The Family Arts Festival will be held on Saturday, May 16 in West Hartford.

Submitted

Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) is proud to announce the Family Arts Festival, a free, community-wide event taking place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Hartford Senior Center, 15 Starkel Road in Bishops Corner.

The Family Arts Festival is designed as an interactive, drop-in experience where families can explore music, dance, theater, and visual arts together. Featuring hands-on workshops and live performances led by AFLCT’s professional Teaching Artists, the event offers accessible, high-quality arts experiences for participants of all ages and backgrounds.

Families are invited to attend at any time during the event and engage in a variety of rotating sessions throughout the day. The flexible format allows participants to move between activities, encouraging exploration, creativity, and shared experiences.

“This event is about access, plain and simple,” said Jed Kornbluh, West Hartford resident and Director of Business Development at Arts for Learning Connecticut. “We work with tens of thousands of students across the state each year, but many families don’t have opportunities to engage with the arts outside of school. The Family Arts Festival creates that opportunity—free, local, and designed for families to participate together in meaningful, hands-on experiences.”

The festival reflects AFLCT’s mission to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. Each activity is grounded in educational frameworks, including Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

In addition to providing a valuable community experience, the Family Arts Festival serves as AFLCT’s primary annual fundraising event. While admission is free, donations are encouraged to support the organization’s work, bringing arts learning opportunities to nearly 70,000 students across Connecticut each year.

Local businesses and community partners will be represented at the event, with sponsorship opportunities still available for organizations interested in supporting arts access in the Greater Hartford region.

For more information, to register, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit the website.

About Arts for Learning Connecticut

Arts for Learning Connecticut (AFLCT) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring young people and expanding their learning through the arts. Through partnerships with schools and community organizations, AFLCT provides workshops, performances, residencies, and professional development programs that integrate the arts into education and community life across Connecticut.

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