you go... drop me a line and tell me about your favorite performances!
Also this weekend...
The Western Massachusetts Highland Games and Celtic Festival is being held Saturday, June 27, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Brimfield Flea Market Grounds in Brimfield, Massachusetts. You'll not want to miss the New England Scottish Hammer Throwing Championships, and, especially if you have Celtic ancestry, the Raising of the Clans Torchlight Ceremony is sure to be memorable. In addition to the athletic competitions, which are great fun to watch, there'll be bagpipers, children's events, a dance competition, and so much more. At the gate, tickets are: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $4 for children ages 6 to 12. Directions are available online. Bring a lawn chair!
The Shelburne Museum Antiques Show will be held at the museum in Shelburne, Vermont, on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It features more than 200 dealers from across the United States and Canada selling country and period furniture, folk art, American art, textiles, camp and rustic furniture, sporting antiques, and more. For more information, call (802) 985-3346.
...Enjoy!!
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