The Mansfield Downtown Partnership invites area residents to gather at the 18th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival for music, food, and fun in Downtown Storrs!
This year’s event will take place Saturday, October 2 from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Visitors will enjoy exploring over 50 activity and food booths hosted by local businesses, community groups, and UConn departments and programs from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM all along the streets in Downtown Storrs.
New this year will be a “Kids’ Zone” on Wilbur Cross Way! Here visitors will find entertainment for the young (and young-at-heart) by Kidsville Kuckoo Revue at 2:30 PM and Pete Haddad’s Hubba Bubba Magic Show from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Booths located in the Kids’ Zone will feature child-friendly games, science and robotics activities, a story walk, martial arts demos, and much more!
Another new attraction at the 18th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival will be a juried craft show on Dog Lane. Artisans and crafters will have their hand-made and locally-sourced items on display and available for purchase from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
In a nod to the times, the Eastern Highlands Health District (EHHD) will host a free vaccine clinic from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Wilbur Cross Way. They will provide free, walk-up Covid19 vaccination of both Janssen (J and J vaccine) for visitors age 18 years and older and Pfizer for visitors age 12 years and older. EHHD will also offer free influenza vaccines for visitors ages 5 years and over.
Chef Robert Landolphi from UConn Dining Services will return with his popular cooking demonstrations on Dog Lane at 2:30 PM. Feeling inspired, visitors can walk over to the Mansfield Town Hall to pick up fresh, local produce for their own culinary creations: Storrs Farmers Market will be open from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
There will be a variety of entertainment on Betsy Paterson Square throughout the event, beginning with an opening ceremony featuring Mayor Antonia Moran, Poet Denise Abercrombie, and the E. O. Smith Drumline at 2:00 PM. Following the ceremony, Bob Bloom will lead “Drumming About You,” an interactive drumming hoot. Everyone will get their hands around his colorful cargo of drums as he launches joyous and legendary songs with high-octane beats.
The Beetles, Bittersweet, and Butterflies Species Change Pageant, presented by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry in collaboration with Joshua’s Trust, will take place on Paterson Square at 3:00 PM. Participants from the Partnership and Ballard Institute’s recent Community Puppet-Building Workshop will perform with their creations. There will be a chance for audience participation, too!
Following the Puppet Pageant will be performances by local musicians: Zikina, an Afro-Jazz/Funk ensemble, at 3:30 PM; singer-songwriter Nanette Addesso at 4:30 PM; and The Professors of Sweet, Sweet, Music, a Hartford-based band with a pop– and folk-rock sound at 5:00 PM.
Throughout the afternoon, strolling artists will perform at various points on the Festival grounds. Among those scheduled to perform are UConn a cappella groups and student puppeteers.
At 6:00 PM, visitors are encouraged to pick up some dinner from one of our Festival food booths or one of the many great restaurants in Downtown Storrs and head to Betsy Paterson Square for a special concert to cap the day. The Funky Dawgz Brass Band will perform from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
The Funky Dawgz Brass Band are one of the premier touring acts on the live music scene today. Emerging from Connecticut, these young men have engulfed the spirit and traditions of New Orleans as well as earned the respect from local musicians who grew up and reside in the city. It is impossible not to enjoy yourself during a show as they play a contagious upbeat mix of traditional New Orleans R&B, original music, hip hop, funk, and today’s top hits with a brass twist.
They have toured internationally; shared the stage with Trombone Shorty, Snarky Puppy, Soul Rebels, and more; and played to sold-out crowds at Madison Square Garden.
With their ties to UConn and the Mansfield community, we are excited to welcome them back to Downtown Storrs!
The Mansfield Downtown Partnership produces the Celebrate Mansfield Festival with the generous support of local sponsors. The 2021 Platinum Sponsors are Barnes & Noble UConn, Gulemo Printers, Inc., The Oaks on the Square, and Wilcox & Reynolds.
The 2021 Gold Sponsors are the Town of Mansfield, UConn, E. O. Smith High School, Mansfield OB/GYN Associates, People’s United Bank, Price Chopper, and WILI. The 2021 Silver Sponsors are The Adventure Park at Storrs; Berkshire Bank; Design Center East; Hops 44; Kahan, Kerensky, Capossela; LAZ Parking; Perception Programs; Renewal by Anderson; UConn Foundation; and Willimantic Waste. The Partnership thanks these businesses for their support of our community!
The Celebrate Mansfield Festival is free and open to everyone. For more information, please visit downtownstorrsfestival.org or call the Mansfield Downtown Partnership (860.429.2740).