UPDATE (Friday, September 22, 2023): The outdoor events planned for 2023 Newtown Arts Festival have been canceled due to the impending weather forecast, according to the Newtown Arts Festival Committee. The two concerts (Red Matter tonight, Flagpole Radio Cafe with Loudon Wainwright III tomorrow night) will go on as planned.

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Newtown Arts Festival will host play readings of new works by local playwrights on Tuesday, September 19, and Thursday, September 21. Both events will begin at 7:30 pm and be presented at Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street.

Creative Director Terry Sagedy notes that after a brief hiatus, he and fellow organizers are returning this year to presenting arts and humanities activities leading up to the outdoor festival at Fairfield Hills.

“We’re excited to help these local playwrights hear their works in progress. This opportunity allows them to tailor their works,” Sagedy continued.

The first evening of readings will feature excerpts from Dean Alexander’s short plays Heat and Truth Hurts, and Morgana Kate Watson’s Clayton and The Scary Orange Bottle.

The second evening will feature Elizabeth Young’s Restored to Reason.

The plays are free and open to the public.

The 11th Newtown Arts Festival offers free events during the week of September 28, leading up to a three-day outdoor event comprising artisans, music, dance, literature, arts and crafts and other audience-interactive activities.

Arts Festival Weekend

Red Matter, a Greenwich-based band that “combines cosmic jams, Americana song writing and Grace Slick style vocals,” will headline the Friday night concert on September 22 on the grounds of Fairfield Hills to mark the beginning of the 11th Newtown Arts Festival.

The concert will begin at 7 pm.

Tickets are $25 and available through newtownartsfestival.com.

The Wine and Beer Garden will be open during the concert. As in the past, guests will be able to take their wine or beer and sit at the concert. Food trucks will also be on-site.

Outside food or beverages will not be allowed.

The 11th Newtown Arts Festival will then continue Saturday and Sunday, September 23-24, 11 am to 5 pm rain or shine both days. Entrance will be at the corner of Trades Lane and DG Beers Boulevard, near the main entrance of the Fairfield Hills campus.

Sponsored by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, proceeds of the art festival funds scholarships for Newtown residents who are graduating high school seniors and grants for Newtown artists and organizations that bring the arts to Newtown.

More than 75 artisans, from wood turning and jewelry to jams and jellies, will be in the center of the Arts Festival.

Tickets for the two-day festival are $5, payable at the gate or online now at newtownartsfestival.com. Children under age 5 are admitted free.

Cash, credit, and debit cards will all be accepted at the gate; online payment is through credit and debit cards only.

For full details visit newtownartsfestival.com.

In addition to the events at Fairfield Hills, The Flagpole Radio Café is scheduled to return to the stage this month for a full show. The special event, for the first time, is also a 2023 Newtown Arts Festival event.

The popular music and comedy event is planned for Saturday, September 23, at 7 pm, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III will be the special guest.

Tickets are $45 and available through flagpoleproductions.org.

(Read more here: Flagpole Radio Café Joining Arts Fest, Hosting Grammy Winning Wainwright)