Special Events

A variety of activities will provide hours of entertainment for our residents and visitors alike. The celebration will end with some of the area's best fireworks, in a display over Niantic Bay designed and executed by East Lyme's own Tom Quinn and sponsored by Dominion.

• Sand Castle Competition

  Our popular Sand Castle Competition is back and promises to be more fun than ever before! Taking place from 9-11 a.m. at Hole in the Wall Beach, this is a great event for children and families, and is hosted by East Lyme's Parks & Recreation Department.  To participate, please contact Dave Putnam directly via email, dputnam@eltownhall.com to sign-up.

• Children's Area!

  Children's Area - Sponsored by Ballestrini's Child Care Centers! The Children's Area, will be a fun-filled space complete with complementary drinks for kids. The area includes a Moon-bounce, Rock Climbing Wall, face painting, bubbles, games and even a quiet space for a little down-time!

  

• Horse and Carriage Rides!

  Take a moment to relax and enjoy an old-fashioned horse & carriage ride complete with a lovely view of the Niantic River and Niantic Bay!  Great activity for all ages!

• Diamond Dig at the Care & Share booth sponsored by Northern Light Gems

  There is a 1/4 carat diamond up for grabs! Anyone can come to the Care & Share booth and dig for a diamond. Northern Light Gems of Mystic & Niantic will be on hand to grade & inspect the stone you find to see if the real 1/4 carat diamond valued at over $500.00 is yours!!

• Teen Area

  The Teen Area will be hosted by East Lyme Youth Services, and will include a Dunking Booth sponsored by People's Bank. Stop by the Town Green at 5pm and find our First Selectman, Paul Formica keeping it cool for charity in the dunk tank!  You cannot miss the chance to dunk him for a great local cause!

  There will be a music stage featuring the talents of local high school students throughout the afternoon, including the ever popular Battle of the Bands.

• Niantic Bay Raft Races

  We are going old school this year and will bring back the traditional raft races on the bay!  Sponsored by SignCraft Signs. Johnny the DJ will be setting up along the park banks close to Hole in the wall Beach for music and mic’s for The Great Niantic Bay Raft Race. @ 6pm.
   To participate as a captain, you must submit an application.  Please contact John Wilson directly at info@signcraftsigns.com.   
  The East Lyme Parks & Recreation Department will be sponsoring the second Great Niantic Bay Raft Race. This event will take place on Saturday, July 17, as a part of the Celebrate East Lyme Day activities. There will be no charge or entry fee for entering a raft in the race and rafts must be homemade with no motors. Boats, kayaks, canoes, inflatable boats, or any other commercial flotation device will not be allowed as part of your raft. Teams are responsible for bringing their rafts to Hole in the Wall Beach on the night of Friday, July 17, for staging. Teams are also responsible for removing their rafts after the race. For safety purposes, all team members must wear an appropriate life jacket and a 15-foot tow line must be attached to each raft. The race itself will require the contestants to paddle their makeshift rafts 250 feet out around two Buoys and back to shore. At this point, all members of the team must race to the designated finish line on the beach to be declared the winner. Awards will be given to the winner of the race, as well as various awards for “Best Dressed Crew,” and “Best Looking Raft.” This is your chance to achieve the town glory and fame sought by many, but achieved by only a few. In addition to a trophy, the winning team members’ names will be displayed at the East Lyme Town Hall. The town of East Lyme is hoping to develop this into an annual event as a part of Celebrate East Lyme Day activities, and so we greatly appreciate anyone willing to participate. This is a perfect opportunity to have some fun, build teamwork and craftsmanship skills, and engage in a friendly competition to be named the first official winners of the Great Niantic Bay Raft Race. For more details or to register for this event, contact David Brown by email at brow1_davi@bentley.edu, or by phone at the Parks & Recreation Office, 860-739-5828.

• Fair Share of Pie Sale  

  Local restaurants, businesses and residents are coming together for the good of the community.  Hosted by La Belle Aurore, tables will display beautiful, savory, sweet and scrumptious pies for sale. All proceeds will go to Care & Share of East Lyme!  Anyone interested in participation in this special event, please contact Dawn Bruckner via email at DBruckner@ct.metrocast.net.

• St. John's Carnival

  St. John's Episcopal Church will be holding its Annual Summer Carnival at 400 Main Street (across from the Children's Museum) during Celebrate East Lyme!  There will be new rides, food and midway fun for the whole family. The carnival is open 6-10p Wednesday-Friday & 3-10p on Saturday during Celebrate East Lyme! 

  Pay one price, ride all day!  Major credit cards will be accepted.  For more information visit  www.saintjohnsniantic.org or call 739-2324

• Amber Alert

  The Niantic Rotary will sponsor an Amber Alert sign-up at the East Lyme Police Station during Celebrate East Lyme. This is a great time to take steps to safeguard your children.

• Basket Bonanza by the Bay

  You can't miss the Basket Bonanza by the Bay sponsored by the local business community! An eccentric array of baskets from local business and creative communities will be assembled for your review. Baskets will be filled with various products, gift certificates, special offers and more!  Drawings will be held intermittently throughout the event and you will have the chance to win various Street Prizes as well! All proceeds from ticket sales will go to Care & Share of East Lyme.

• FIREWORKS CRUISE Black Hawk & the Community Program

  

  Come celebrate East Lyme by viewing the fireworks from on board the Black Hawk, the only party boat leaving from East Lyme/Niantic. As part of the "Black Hawk & the Community" program, the fireworks trip will be FREE for the first 45 people at the dock the afternoon/evening of the 17th with a new and unwrapped toy. The fireworks cruise will leave at approximately 7:00 pm- please plan to arrive early to get your spot!

   Visit our website, http://www.BlackHawkSportFishing.com and click on the picture of the fireworks for all the details and info. Come celebrate East Lyme and help local children at the same time! Hope to see you there!

• Live Entertainment galore!

  We will have several stages throughout Main Street including the Town Green, ProTek Auto, Police Station and McCooks. The Town Green will be the site of the East Lyme Youth Services Battle of the Bands.  As you move down the street, stop by the Police Station Stage, sponsored by String Theory School of Music! They have assembled an awesome collection of music that you don't want to miss! ProTek Auto is back with their ever popular music stage which promises to be better than ever! McCooks Stage is back and will feature awesome local musicians!  Making her second Celebrate East Lyme appearance, singer/songwriter Katie Marie Perkins will light up our stage before local Tom Quinn lights up Niantic Bay with a spectacular fireworks display! Sponsored by Dominion, our fireworks bash on the bay is back with a most spectacular show.  It is a wonderful ending to a day of excitement!

Don't miss this year's Celebrate East Lyme! Stay and Play all Day in Downtown Niantic!