Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and it seems the weather is taking that cue.
This weekend kicked off with high temperatures struggling in the 60’s.
On Saturday, our high hit just 68 degrees. That’s nearly 30 degrees cooler than just two days ago and we found few complaining about the change.
The cool sounds of bluegrass were matched by the weather at Hartford’s Riverfront Plaza on Saturday.
“Awesome, the girls have had dance parties on the grass so it’s all good,” said Robin Daly, of Windsor.
Temperatures felt more fall-like for the first Hartbeat Music Festival, which featured a diverse lineup of bands and of course food.
“(And it’s never too cold for ice cream?) Oh, definitely not. This is the perfect temperature. The perfect season. It’s great,” said Sara Mosher, of Vernon.
Many were relieved to be outside and not dealing with sweltering heat and organizers expected more than 1,500 people to show up.
“For September 8th and having a 60 degree day, you never know what that’s going to do to attendance. But Hartford’s scene is strong for the music industry and people are coming out to support it,” said Josh Urrutia, the Director of Events at Riverfront Recapture.
Nearby Hartford Pridefest took over Pratt Street.
“It’s fun to just have like everyone come together and go to a fun event,” said Izabella Therion, of West Hartford.
People partied and tried to forget about suffering during this week’s heat wave, which prompted schools to close early.
“It used to be so hot and I was getting overheated,” Therion added.
But in Elizabeth Park, we found those who took the temperature dive in stride.
“When it’s too hot we complain about it. When it’s too cold, we complain about it and we’re never happy. At the end of the day ,let’s just enjoy the environment,” said Eduardo Cornejo, of Hartford.
Organizers said they hope to make the music festival an annual event.
