Samba Fest is an annual celebration of music that occurs on Trinity's campus and is open for the public to attend. The festival is held all day, and showcases music and dance from a variety of cultures. The main feature of the fest is the live performances from musicians. These musicians include local artists from Hartford as well as performers that flew in from other countries, often Brazil. Performances from Trinity students are also showcased, specifically Trinity Samba Ensemble and Trinity Steel. The event also provides food trucks with cultural food and student run activity booths.

The event was started in 2007 but Eric Galm, a professor music at Trinity and funded with a Mellon Global/Urban course redevelopment grant. Galm sites the goal of and reasoning behind Samba Fest is to bring together the diverse cultural backgrounds of Hartford through music. These include Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Peruvian.

https://commons.trincoll.edu/reporter-spring2013/along-the-walk/samba-fest-at-hartford-riverfront/

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2156&context=reporter

https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4216&context=tripod