A Look Back at the Legends That Played Danburys’ Ives Concert Park

In March of 2021, I wrote an article about how the Charles Ives Authority for the Performing Arts, known as the Ives Concert Park, was in deep financial trouble. 

Back then, a Danbury City Council ad hoc committee voted to extend the Ives authority for one more year, hoping the city could brainstorm a solution to get the park up and running successfully.

Now let's fast forward to November 2021, when Western CT State University is eyeing the park so that students can use it for their own performances, according to artstribune.com. Currently, there are no plans to bring back big music acts to the outdoor venue. However, University officials have expressed interest in acquiring the property and making improvements to the school.

As of July 12, 2022, I have searched the internet looking for an update about the future of the Ives Concert Park. The only piece of information I could locate was about the one show coming to the ICP which is The 2022 Westside Reggae Festival scheduled for Saturday, July 30 at 1 pm.

According to WestfairOnline Fairfield Business Journal, WestConn spokesperson Paul Steinmetz  noted that if the university “If the university takes possession of that acre, it will make it easier for us to plan future improvements,”

While we wait and see how WCSU will respond to partial ownership of the Ives Concert Park property, let's take a look back at some of the outstanding shows we've experienced at the Ives Concert Park.