Bridgeport ferry terminal to host summer concert series with free Saturday shows

The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company is turning its Connecticut terminal into a small summer music venue, with free Saturday dockside concerts set to begin July 11 and a parallel run of paid Thursday evening music cruises starting July 9.

The concerts will take place on the back deck of the terminal building from about noon to 3 p.m. and continue through August 29, according to the company’s announced schedule. The Thursday cruises are set to run through August 20.

A new use for the waterfront terminal

Bridgeport’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the live-entertainment plans in March, clearing the way for the ferry operator to bring music onto the dock after earlier seeking permission for the idea.

Fred Hall, the company’s general manager, said he hoped people would take advantage of the free concerts. The company’s push adds a public entertainment use to a working ferry terminal that already serves regular traffic across Long Island Sound.

Concerts and cruises

The free Saturday series is scheduled to feature Mary-Elaine Jenkins and friend, Reed Foehl and Putnam Murdock, Jefferson Hamer and friend, Liz Hanley and Eamon O’Leary, Johnny Irion, and Katie Martucci and Josh Dunn. Two Saturday dates are still listed as TBA.

The Thursday music cruises will board in Bridgeport at 6:15 p.m. and in Port Jefferson, New York, at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are priced at $22 per person and can be bought online or at the dock. The trip lasts about three hours.

Access and logistics

The ferry company says there is no on-site parking at the terminal. Visitors can use nearby garages, street parking, or the Bridgeport train station.

The new series extends the company’s existing live-music programming on the water onto shore for the summer. If turnout is strong, it could become a bigger part of the ferry operator’s waterfront programming beyond this season.