Earth Day Celebrations Bloom Across Connecticut With Music, Food, Fun

CONNECTICUT — Earth Day, celebrated annually on April 22, began in 1970 as a way to raise awareness about environmental issues and inspire action. In Connecticut, it's just as likely to inspire a weekend of food trucking and trips to the beer garden, and that's better than fine.

Norwalk is holding its 4th Annual Earth Day Festival on The Green, Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. The live music, food trucks, and beer garden should serve as a nice counterbalance for all the tree planting, yoga, and demonstrations of healing arts. It's all part of the organizers' efforts to raise awareness of what we can do to have a positive impact on protecting the environment, and that's All Good. The full schedule of events is online here.

The Norwalk event is not to be confused with Norfolk's Earth Day, which actually runs for three days, April 25 through 27. The theme — "Our Glorious Northwest Corner: Celebrating the Connectedness of All" may not exactly flow, but the events spread across the weekend are primo. Films, lectures, nature walks, crafts and a concert by the great Paul Winter promise to make this town-wide celebration one for the books. Event registration, schedules, maps and more information can be found online here.

The Town of Chester will be celebrating Earth Day with a festival on Main Street in Downtown, Saturday, April 26, from noon to 4 p.m. That's four hours of food trucks, kids' activities, live music, pop-up stores, baby animals, baby plants, clean energy projects and more. Admission is free.

Earth Day will be celebrated at Grace Farms in New Canaan on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with "a day packed with nature-inspired learning and fun for all ages." Arts, crafts, and animal architecture will be on the menu, along with honeybee-inspired mocktails. Registration is online here.

If that's not enough honey for you, buzz over to New Britain on Saturday for the mother lode, at Honey Fest NB. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., people passionate about their pollinators can wander around Central Park in Downtown New Britain and discover honey-infused products, honey tastings, honey harvesting demos, beekeeping supplies, observation hives, and even a magic show. Admission is free.

If you know, you know: sheep and wool festivals are a heck of a good time, and the big one in Connecticut is a better time than most. The annual ovine revels were concocted in 1909 by the Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association as a program "to promote the keeping of sheep in Connecticut," and has evolved and expanded into one of the top fiber festivals anywhere. Events include ongoing demonstrations featuring fiber of all types, fiber tools, dyes, finished goods, soaps, herbals, local Connecticut cheese, and a variety of other unique and artisanal items produced by small farms and local businesses. The 2025 Connecticut Sheep, Wool & Fiber Festival with be held at the North Haven Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. There's more information and a list of vendors online here. Suffice to say, if your needs or passions are in any way sheep or wool-related, they've got ewe covered.

The Putnam Business Association and the Town of Putnam will be bringing the world to Windham County on Sunday, April 27 for its International Day festival. Visitors will travel around the globe and learn about other countries and cultures through food, music, crafts, demonstrations, entertainment and more, without ever traveling beyond Downtown Putnam. From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., and admission is free.