ArtsWestCT and the West Haven Early Childhood Council jointly announce plans for West Haven Make Music Day on June 21st, a 4th annual family-friendly event. Internationally, Make Music Day celebrations are held in nearly 5,000 places around the world, including West Haven’s Old Grove Park. Here, the focus will be on creating instruments from recycled materials and jamming outdoors with local musicians. While free-of-charge, attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food donations for West Haven’s Purple Pantry program.
The day’s schedule will feature:
1 p.m. — Bring the Hoopla hula hoop demonstration, with DJ Sounds Unlimited
2:30 — Zaneta Nicholson & Friends community tap dancing instruction & play
3 — Make Your Own Instrument out of recycled materials collected by community organizations, sponsored by the West Haven Early Childhood Council with assistance from local musicians.
4 — Bucket Drumming Village featuring bomba dancers and musicians from Movimiento Cultural
Resource Tables set up throughout the event will share valuable information from the United Way, Bridges Health Care, and other organizations. For door prizes, local author Cindy J. Cadet has donated copies of her books about childhood friendship and healthy coparenting.
West Haven’s Make Music Day celebration is supported in part by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of the Arts, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and local artist Edith Reynolds.
The City of West Haven has included Make Music Day in the Summerfest 2025 mailing to thousands of West Haven homes and businesses. While intended to be a rain or shine event, everyone is asked to please put safety first and check the ArtsWestCT Facebook page @westhavenarts for updates before venturing out. Lineup is subject to change.
ArtsWestCT is West Haven’s public-facing arts service organization. Its mission is to center creative expression and performance by and for the West Haven community. Make Music Day is one of the organization’s signature annual events, along with All Neighbors Day, a multicultural festival to be held Saturday, Nov. 1. Monthly newsletters and weekly artist meetups keep the community connected to creative resources and opportunities year-round. Visit https://www.artswestct.org/