The 29th International Festival of Arts and Ideas offers lots of ways to participate. The main festival runs from Friday, June 14, to Saturday, June 29, evan as some events and neighborhood festivals began as early as April.

Learn. Create. Discuss. Walk. Bike. Dance. Debate. Eat. Or tap your feet. No matter what you yearn for, the festival offers abundant choices.

Instead of starting with one guiding theme, Executive Director Shelley Quiala says multiple threads allow for creative responses from participants. The threads relate to issues that impact our present–broad themes such as the environment and democracy, along with more focused themes such as aging and the impact of the African-Caribbean-Connecticut migration patterns.

“We thought of it in terms of ‘Move’–movement is intrinsic to everything,” Quiala said. “These are issues that are on people’s minds, particularly with this area so close to the coast.”

“The programming team really wanted the arts part of the festival to be related to the ideas,” Quiala said.

A quick look at the arts events reveals connections between theater (King Lear and aging), dance (Contra-Tiempo’s “¡Azúcar!” about sugarcane farming and migration), and more.

Beginning And Ending With Celebrations

The festival kicks off celebrating Juneteenth with a stage performance on Friday, June 14, and the Juneteenth Marketplace on the New Haven Green on Saturday. Visitors will experience the values of intergenerational respect and learning through an elder honoring ceremony and educational presentations.

At its conclusion, the festival will be a celebration of Caribbean Heritage Month, a celebration that honors the rich cultural contributions of the Caribbean Diaspora in New England. The New Haven Green will feature performances of music and dance, as well as displays that represent the various islands and a range of culinary delights.

Grammy Nominees & Winners

Samara Joy performs at the College Street Music Hall on Wednesday, June 26. A Grammy winner, though still in her early 20s, Joy’s jazz vocals fuse classic jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday) with contemporary flair.

Sambas, reggae, soul, and more will be on the Green on Thursday, June 27 when Grammy-nominee Caro Pierotte and her all-star Brazilian band performs in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Grammy Award-winner Dobet Gnahoré performs on the Green Friday, June 28. Dobet, from Côte d’Ivoire, is a virtuosic singer, dancer, and percussionist who’s captured the world’s attention.

Water, Water, Water

Water—the need to protect our water supply due to the effect climate change will have on our coastline—has been discussed before and issue is only increasing in its importance.

You can listen to experts discuss water and climate issues and then listen to the Yale Choral Artists present “Malhaar: A Requiem for Water” by composer Reena Esmail (Friday and Saturday, June 28 & 29). It’s inspired by the Hindustani raags that invoke rain and blend Hindi poetry and Latin requiem text.

Or you can watch the documentary film Save the Sound: Reconnected followed by a panel discussion about restoring Long Island Sound through dam removal. Add to that the family day trip to Outer Island (which always fills up), to explore this marine refuge in Stony Creek. This trip on Saturday, June 26, is free but requires advanced reservations.

Take a hands-on tour of the Whitney Water Treatment plant (Friday, June 21) and learn what it takes to get water to us.

Our Changing Climate–Saturday, June 15

Environmental concerns don’t stop with water. Climate change is affecting immigration as well; the term climate displacement has entered our vocabularies. A panel will discuss this issue on Saturday, June 15 led by featured speaker Tabitha Sookdeo from IRIS. What are the complexities of climate-induced migration? The legal and humanitarian issues involved also will be explored.

Also, on Saturday, June 15, the Climate and Migration Resource Fair showcases the essential services and initiatives that address climate challenges and support immigrant communities in Connecticut. See who is making a positive impact on the issue.

“Science Can Save Us”–explores the role of science and optimism. Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson of the Urban Ocean Lab and John Dankosky from Science Friday discuss her latest book, What If We Get It Right? How do we navigate through the complexities of climate change with optimism and love? What is the roadmap for solutions at the intersection of science, policy, culture, and justice? This discussion will take place Saturday, June 15 at 4 p.m.

The Arts and Climate Change

How many people would think that William Shakespeare, who lived in the 16th century, might have anything to say about climate change? You might consider The Tempest would have relevance, but King Lear? On Tuesday, June 18, a roundtable discussion, “Tempests of the Minds: Exploring Climate Change, Shakespeare, and the Human Experience,” connects Lear to climate change. It is led by Steve Mentz, a renowned Shakespearean scholar; David Sterling, who teaches at Trinity College in Hartford; and actor/writer/teacher Tara Bradway.

Eat Your Way Through New Haven

What is more found than sampling New Haven’s multiplicity of ethnic foods? You can celebrate the public art and food of Fair Haven during the walking tour on Saturday, June 29, which includes Fair Haven Oyster and Armada Brewing. Let James Beard award-winning chef Sherry Pocknett demonstrate indigenous cooking as she shares the heritage of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on Tuesday, June 25. The World Food Bazaar on Thursday, June 20, celebrates World Refugee Day by letting you taste the flavors of Syria, Afghanistan, and Senegal at Sanctuary Kitchen, Ethiopian dishes at Lalibella, or sweet treats at Havenly. You might want to learn how to craft authentic empanadas with an interactive class on Tuesday, June 18. But these aren’t the old food-related events.

