The fun begins with the Barnum Skyblast ‘n (Clam)Bake on Friday, June 26, at Seaside Park. Tickets are $50 a person. A pre-concert with Steve D’Agostino begins at 6:15, followed by a free concert by the Greater Bridgeport Symphony at 7:30 p.m. Fireworks follow the concert and are scheduled to begin at 9:15 p.m.
The Champions on Parade, a drum corps competition, will be held on Saturday at Bunnell High School at Stratford. It begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.
The final Festival activity will be the Great Street Parade on Sunday. It begins at noon at the corner of North, Clinton and Brooklawn Avenues in Bridgeport
For full details on the events, click here to visit the events page on the Barnum Festival website.
The clambake on Friday includes all the trappings of a summer feast, including lobster, steak, chicken breast, steamed clams and corn on the cob.
After D’Agostino takes the stage, soprano Sara Heaton joins the Greater Bridgeport Symphony for a concert at the bandshell. VIP seating is available for $25, or guests can bring blankets or chairs and sit on the lawn at no charge.
Fireworks begin at dusk and will be simulcast on radio station WEBE 108 FM.
The Champions on Parade on Saturday features six of the top 10 teams in the nationwide Drum Corps Associates. Teams from New Jersey and Pennsylvania will be among the competing bands, along with the Connecticut Hurricanes, who are based in Seymour.
Sunday’s parade concludes the monthlong Festival. The parade features drum corps, dancers, drill teams, clowns, creative floats, giant balloons and some Barnum-sized prizes. The parade will also pay tribute to first responders.
Visitors can bring a nonperishable food donation to the route to donate to the Ringmaster’s Family-to-Family Food Drive to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank. Local Rotarians will walk the route and hope to fill the truck again to stop “Summer Hunger.”
People can vote for their favorite first responder to march in the parade by sending an email to info@barnumfestival.com.
The Barnum Festival was created to build community spirit and honor Bridgeport’s most famous resident, P.T. Barnum. The renowned entrepreneur and co-founder of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was also a generous philanthropist, newspaper publisher, charismatic showman, philosopher, humanitarian, politician and benefactor for the City of Bridgeport, where he served as mayor.