!Norwalk Pulse

This weekend in Norwalk: Juneteenth at the Town Green, the Horace Silver Jazz Festival, Shakespeare on the Sound

Morning, Norwalk. This is a Juneteenth and Father's Day weekend, and the city is leaning into both. The biggest news is musical: the inaugural Horace Silver Jazz Festival lands Sunday, honoring the Norwalk-born hard-bop pianist whose records still get played in dorm rooms and dinner parties he never lived to see.

Best for families this weekend: the free Juneteenth festival at the Town Green (Saturday, 4 to 9 PM, all ages) and Make Music Norwalk, the citywide free music day on Sunday.

All Weekend Long

Norwalk's 2nd Annual Juneteenth Carnival Celebration Weekend runs Friday through Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park and Marina, 42 Seaview Avenue (East Norwalk). Music, food, and family programming on the water, building on the city's growing slate of freedom-weekend events. Free admission, all ages.

Shakespeare on the Sound: Much Ado About Nothing continues its run at Pinkney Park in Rowayton. This is the company's 30th season of free Shakespeare under the stars, and Much Ado is the right play for a warm June night: all banter, no body count. Bring a blanket. Free, donations welcome, all ages.

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Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth)

The Norwalk Public Library is closed for the holiday, so plan errands around it.

Open Mic Night at Factory Underground Studio, 28 Ann Street (SoNo). Music, poetry, comedy, and spoken word, all acts welcome. Free, all ages, and a reliable way to find out who in this town can actually play.

In Case You Missed It

Officer Brian Deak named Officer of the Month. Norwalk Police recognized Deak for clearing the warrant backlog from more than 600 cases down to 300 and digitizing the department's warrant system while assigned to the complaint bureau. Source: Patch Norwalk.

The Wall Street neighborhood wants new zoning. A Wall Street area group pitched zoning changes meant to spur development in the corridor around the theater district. If you have an opinion about what downtown should become, this is the conversation to follow. Source: The Hour.

A 14-year-old swimmer was rescued from tidal currents near the Bluff Avenue bridge. Officials pulled the teen from the water; it is the season's first reminder that the harbor currents run stronger than they look. Source: The Hour.

Saturday, June 20

Juneteenth Festival at the Town Green, 8 Park Street (downtown), 4 to 9 PM. Free and open to all, hosted by the First Taxing District and the City of Norwalk, with live entertainment, local vendors, food, and cultural programming. Romney Donald, who also hosts the Community Ties podcast, is among the organizers. The easiest yes on the calendar this weekend. All ages.

Docktails and Oysters at Copps Island Oysters by Norm Bloom and Son, on the East Norwalk waterfront. Oysters pulled from the Sound a few hundred yards from where you eat them, plus drinks on the dock. 21+. This is as Norwalk as it gets.

Weekly Wellness Walk at Calf Pasture Beach, 125 Calf Pasture Beach Road (East Norwalk). Free community walk, morning. All ages, kids and strollers welcome.

StrawberryHill Talents at Nathan Hale Middle School, 176 Strawberry Hill Avenue. A neighborhood talent showcase, the kind of local-skills night that does not make the news but fills the gym. All ages.

Latin Heat Night at The Haven Rooftop (SoNo). Salsa, merengue, and bachata in an intimate rooftop room. 21+, adults.

Sunday, June 21 (Father's Day)

Horace Silver Jazz Festival at Factory Underground Studio, 28 Ann Street (SoNo). The inaugural celebration of Norwalk's own Horace Silver, the hard-bop pianist and composer behind "Song for My Father" and "Sister Sadie." If any of those titles mean something to you, you already know where you will be Sunday. Even if they do not, a Father's Day named after a song called "Song for My Father" writes itself. Check the Eventbrite listing for set times and tickets.

Make Music Norwalk. The citywide, free, play-anywhere music day returns, part of the global Make Music celebration on the summer solstice. Performances pop up across the city; the City of Norwalk calendar carries the map. Free, all ages.

Brunch and Riddim: Father's Day Edition at Tropical Island Spice Restaurant. A Caribbean Father's Day brunch with food and music. All ages, family-friendly.

PUP at District Music Hall, Wall Street, with Babe Haven and Cheap Perfume. Loud, fast, and not at all what your father had in mind for Father's Day, which is the point for some of you. Check District Music Hall for door and show times. Likely 16+ or all ages with a guardian, confirm at the box office.

On the Horizon

Norwalk Pride context note: Pride in the Park has already passed (it ran Saturday, June 12, at Veterans Memorial Park). If you missed it, the Triangle Community Center runs LGBTQ+ programming year round.

Summer concert and festival season is open. Watch for more waterfront programming at Veterans Memorial Park through July. We will carry the picks as they firm up.

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