Riverfront Recapture's 2013 event season to begin May 4

Visitors attend one of the concerts sponsored by Riverfront Recapture in Great River Park last year. Photo courtesy of Riverfront Recapture. - Contributed Photo

May will mark the beginning of Riverfront Recapture's 2013 season of events, encompassing both East Hartford and Hartford in multicultural events throughout late spring and early summer. The organization is well known in both areas for its Riverfest summer celebration and fireworks show, as well as several other popular events.

Riverfront Recapture will hold events in three different parks: Great River Park in East Hartford, Mortensen Riverfront Plaza in Hartford, and Riverside Park in Hartford. Tricia Theobald, the organization's marketing manager, said that even though some events are being held outside of East Hartford, they are within a short distance of the town.

"They're right across the river from Riverside Park in East Hartford, so people in East Hartford will be able to get there by walking a short distance across the Founders Bridge," Theobald said. All of the events hosted by Riverfront Recapture are expected to be free to attend, with the season expected to open on May 4. "We tend not to plan anything before May because of flooding issues. There's too much of a risk that things would be cancelled," Theobald said.

The 2013 season is expected to open with Samba Fest, a Brazilian festival, in Mortensen Plaza on May 4. The festival will include musical performances and cultural activities throughout the day.

At press time, Riverfront Recapture is expecting to hold two events in East Hartford. The first, a summer concert series known as Riverfront Summer Pops, will take place throughout the summer with performances by the Middletown Symphonic Band. The second is Riverfest, an Independence Day celebration that typically draws the largest crowds each year. "Riverfest is typically the most popular thing we do each year," Theobald said. "That's when we do the fourth of July fireworks show." This year, Riverfest is expected to be held on July 6.

Other popular events held by Riverfront Recapture include the Dragon Boat and Asian Festival on Aug. 17 and the Pipes in the Valley Celtic Festival on Sept. 28. Both will be held in Mortensen Plaza in Hartford. Theobald said that the dragon boat festival draws large crowds and over a thousand participants every year. This year, more than 1,500 paddlers are expected to attend.

Theobald said that some of the details for the events may change as the start of the season gets closer. "We're still working out the details on most of these events, so more details will be available in the future," she said. Details are expected to be posted to the organization's website, www.riverfront.org, as they are made available. A complete schedule of events is also available on the website.