Friday marked International Overdose Awareness Day, bringing together western Connecticut communities to shed light on the ongoing opioid crisis.

Hundreds of people came out to New Canaan's pop-up park Thursday night to openly talk about addiction and substance abuse.

The event featured music, a hope and remembrance wall and a candlelight vigil.

A wide range of people attended, from school-aged kids to senior citizens, though organizers say the event was primarily geared toward parents, so they could talk about prevention and recovery.

"As a parent who lost a son to an overdose, he died too soon, it was a big tragedy, but by coming here tonight and seeing how many people can benefit from hearing the stories and sharing the stories, then that hardens me and starts to make me heal even more," said Paul Reinhardt, of New Canaan Parent Support Group.