Live music in New Haven, CT

Live music sets the mood, with half price cheese and chocolate plus specials on drinks.

Celebrate Puerto Rican culture over two lively days on the New Haven Green. Presented by Puerto Ricans United, Inc. and CT LEAD, the festival opens with a Friday night concert featuring live music, a limited selection of food trucks, and no VIP area. The celebration continues all day Saturday with more live performances, a wider variety of food trucks, and health and wellness screenings. Saturday’s headliner is La Princesa de la Salsa, India, and Friday features freestyle favorite Lisette Melendez. Music will be provided by DJ Red El Colorao and DJ Tony. Getting there is simple, with CT Transit service to the Green, nearby Union Station and State Street Station, and rideshare options throughout downtown. Metered street parking is available around the area as well as nearby garages, including Temple Street Garage. Support for the festival is provided by CT LEAD, the CGA Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus, the City of New Haven’s Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism, HITN, La Voz Hispana de Connecticut, Yale New Haven Health, Yale University, Milford Bank, Progreso Latino Way, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, Budget Transmission Center, Bubbles Laundromat, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, New Haven Bank, Johnny B’s Sewer and Drain LLC, DNB Lobby, Fair Haven Community Health Care, Dichello Distributor, Tropical Caribbean Cuisine, WTNH News 8, Telemundo, and NBC 30.

Noize in the Attic Records hosts a live concert at The Cellar on Treadwell featuring Circus of Power and Tim Mosher with his Junkyard Friends, with special guest sets from Ten Ton Mojo and The Erotics.

Catch Buddy Guy live at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. The show is scheduled for Friday evening.

This free show celebrates Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead during Jerry Week, known as The Days Between. If the weather allows, the performance will be held outdoors. The lineup will be announced.

India Ramey is performing at Cafe Nine in New Haven. Doors open for the show at 9:00 PM, with the performance starting then.

Enjoy a relaxed patio hangout at Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue with happy hour specials, live music, yard games, and more. Drink deals include $3 Coors Lite 12oz cans, $3 Yuengling 12oz cans, $3 Angry Orchard 12oz cans, $3 Truly, and $5 options like well drinks, wine, and select drafts. Food specials feature $1 wings ordered by the half dozen, $5 for two sliders with pork or chicken, $5 for two Bear Balls, and $5 cheesy bacon fries. Live music is scheduled every Saturday, and happy hour is offered on Saturdays and Sundays.

Best Music Fest 2026 returns to Best Video for an all-day celebration of music, with vendors, food, and a welcoming atmosphere. The full lineup and vendor details will be announced closer to the event.

Join the weekly afternoon jazz jam at Cafe Nine, running every Saturday from 4 to 7 pm. It’s a friendly, free session where musicians can sit in after the first set. No cover charge.

The Sandpiper features live music, filling the space with on-site performances for guests to enjoy.

Leah Marlene brings the Small Spaces Tour to New Haven for a close‑knit night of music, storytelling, and community. The tour takes her songs out of traditional venues and into intimate settings like listening rooms, coffee shops, yoga studios, and homes, creating space for presence and genuine connection. Hear the music as it was written, up close, pared back, and shared in the moment. Known for vivid storytelling, genre‑crossing songwriting, and a magnetic live show, Leah blends the hush of folk with the drive of rock for an experience that feels both personal and communal. Capacity is intentionally limited, and the atmosphere is set for focused listening with an evening of songs, stories, laughter, and connection in a unique space. This performance is planned outdoors in a homey backyard in New Haven. Guests are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs, or other preferred seating. Light snacks will be available. Alcohol is permitted and the event is BYOB. If the weather does not cooperate, the gathering will move indoors and continue. The exact address and parking details will be shared with ticket holders. Born in Ontario and raised in Illinois, Leah grew up surrounded by music, finished third on Season 20 of American Idol, and is now based in Nashville. She has toured widely across North America, performed alongside Jade Bird, Peach Pit, and Margo Price, and reached the Top 50 in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.

