CT Flower & Garden Show, Ice Festivals And More Events This Weekend

CONNECTICUT — The biggest garden show around will compete with some top-tier ice festivals, as Connecticut makes its groggy first attempts to shake off winter this weekend.

The 43rd Connecticut Flower & Garden Show opens Thursday, Feb. 20 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, and will bring a much-needed burst of spring to New England as the region’s only major flower exhibition in 2025. The show, themed “Signs of Spring,” will take place inside the 150,000-square-foot convention center, featuring live gardens, expert-led seminars, and hundreds of exhibitors. Visitors will be greeted by more than 20 vibrant garden and landscape exhibits, designed by professional landscapers and nonprofit organizations. Displays will showcase naturalistic, low-maintenance, native, container, vegetable, organic, herb, and pollinator gardens. Tickets are available online here.

Meanwhile, in Norfolk, those of us who simply cannot get enough of winter will be embracing our inner Yukon Cornelius in that town's 8th Annual Winter Weekend Festival. It's so stuffed with live music, art shows, winter sports, movies, tours, open houses and other wintry bits all day on Saturday and Sunday, organizers had to put together a QR-coded timeline. Enter through the East Gate at Great Mountain Forest, and admission is free.

The brewmeisters at Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford will really be embracing the theme at their Fire & Ice Festival this Saturday. Look for a hot wings trivia challenge, alongside an ice smashing competition. From noon to 5 p.m., you can experience fire breather performances, shop at the local vendor market, or just hang by the bonfire to warm up with a complimentary cup of hot chocolate. The Giggling Pig of Milford will be on board, offering free fire and ice themed crafts for kids. This is both a family and dog friendly event, but it's a brewing company after all, so expect specialty cocktails made just for this event. Tickets are available online here.

Really like the cold? Fancy a little camaraderie and exercise, all for a good cause? Then the 40th Annual Lake Warmamaug Polar Bear Run on Sunday may just be your cup of grog. The scenic 7.8 mile course travels counterclockwise along the shoreline of the glacial lake while passing through Washington, Warren and Kent. The run has raised nearly $35,000 for Guiding Eyes for the Blind since 2018. It's scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but walkers are welcomed with an early start at 10:30 a.m. Register online here.

There's a free, fun event for you and your junior naturalist on Sunday at Atwood Farm in Mansfield. Rangers from The Last Green Valley will teach Acorn Adventures participants how to identify different tracks and track patterns of animals native to the area. The hunt begins at 2 p.m.

It won't take you long to hunt down a great restaurant in Stamford this weekend. The city is in the midst of Winter Restaurant Weeks, now through March 2. Over 35 eateries are participating in the promotion. Offerings include seasonal prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus and special deals at value-oriented prices. Another Winter Restaurant Weeks partner is The Avon Theatre Film Center, offering patrons an opportunity to receive one free medium popcorn with a purchase of a General Admission ticket. It's all very huge, so make your reservations ASAP. More information and a list of participating restaurants can be found online here.