MARDI GRAS RETURNS IN PERSON TO IVES!
Tuesday, February 21 from 5:30-8:30 pm

Spend your Fat Tuesday with the New Haven Free Public Library! Mardi Gras is a fun, festive celebration of New Haven—an evening full of delicious food and drink, live music and entertainment. Join us for a celebration of the New Haven Free Public Library’s role as a vital source of connection in our community.

Get Your Tickets!

Library Holiday Closures:

The New Haven Free Public Library will close at all locations on Monday, February 20 for  President's Day. Ives Main Library will be closed Tuesday, February 21 and will have a delayed opening Wednesday, February 22 at 1:30 pm for our annual Mardi Gras Fundraiser.

For all our 2023 holiday hours, please refer to our Holiday Closings.

Featured Adult Events

Click here to see ALL upcoming adult programming on our calendar!

Black History Community Conversation led by Probate Judge Clifton Graves
Wednesday, February 1, 6-8 pm | Stetson

Come learn and share some interesting facts about Black History.

A headshot of Clifton Graves he is wearing a black kufi hat and suit.

Black History Film Screenings
Join us for a film series celebrating great African American music icons!

Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things

Saturday, February 4, 2-4 pm | Mitchell

Quincy

Saturday, February 11, 2-4 pm | Mitchell

ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke

Saturday, February 25, 2-4 pm | Mitchell

Author Talk with New Haven Author C. White
Wednesday, February 8th, 6-8 pm | Stetson

Join us as author C. White, presents his book, C. White in Black Ink.

C. White in Black Ink book cover

A Century of Black Filmmaking Milestones

Within Our Gates
Thursday, February 9, 6-8 pm | Fair Haven

Oscar Micheaux's silent classic from 1920 is the oldest surviving "race film". The term was used to describe movies produced for Black audiences and with predominantly Black casts.

Carmen Jones
Thursday, February 16, 6-8 pm | Fair Haven

An interpretation of Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen by an all-Black cast. It was the second movie to be filmed with a Cinescope lens for widescreen.

Black Panther
Thursday, February 23, 5:30-8 pm | Fair Haven

A $200 million blockbuster and one of the best-received action films of all time. It was nominated for seven Academy Award Nominations.

Ida B. Wells' Truth Telling Campaign
Saturday, February 11, 2-3 pm | Ives

Writer and performer, Karima A. Robinson, PhD presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her play. Dr. Robinson tells the story of Ida B. Wells' anti-lynching campaign at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

SWANA Presents Black History Month Celebration
Saturday, February 25, 12-4 pm | Wilson

Join Sisters with a New Attitude (SWANA) Women's Support group to celebrate Black History Month with an art exhibit: From the Outhouse to the Whitehouse, African drumming, food, and more!

Black History Film Screening: Mountains that Take Wing
Saturday, February 25, 2 pm | Ives

A conversation on life, struggles, and liberation between Angela Davis and Yuri Kochiyama. Film by C.A. Griffith and H.L.T. Quan. Discussion to follow.

Angela Davis and Yuri Kochiyama sit next to each other smiling at the camera

Ujamaa Market
Saturday, February 25, 1-5 pm | The Lab at ConnCORP, 496 Newhall St.

Presented in partnership between Stetson Branch and ConnCORP. Come show your support and shop with over 25 Black vendors. Featuring Iyaba Ibo Mandingo of Iyaba Arts, Donald Carter Couture, Winter Carson of Blush Beauty and Wellness, Lillian "Elle" Pearson, and Shari Caldwell.