10 am to 4 pm
Celebrate the Arrival of Spring at May Market!
May Market features premium exhibitors, rare and unusual plants, entertainment, children’s activities, food and a museum open house.
May Market’s spacious west lawn tent and many indoor spaces truly make this a rain or shine event, while our children’s craft activities, Hops & Vines tastings, Museum Open House and a variety of demonstrations promise a fun-filled weekend for everyone.
May Market helps to support the museum’s 152 acres of beautiful gardens, grounds and trails.
- May Market is taking applications for this year’s event. Please submit an application online, or download the application form.
Purchase your Two-Day admission ticket and enjoy all that May Market offers!
Native Shrub Sale
Support Hill-Stead and beautify your garden! This selection of plants can only be purchased through the pre-sale! Purchases of shrubs benefit Hill-Stead’s Grounds, Gardens and Trails. Orders must be placed by April 5, 2019.
Download our order form or purchase online.
Hops & Vines
Your May Market admission includes free tastings with popular and up-and-coming craft breweries, wineries and distilleries! This event, nestled in Hill-Stead’s blooming Sunken Garden, is brought to us by Hill-Stead’s Impressionists Council, a group of young philanthropists who share a love of art and culture.
Artisan Exhibitors
May Market will host over 65 select “home, garden and gourmet” exhibitors in a spacious festival tent on the west lawn and throughout the historic buildings and grounds. Browse a beautiful collection of hand-crafted baskets, soaps, pottery, stationary, jewelry and couture accessories, textiles, garden ornaments, linens and original artwork, specialty teas, spices, honey and much more. Gardeners, in particular, will delight in the carefully curated collection of specialty plants and shrubs on offer.
The Hill-Steaders’ Perennials, Artwork and Treasures
The museum’s Hill-Steaders volunteers will offer their much-anticipated selection of fine unique perennials sourced from leading local nurseries, Hill-Stead’s own Sunken Garden and gardening friends. Treasure hunters should be sure to visit volunteer-curated Theodate’s Attic to enjoy a large selection of donated linens, glassware, gardening books, jewelry and more; and be sure to browse donated artwork at Theodate’s Gallery.
Family Time
Enjoy a full schedule of children’s activities from 11am–3pm both days, including free Mother’s Day gift-making at Hill-Stead’s Education Station, scavenger hunts, a visit with Hill-Stead’s lambs and kid-friendly food. May Market admission is free for children 17 and under.
Demonstrations
Learn something new at demonstrations and workshops throughout the weekend. Get tips on dessert decorating from Sweet Equations, observe a floral arrangement instructional by Eddy Farm, learn about native plants at booth-side talks, see a chalk paint demo by Thomas Mach Interiors, and enjoy a tour of a new parterre land art project lead by artist Bob Chaplin.
Amazing Food
Seasonal Catering, Chet’s Italian Ice, Hill-Stead’s own Monet’s Express, and an exciting variety of exhibitors selling specialty tea, olive oil, exquisite baked goods, artisan cheese and more will delight the gourmand in you. Hill-Stead is pleased to once again welcome Seasonal Catering of Milford, CT this year, whose chef, Jim Calkins, will anchor festival food offerings with a fabulous farm-to-table menu.
Inside the Museum
Tour the museum at your leisure, taking in the beauty of Hill-Stead’s French Impressionist masterpieces. The weekend’s special Open House format will allow you to linger over famous paintings by Monet, Manet, Degas, Whistler and Mary Cassatt. Art lovers and experts alike will delight in seeing these incredible paintings in their beautifully-appointed, historic setting.
Two-Day Admission Tickets
Online | $15 online
At the gate | $20 at the gate
Children under 18 | FREE
May Market helps to support the museum’s 152 acres of beautiful gardens, grounds and trails. May Market earned Yankee Magazine’s “Editor’s Choice – Top 20 Event” recognition in 2014 and 2015.
