Connecticut's Weekend Delights: Markets, Moonlit Walks & Ugly Sweaters

CONNECTICUT — How will you celebrate the final full moon of the year? Wandering through the wood? Ice skating in an ugly sweater? Having your fortune told? All those options and more are on the table for Connecticut residents this weekend.

Ball & Socket Arts in Cheshire has been on a noble mission to transform an abandoned industrial campus into an arts destination for the central Connecticut region. You can get a feel for what they're up to — and score some artisanal beer, cider and spirits — at a free Winter Market there, "Holiday @ The Factory," on Sunday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ogle the ice carvings, get your face painted, decorate some cookies, listen to live music, eat at top-drawer food trucks, and support local artisans at a holiday boutique.

The Connecticut Holiday Psychic Fairfest comes to Bridgeport for the first time this weekend, and it's brought along a bevy of tarot specialists, crystal readers, healers, spiritualists and related goods and merch. Some of New England’s most well-respected psychics will be available for readings. They're all piling in to The Foolproof Brewing Company on Union Avenue, Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday Dec. 15, from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

If you're still on the hunt for that one special and unique gift, more than 70 craft vendors in Cromwell have something they want to show you. They're waiting at the Farmers Market Craft Fair, Saturday, Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Cromwell Town Hall Gym. Santa will drop by from 10 a.m. to noon, and the Farmers Market Food Truck fleet will be on hand to see to any of your noshing needs.

This'll be fun: Aquila's Nest Vineyards in Newtown, which was named Best Winery in Connecticut 2023 by Connecticut Magazine, is holding a Holiday Chocolates & Wine Pairing event on Friday, Dec. 13, starting at 6 p.m. The gourmet self-guided pairing event features the artisanal creations of BE Chocolat Atelier and (obviously) wines from Aquila's Nest. Organizers say the event "promises to elevate your palate and provide a memorable fusion of culinary artistry and oenophilic delight," and we just like saying that…

Still, there ain't no party like an Ugly Sweater Party, which is exactly what the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury has planned for Saturday, Dec. 14 from 3 to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is not required, dress tacky and just show up.

We expect the Holiday Lantern Tours at Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden in Suffield will be a tad classier, but you never know. What's certain is that you will be ankle deep in history as costumed guides accompany guests from the King House to High Street and finally to the "exquisite" Phelps-Hatheway House, decorated as they were in the days before electric lights. Tours step off promptly at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14-15. Tickets are available online here.

Then take it down a notch, with even less electricity, on a full moon walk through the woodlands around the Institute for American Indian Studies in Washington, on Dec. 14 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It will be the final full moon of 2024, and you can be sure your guide will have a lot to say about that. The moonlit adventure concludes at the recreated 16th-century Algonkian village, where a warm fire, hot chocolate, and traditional stories await. (And who knows, maybe you'll see a meteor or 12…) Be sure to dress warmly, bring a flashlight, and wear sturdy shoes. Register here.