Walking tours explore the food of Grand Haven (Saturday, June 15) and Westville (Thursday, June 27), as well as the food experience at Gioia on Wooster Street (Wednesday, June 26).

The food events are among the small number of events that are not free. Tickets must be purchased which cover the food that participants consume at the various restaurants.

Pizza and Theater

New Haven’s own Broken Umbrella Theatre Company is creating a theatrical work about pizza and New Haven, which will premiere at next year’s festival.

This year, A Slice (Of What’s to Come) on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 18 and 19, not only will preview next year’s production but includes a pizza tasting, Taste of New Haven’s Colin Caplan reviewing New Haven pizza history, and a discussion with Broken Umbrella’s creative team about devising new work and why we love New Haven pizza!

Free on the Green

Classical, jazz, Celtic, swing, fusion, ethnic–explore all types of music, free on the New Haven Green.

The big-name concerts on Saturdays and Sundays start with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra under the stars on Saturday, June 15. Perry So, the new music director, conducts what is described as an outdoor party including guest artists from New Haven. So wants to make the concert “all about New Haven.”

Stokley Williams brings R&B and soul to the green on Friday, June 21. The Grammy-nominated artist from Mint Condition is now the star of Super Freak – The Rick James Musical. He’s worked with everyone from Prince to Whitney Houston to Janet Jackson. You hear his hits like “Organic” and “Levels.” The opening acts are DJs SWI and Hollywood, as well as Ricky Alan Draughn and his band.

Music performances and events for children are among the free, open to all events on the New Haven Green. You pick your favorite genres, and then relax and enjoy.

Almost every day or evening, musical groups perform. The following day, Cécelia, a Celtic fusion band, blends traditional, Celtic, and Quebecois music that includes influences from classical music, jazz, and swing styles. Also on the 16th, The Ebony Hillbillies perform. The last African American String Band in America, they blend pop, country, bluegrass, folk, rock, and jazz into an untamed, joyful sound.

If you want to put on your dancing shoes, enjoy Contra-Tiemo: A Community “Get Down” on Wednesday, June 23. This “community dance jam” features the Contra-Tiempo troupe, leading participants in everything from salsa to hip-hop. On Thursday and Friday, the troupe will perform at Yale’s University Theater, paying homage to Celia Cruz, called the Queen of Salsa. The work Azúcar explores the effect of sugarcane farming on migration.

Happiness and Aging

The US Surgeon General recently declared that loneliness has become an epidemic among all Americans, but particularly among seniors. On Saturday, June 22, four panels and workshops explore different aspects of aging and loneliness. Social Connections to End Loneliness features Connecticut Public Radio host Catherine Shen talking with Deb Bobbins, founder of For All Ages. Yale Philosophy Professor Tamara Gendler and Laurie Santos discuss Decoding the Secret of Happiness. Ashton Applewhite and Donna Fedus discuss Redefining Aging. The interactive workshop, Rethinking Age Discrimination, works on ways to recognize and respond to assumptions and perceptions about aging.

Shakespeare

“One thing I’ve learned is how big an audience for Shakespeare exists in the area,” Quiala said. “People want to see Shakespeare in an interesting way.” Several years ago, the Italian troupe Compagnia de’ Colombari presented Merchant of Venice. This year, Karin Coonrod has adapted and directed King Lear. In this production, the play opens with 10 actors playing Lear; soon, each becomes another character in the play. It runs Friday to Sunday, June 14 to 16 at Yale’s University Theatre.

The Montreal-based arts collective 7 Fingers presents Dual Reality, Friday to Sunday, June 21 to 23. The troupe uses acrobatics, multimedia, dance, and theater to reinterpret Romeo & Juliet.

If none of these interest you, check out the dozens of other events scheduled at artidea.org, or keep reading for my list of must-see performances.

My Festival Must-See

Each year, I make an ambitious list of things to do and attend at the Arts & Ideas Festival. Here’s some of what’s on my list this year, in addition to many others.

I want to meet up with Anne Cubberly’s Giant Puppets, who will be roaming around the Green and downtown New Haven on weekends. These are 12 feet tall and are manipulated by puppeteers inside.

Behind-the-scenes tours are always fascinating. I want to learn more about the Peabody Museum Renovation (Wednesday, June 19), the Grove St. Cemetery and Beineke Library on Sunday, June 23, the Yale Humanities Quadrangle (Tuesday, June 25), and the tour of the Amistad on Saturday, June 29.

A Coffee Crawl of New Haven coffee shops on Saturday, June 22, sounds delightful.

Two panels on Saturday, June 29 also on my agenda: “Turning to the Humanities in Trying Times” and “Freedom of Expression” which talks about book bans.