Old Lyme Midsummer Festival Returns July 25-26 With Fireworks, Music, Art, Cars and Community

OLD LYME, CT – The Midsummer Festival, a production of the Old Lyme Arts District, returns with a kickoff concert on Friday, July 25, and a day-long celebration of the town’s rich artistic heritage and welcoming community spirit on Saturday, July 26.

The free Friday concert from 7 to 9 p.m. brings Mass-Conn-Fusion to the riverfront lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. The audience is invited to spread out with lawn chairs or blankets while the band performs its mix of classic hits. Food vendors will be available.

On Saturday, the celebration hits the ground running at 8 a.m. with the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau’s annual Midsummer 5K race, 59 Lyme St. Beginning at 9 a.m., the festival grounds spread out across the Lyme Art Association, Florence Griswold Museum, Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center and Old Lyme Inn.

Returning favorites include the Old Lyme Lions Club Classic Car Show from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Parading Paws Dog Show from 10 to 11 a.m., local artisan and nonprofit vendors, children’s activities, live music and food trucks.

Visitors can shop for original artwork during the Fence Artist Show at the Old Lyme Inn and at the Lyme Art Association, where three summer exhibitions will be open with free admission. The Florence Griswold Museum will also offer free admission throughout the day, while the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and other partners welcome visitors with exhibitions, demonstrations, family activities, shopping and special programming.

First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said the fireworks will follow a performance of the Old Lyme Town Band on Saturday evening. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., with the pyrotechnics show set to launch around 9 p.m. A raindate is set for the following evening.

Elsbeth Dowd, executive director of the Lyme Art Association, said attendees will be able to “experience everything that makes Old Lyme special” in one place.

“Whether you’re discovering the area for the first time or returning for a favorite summer tradition, you’ll find art, music, history, nature, and community all within easy walking distance,” she said.

Festival admission is free. Some individual activities may have separate registration fees or admission charges.

The Midsummer Festival is supported by Connecticut’s Eastern Regional Tourism District, the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce, Pasta Vita, Essex Bank/Essex Financial Services, the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, Bluewater Millwork & Construction Inc. and LymeLine Inc.

Full schedules, maps and updates are available on the Explore Old Lyme website.