Connecticut Summer Concert Series
Live music in Connecticut is often free. Connecticut's summer concert series run all across the state. You'll find them on town greens, resort patios, and riverside lawns. Each one plays the same night every week. The season runs from June into September. Pack a chair. Bring a picnic. Catch a free show almost any night. Here are the best series to build your summer around.
Free, every week, at the casinos
The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun sits in Uncasville. It is the state's most reliable free show. It runs live music all year. No ticket is ever needed. You get regional bands and tribute acts. The room sits just off the casino floor. In summer, Mohegan adds Party on the Sun Patio. This free series runs Friday nights. It runs from late June through mid-September. Expect bands and food trucks. The prime areas are 21+. Check the details before you bring the family.
Levitt Pavilion, Westport
The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts is the state's top free series. Each summer it hosts dozens of free shows. They happen on the Saugatuck River. It also adds a few ticketed nights. Levitt feels like Connecticut's summer music tradition. The lineup spans folk, funk, and world music.
Town-green & park series
Most of these shows are free and family-friendly. Each one runs on a fixed weeknight.
- Greenwich Parks & Rec Concert Series: Sunday and Wednesday evenings all summer.
- Rockin' Out at Rockwell (Bristol): Tuesday nights, rock and tribute acts.
- Trumbull Summer Concerts: Tuesday nights at the town green gazebo.
- Music at the Mansion (Middletown): Wednesday evenings on the Wadsworth Mansion lawn.
- Talcott Mountain Music Festival (Simsbury Meadows): the Hartford Symphony's Friday night lawn series. Fireworks light up the sky near the Fourth of July.
Almost every town runs its own summer concert series. These are just a few of the best known. Check your own town's parks-and-rec calendar too.
Find tonight's free show
Series, festivals, and club shows all land in one place. See what's on across Connecticut tonight. The free CT Concert Center app covers all summer too.
Download on theApp StoreIf you want the big tours instead
Paid outdoor venues host the national tours. The Xfinity Theatre / Meadows Music Theatre sits in Hartford. The Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater sits on the Bridgeport waterfront. Both run full seasons, from late spring into fall. See our guide to outdoor & summer concerts. Or check our best amphitheaters roundup.
One note on what's gone
Alive@Five is gone. It was Stamford's long-running Thursday night series downtown. It ended after its 2024 season. It is not coming back. Fairfield County's free shows moved to the Levitt Pavilion and town parks.
Series schedules shift year to year. Check the CT Concert Center app for what's on this week. Our Things to Do in CT page keeps a live count too. For ticketed festival weekends, see our music festivals guide.