City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 820 Main St.
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1 Barnum Dyke
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1875 Noble Ave.
4. Klein Memorial Auditorium
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 319-1404, ext. 309
Address: 910 Fairfield Ave.
Description: Opening in 1940, this 1,400-seat theater in Bridgeport has seen performances and speeches by people like Leonard Bernstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr. These days the Art Deco building is run by the nonprofit Fairfield Theater Company and hosts comedy acts, pop bands, and theater performances. These marble halls are also the home of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, headed for the last 40 years by internationally famed conductor Gustav Meier. Their performances of classics like Handel’s Messiah and Orff’s Carmina Burana are simply magical. There’s also free parking—often a rarity at city theaters. Try to get a seat about 10 to 15 rows back; those are the best, except for the first row of the balcony.
5. Barnum Festival
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 367-8495
Address: 1070 Main St.
Description: Since 1948 this festival has been lifting the spirits of the people of Bridgeport. It is really not one event, but many throughout the early summer: a car show, comedy night, road races, the Jenny Lind voice competition (since long before American Idol), fireworks, and more, all leading up to the Fourth of July. On or close to the Fourth, Bridgeport hosts the Street Day Parade. Once this was second in size only to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and though it has since been surpassed, it is still a huge deal. Along with the usual marching bands and floats, people from across the region dress up in outrageous costumes, and they are a sight to behold.
6. Gathering Of The Vibes
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 908-3030
Description: This annual music festival has been going and growing for almost 2 decades and is now a 4-day wonderland. It’s primary residence is in Bridgeport’s Seaside Park, though in the past it has also set up shop in other locations. You can camp right in the park (the only time during the year you’re allowed to do that), stay nearby, or just come for a single day. Expect to find kids and families, as well as tripped-out teenagers. This is a music festival as it should be: friendly chaos among the tunes of amazing artists like the Grateful Dead, and George Clinton and P-Funk. There are various craft and food vendors who serve the 20,000 people who attend every year. This is the biggest music festival in the Northeast and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Unless you go every year, of course.
7. Greatest Bluefish Tournament On Earth
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 366-6000
Address: 2 Lafayette Sq.
Description: This annual competition offers a huge prize of $25,000 for the largest bluefish caught. That is a lot of money for any fisherman, and the runner-up prizes aren’t too shabby either. Though it is sponsored and run by the WICC radio station in Bridgeport, the contest takes place all along the coast of Connecticut (and Long Island), so wherever you are the last weekend of August, you can sign up and head out into the Sound to fish. There are weigh-in stations from Greenwich to Old Saybrook that will measure your catch. Recently, they have also offered a prize of $50,000 for the capture of a specific tagged fish swimming somewhere in the Sound. You’re still better off trying for it than playing the lottery.
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 4450 Park Ave.
9. Acoustic Cafe
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (203) 335-3655
Address: 2926 Fairfield Ave.
Description: This chill, funky venue is the prime place to hear local music in Fairfield County. Located in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, the Acoustic focuses on folk and contemporary alternative music, but often breaks out into different styles like metal, jazz, bluegrass, electronic, hip-hop, and zydeco. More of a bar or nightclub with a stage, they have open mike nights and a great selection of local bands. The cafe’s walls are covered with hippie art, they have a great sound system, and they’re always packed with music fans. If you get a chance to peek in the green room, you’ll see photos of thousands of performers who have rocked this stage. Have dinner nearby at Bloodroot and then see one of these intimate shows.
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 06604
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 500 Main St.
City: Bridgeport, CT
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1 Bostwick Ave.