Popular Annual Litchfield Events
Litchfield has many marquee annual events beloved by residents and visitors alike, and the most prominent are listed here. See our Events Calendar for daily and weekly events taking place in town.
Holiday Stroll & Holiday Tree Lighting
This festive holiday event, coordinated by the Park & Recreation department, features carolers, hay rides courtesy of Bunnell Farm, ornaments at the Litchfield Historical Society, the lighting of the holiday tree on the Green, and more. It takes place this year Nov. 28, from 2:30 to 5:30 with the tree lighting at 6 p.m. Check the Park & Recreation page and Facebook feed for details.
https://www.facebook.com/litchfieldctparkandrec
https://www.townoflitchfield.org/entities/litchfield-park-and-recreation
Oliver Wolcott Library Festival of Trees
The Oliver Wolcott Library’s annual fund-raiser, held the weekend after Thanksgiving, is an event of the season in Litchfield. The library is transformed into an elegant party venue as local designers prepare festive centerpieces, and library patrons create wreaths and other forms of original art and holiday décor, which guests bid on. There are hors d’oeuvres, a raffle drawing, a silent auction, and more. The library’s website provides all the details as the event approaches.
Possum Queen
This strange but magnificent tradition started in 1989 by raising about $2,000 for a Litchfield family needing help with medical bills through New Year’s Day event in which guests dress up in crazy costumes and bid on auction items that include a can of “possum stew.” It’s a riff on the popularity of possum as a dinner staple in the old show “The Beverly Hillbillies.” However that sounds, the Possum Queen Foundation raided more than $100,000 in 2018, $150,000 in 2019, and $130,000 in January 2020 alone to help individuals and families in dire straits. See the website to learn more.
http://possumqueenfoundation.org
Laurel Ridge Daffodils
Every spring, the magnificent fields of daffodils at Laurel Ridge draw hundreds, even thousands, of admirers. This beloved display, created and presented for public enjoyment by the Morosani family, is located along Wigwam Road, off Route 254. Please tread lightly and park carefully. Here’s the link on Google Maps:
https://www.google.com/…/@41.6967302,-73.1419514,15.93z
Litchfield Hills Road Race
Established in 1977, the Litchfield Road Race is a great Litchfield tradition that attracts elite runners from around the world. In years not affected by extenuating circumstances, it includes children’s races and other festivities that make race weekend an exciting time for visitors and spectators to be in Litchfield. See the LHRR website for more information.
Fourth of July Events & Fireworks
Litchfield has a terrific Independence Day fireworks display at Litchfield High School, part of a weekend that also focuses on the town’s rich Revolutionary War-era history. The Litchfield Historical Society offers a Heroes of the Revolution Walking Tour, as well as the popular July 4th Pet Parade and Turn of the Century Fest, featuring old-fashioned amusements including sack races, tug-of-war contests, a photo booth, and more. Meanwhile, the First Litchfield Artillery fires its cannon 13 times at the All Wars Memorial in Bantam to pay tribute to the original 13 colonies, and the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter DAR begins the Independence Day celebration with tributes at the burial sites of Gov. Oliver Wolcott Sr. and Col. Benjamin Tallmadge in East Cemetery. (Best bet for planning purposes: check our blog about a week before the holiday for details on all the Independence Day events.)
Concerts on the Green
Every summer the Park & Recreation department sponsors a series of Wednesday evening concerts on the Green, featuring a wide range of popular regional bands. This past summer featured business sponsorships of individual concerts that also involved special deals on grab-and-go concert dinners and other discounts. Check the Park & Rec website and Facebook feed for details from late spring throughout the summer.
https://litchfieldparkandrec.com/info/default.aspx
Litchfield Jazz Festival
The Litchfield Jazz Festival took flight a quarter-century ago in the field at the White Memorial Conservation Center and quickly established itself as one of the premier small festivals in the country, with performers such as Diane Krall, Dave Brubeck and Christian McBride. These days the summer festival and Litchfield Jazz Camp are headquartered at the Frederick Gunn School in Washington. See the website for details and plans for the 2022 festival.
https://litchfieldjazzfest.com
Goshen Fair
The Goshen Fair is held each Labor Day weekend. A classic country fair, it features animals, including draft horses, dairy cows, pigs, chickens, goats, ducks sheep, rabbits, llamas, horses, and beef cows—along with draught animal pulls, garden tractor pulls, tractor pulls, truck pulls, wood chopping, a petting zoo photography, vegetables, needlework, flowers, arts and crafts, and much more, There’s always rides, lots of great fair food, and entertainment for all ages. Other events take place at the fairgrounds throughout the year. Watch the website as the fair approaches for all the details.
Family Nature Day at White Memorial
Family Nature Day each September is a highlight of a calendar packed with great outdoor- and nature-oriented activities at the White Memorial Conservation Center, the heart of the larger White Memorial Foundation with 4,000 acres of preserved land and 40 miles of trails. 2022 with mark the 40th annual event. Watch the website for details.
Harvest Bounty Brewfest
The Litchfield Community Center hosts a Harvest Bounty Brewfest each October, featuring more than 25 Connecticut craft brewers, as well as wine and spirits, from around the state, along with live bands, lots of great food, lawn games and fire pits. The listing is published on the website as each event approaches.
https://thecommunitycenter.org
Scarecrows in the Meadow
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the Litchfield Historical Society hosts a terrific Scarecrows in the Meadow display in the Tapping Reeve Meadow behind the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School (the nation’s first law school, open as a museum with free admission.) More than 50 imaginative, fun and/or spooky scarecrows are on display in the meadow on South Street, easy walking distance from the Green and town center. Visitors vote for their favorites. Best bet for the latest on all historical society events and exhibits is the Facebook page.