50 things to do this weekend, June 28, 29 and 30

Cirque du Soleil's "Luzia" will be flying under the Big Top on Market Street from June 19 to July 21. More information here. Cirque du Soleil's "Luzia" will be flying under the Big Top on Market Street from June 19 to July 21. More information here. Photo: Matt Beard, Cirque Du Soleil Photo: Matt Beard, Cirque Du Soleil Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close 50 things to do this weekend, June 28, 29 and 30 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

You know summer’s here when Stamford’s Avon Theatre hosts its annual screening of “Jaws,” in anticipation of the July 4 holiday. The screening isn’t until Wednesday though, so let’s not jump ahead. First we have a full weekend of fun to enjoy, including fireworks Friday in cities from Hamden to Bridgeport.

Friday is also when Mdou Moctar brings his band to The State House in New Haven. Moctar is an exceptionally talented guitarist from a small village in Niger, where secular music was all but prohibited. He taught himself to play in secret and went on to produce and star in a remake of Prince’s “Purple Rain” film, among other projects.

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is in Connecticut, as well, performing Friday and Saturday at The Stress Factory in Bridgeport. Sunday there’s live music at Ives Concert Park in Danbury. That’s where John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band will join other performers at the Hearts on Fire family event to support the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement. There will also be a slime station and puppet-making for kids, plus food trucks and more.

Several stage shows open this weekend, too. “Because of Winn Dixie,” at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Friday through Sunday, tells the tender tale of a pooch who helps a young girl. The musical’s four-legged star is a veteran actor; a smart rescue dog with soulful eyes, his real name is Bowdie and he appears in nearly every scene.

Also Friday through Sunday, “Monty Python’s Spamalot” kicks off the season for Danbury’s Musicals at Richter, and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” opens at Brookfield Theatre for the Arts. “A Deadly Game of Chess,” a show in which everyone has a dark secret to hide, is onstage at Fairfield Theatre Company Sunday.

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