50 things to do in Connecticut, Nov. 22, 23 and 24.

Sunday afternoon. Find out more. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular helium balloon parade on Sunday afternoon. Find out more. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's the Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular helium balloon parade on Photo: Tyler Sizemore, Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Tyler Sizemore, Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close 50 things to do in Connecticut, Nov. 22, 23 and 24. 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

Lots of fun is brewing this weekend, including a spectacular parade that kicks off the holiday season. It takes place in Stamford and all of the cool helium-filled balloons will be there, even Kung Fu Panda and Scooby-Doo.

There’s also the usual assortment of theater, music and comedy. Jay Leno gets things going with a Friday night show at Foxwoods Resort Casino. “Rent” is onstage Friday through Sunday at The Shubert in New Haven. And “Steel Magnolias” is onstage at Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) in Norwalk through Sunday.

Music events include a concert by country star Luke Combs at Mohegan Sun Arena Friday. Fairfield Theatre Company is where you can catch 10,000 Maniacs Saturday and Sunday. And Trans-Siberian Orchestra brings its holiday tour to Hartford’s XL Center Sunday. TSO will present “Christmas Eve and Other Stories.”

Sunday is when you can enjoy the 26th annual Stamford Downtown Parade Spectacular. This popular event, which attracts more than 200,000 spectators, features dancers, floats, marching bands and, of course, giant balloons. Bob the Builder and Clifford the Big Red Dog will be there, among other characters. If you want a real behind-the-scenes experience, come to Saturday’s Balloon Inflation Party.

Oh, and did we mention there are three beer festivals Saturday? The 5th Annual Elm City Brew Festival takes place at College Street Music Hall in New Haven and includes live music and food. “Beerfest: Battle of the Brews” is at Foxwoods Resort Casino, and also includes live music and food. The third is at the Danbury Sports Dome, where Taps & Trees Craft Beer Fest raises money for Ann’s Place, which provides cancer support. Tastings, raffles and shopping are included, along with admission to the Festival of Trees.

That’s just a small sample of what’s going on. Click through the slide show to see what else you might enjoy.