Z's Corner Cafe hosts a party with SBJ Acoustic (Bad Mannerz) performing acoustic music.

Admission is free for a solo set from Seth Adam at New England Brewing Co. in Branford, CT. He mixes soulful original songs with thoughtfully chosen covers, delivered with an engaging stage presence. Ryan Martin of Jammerzine has praised his songwriting and the way he weaves Americana elements with rock and classic alternative. His latest single is titled Things Won’t Always Be This Way.

Enjoy live music behind Town Hall while showing support for local artists and local shops. This outdoor event will take place only if the weather cooperates.

Digital Tracks Entertainment brings Mixtape Match to The Cellar on Treadwell, a bingo-style game where the host plays songs instead of calling letters and numbers. When a track matches a square on your card, you mark it and move closer to a win. The action unfolds over three rounds, each with its own musical theme, with possibilities that include 80s favorites, TV theme songs, classic rock, current hits, 90s alternative, one-hit wonders, hair bands, and old school hip hop. No music expertise is required, since song titles and artists are announced as they play. You can jump into any round, though sticking around for all three is encouraged. Cards are $2 each or $10 for a set of six, the prize pool grows with more players, and every dollar collected is paid back to participants with no portion kept by the host or the venue.

Hail The Sun performs live at Space Ballroom, with a show open to attendees of all ages and presented by Premier Concerts and Manic Presents.

Jon Batiste performs live in New Haven, Connecticut.

New England Brewing Co. partners with Freedom Road Harley-Davidson for a Throwback Thursday celebration of all things classic. Expect classic motorcycles, nostalgic fashion, and timeless tracks that create a laid-back summer atmosphere. The Haymond Law Firm and All Wheels on the Road back the event in support of the Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer. Attendees can embrace a retro look or simply enjoy the ride.

Summer @ The Well offers an easygoing social atmosphere with live music in The Well, the pub on the lower level of the Yale Schwarzman Center. This edition spotlights the Jeff Brock Trio, presented by the Yale Schwarzman Center. Yale Professor Jeff Brock, an accomplished jazz musician, will perform with his trio for the final Summer @ The Well gathering before the new academic year begins. Brock serves as Dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science and is the William S. Massey Professor of Mathematics and Professor of Statistics & Data Science.

Jon Batiste brings his acclaimed live show to Westville Music Bowl in New Haven. Presented by Premier Concerts, Manic Presents, and Bowery Presents, this all ages event spotlights an artist celebrated for a boundary crossing approach to music and a spirit of inclusivity. An eight time Grammy winner who has also earned Academy and Emmy honors, Batiste recently released BIG MONEY, a roots steeped album drawing from gospel, soul, blues, folk, and rock and roll, created with collaborators such as No I.D., Randy Newman, and Andra Day. The album received three Grammy nominations and won Best Americana Album, following the solo piano collection Beethoven Blues, which topped Billboard’s Classical Albums chart for nine weeks. His 2023 release World Music Radio, featuring guests including Jon Bellion, Lana Del Rey, and Lil Wayne, garnered five Grammy nominations including Album of the Year. Beyond the stage, his work includes co scoring Disney and Pixar’s Soul, which earned an Academy Award, as well as the score for Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night. He was the subject of the documentary American Symphony and co wrote the song It Never Went Away, which received an Oscar nomination and a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Earlier projects such as Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard and Meditations also drew Grammy recognition, and he spent years as bandleader and musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Wild Bloom's host Matty F leads Music Bingo at Wood-n-Tap in Hamden. It is free to play. Instead of numbers, each round uses short clips of songs, and because this is not a music trivia game, the screen shows the song title and artist to give a hand when needed. The night includes four rounds with different patterns and categories, and winners choose the category for the next round. Prizes are awarded in every round. Bring friends for music, games, food, drinks, and the chance to win.

House Head City partners with Stella Blues for an evening centered on house music. The program begins with an opening set by BlackStar*Lawd and features Dj Soul Selektah.