West Hartford was the place to be this past weekend as vendors, families, musicians, nonprofits, businesses, and more took to the grounds of Town Hall for the 36th annual Celebrate! West Hartford festival. [Updated]
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
By Bridget Bronsdon. Photos by Bridget Bronsdon, Ronni Newton, and Devin Latimer
Celebrate! West Hartford, a cherished tradition for residents dating back to 1987, returned this past weekend to feature food, handcrafted art, music, carnival rides, games, and more. The two-day festival truly offered something for everyone as not just West Hartford locals, but families from across Connecticut and vendors from across the country flocked to the Town Hall grounds where attendance was estimated at anywhere from 30,000-40,000 people over the course of the weekend.
The highly anticipated two-day event featured anything and everything. More than 20 food vendors offered a variety of foods from boba tea and gourmet cuisine from various countries, to the traditional fair food of hot dogs and hamburgers and fried dough.
Fifty-plus nonprofit exhibitors were also in attendance and upwards of 150 artisans from across the country set up shop along South Main Street. Clothing, jewelry, landscape photography, and homemade textiles drew large crowds to the tents delightfully displaying unique works.
Meanwhile, children and families were entertained with a petting zoo, a 9-hole mini golf course, and live music from West Hartford’s middle and high school bands. Sunday morning featured 1K and 5K runs for all residents interested in walking, running, or those hoping to get some exercise surrounded by the community.
Celebrate! could not happen without the hard work of hundreds of volunteers, many of whom help out as a family. The festival’s customized 9-hole mini golf course – where each hole of the course replicates a well-known landmark such as the West Hartford Town Hall, the First Church Congregational, Noah Webster House, the Westmoor Park Barn, and a West Hartford fire truck – was for many years managed by two sets of twins. Seamus and Gabriel Turco, the twin sons of West Hartford Director of Leisure and Social Services Helen Rubino-Turco shared the duties with their friends and fellow Conard classmate twins Abby and Kate Gosselin. This year, Rubino-Turco snapped this photo of a new set of twins managing the mini golf.
Twins Sanjana (left) and Aparna Sitaram mange the mini-golf at Celebrate! West Hartford. Photo credit: Helen Rubino-Turco
As the warm New England temperatures offered a picturesque weekend for locals and tourists alike, another successful Celebrate! West Hartford weekend is in the books.
Take a look at some highlights of the weekend below!
To view a separate photo gallery from the FUNd RUNS, click here.
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36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford, June 10-11th, 2023. Photo Credit: Bridget Bronsdon
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Ronni Newton
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
36th Annual Celebrate! West Hartford. June 10-11, 2023. Photo credit: Devin Latimer
