30 of the best things to do this weekend in NJ — Oct. 4-6 – New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio
Looking for some fall fun this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out our complete list of great events and fun things do right here in the great Garden State.
ATLANTIC COUNTY
Historic Smithville’s famous Oktoberfest has over 100 juried crafters, an international food court, music, kids activities, non-profit organizations and more! All of this is in addition to over 60 Shoppes, carousel ride, train ride, paddle boats, 7 eateries, and antique arcades that are already located at the Village year round!
Oct 5, 2019 – Oct 6, 2019
Historic Smithville
615 E. Moss Mill Rd., Smithville, NJ 08205
BERGEN COUNTY
Saddle Brook UNICO Street Fair
Street Fair held along Market Street with Non-stop live music and entertainment along with family fun attractions. Over 150 exhibitors, kiddie rides & climbing wall, kids games, face painters, amusements, temp tattoos, & more. A special section with craft exhibitors & artists. Fabulous festival foods, everything from gyros, shishkabobs, kettle corn, pulled pork, sausage sandwiches to ice cream, zeppoles, funnel cakes, fresh squeezed lemonade and Italian ices. Come eat, shop & play! Rain or Shine.
Oct 6, 2019
Market St., Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
BURLINGTON COUNTY
Join us at the ground of Liberty Lake for our second annual Kilt Fest! A celebration of all things Celtic and kilted. Kilt Fest NJ is a celebration of Celtic Sports, Music, Food, Drink and Fun. It starts with a Highland Games featuring some of the best Highland athletes in the tri-state area and a Kilted Fun Run in the morning and Includes a Kids Highland Games, Kids Kilt Runs, Irish Music, Gaelic Football, Irish Dancing and many other activities. Don’t Miss it!
Oct 5, 2019 – Oct 6, 2019
Liberty Lake Day Camp
1195 Florence Columbus Rd., Bordentown Township, NJ 08505
CAMDEN COUNTY
17th Annual Collingswood Book Festival is the largest, longest-running literary festival in the Delaware Valley, a street festival celebrating books and reading featuring over 200 authors. Stroll six blocks along Haddon Ave. in downtown Collingswood, NJ and participate and enjoy authors/speakers for adults and children, as well as booksellers, storytellers, poetry readings, workshops, exhibitors, activities for adults and children, and entertainment for all ages. Collingswood is Where You Want to Read!
Oct 5, 2019
678 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08108
Light the Night Walk with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk brings light to the darkness of cancer by funding lifesaving research and support for people battling cancer. Family, friends and co-workers gather together to celebrate, honor or remember those touched by cancer. Registration is free, but walkers are encouraged to raise funds to support the mission. These efforts culminate in inspirational, memorable evening experiences filled with music, fireworks and empowering ceremonies honoring survivors and remembering those we have lost. Please join us and nearly 1M others in the 140 walks across North America.
Oct 5, 2019
Cooper River Park
5300 N. Park Dr., Pennsauken, NJ 08109
CAPE MAY COUNTY
The Wildwoods Food & Music Festival
The Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce will host a FREE street fair from 11 am – 8 pm along Atlantic Avenue between Wildwood and Schellenger Avenues in Wildwood. The festival will feature 2 stages of live music plus crafters, food vendors, beer garden, games, a pie eating contest and much more! A “Kids Korner” with activities including pumpkin painting, hat making and inflatable bounce houses will take place from noon – 5 pm. Rain date is scheduled for Sunday, October 6.
Oct 5, 2019
Wildwood & Schellenger Ave., Wildwood, NJ 08260
Beginning at 2 pm in front of the Sea Isle City Italian American Club on JFK Boulevard (adjacent to the Sea Isle Bridge). The parade will feature the Ocean City High School Marching Band as well as numerous representatives of the Cape May County Sheriff’s Department, including Dodge the Horse, the County’s Law Enforcement Explorers, McGruff the Crime Dog and Eddie the Eagle. The parade will run east along JFK Boulevard, turn right onto Landis Avenue, and continue south on Landis until culminating at 63rd Street, where the City’s Italian Festival will be in full swing at KIX-McNutleys. Sea Isle’s Italian Festival, which will take place between 10 am – 6 pm.
Oct 5, 2019
63rd St. & Landis Ave., Sea Isle City, NJ 08243
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
The 21st annual Festival of Fine Craft takes place at Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center on October 5 & 6, 2019, rain or shine! This event, sponsored by Avalon Flooring and OceanFirst, features the works of 150+ juried contemporary and traditional artists and craftspeople. Throughout the WheatonArts campus, artists working in clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, wearable art, wood, and more will exhibit and sell their unique works of art. Visitors can interact with demonstrating artists working in a variety of mediums, listen to live music, relax in the Beer & Wine Garden, engage in complimentary family art activities, and enjoy refreshments from gourmet food trucks. The crowd-favorite “WheatonArts Glass Pumpkin Patch” will be displayed at the center of WheatonArts’ campus with over 6,000 handcrafted glass pumpkins for the picking! The Festival of Fine C raft is included with General Admission to WheatonArts. Visit wheatonarts.org for more information and event updates.
Oct 5, 2019 – Oct 6, 2019
Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center
1000 Village Dr., Millville, NJ 08332
ESSEX COUNTY
Bloomfield Food Truck & Music Festival
The Bloomfield Food Truck & Music Festival is a Benefit for St Thomas the Apostle School. The event will feature 15 gourmet food trucks, live music, vendors, beer, sangria & margarita garden, face painting, sand art & kids activities, a 50/50 and more. Bring your appetite, lawn chairs, 4 legged friends and blankets. $5 admission, 10 and under free.
Oct 4, 2019
St Thomas the Apostle School
50 Byrd Ave., Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Hosted by New Jersey’s #1 Zoo, Ales ‘N Tails Oktoberfest supporters are able to enjoy a live Oompah Band and sample dozens and dozens of seasonal brews from around the corner and around the world, all set to the backdrop of the beautiful Essex County Turtle Back Zoo. In addition to traditional music, beers, wine and spirits, there will be local craft and food vendors selling their wares. Ales ‘N Tails is a benefit for the Essex County Parks Foundation.
Oct 5, 2019
Essex County Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052
Spend the afternoon in the outdoor Verona Town Square to honor your four-footed, winged, and finned friends by celebrating their importance in our lives and the joy they bring us. There will be music, pet-oriented vendors, crafts-people, food vendors, pet adoptions and pet blessings. Also activities for kids (including face painting, a balloon twister and a Tiger bouncy house!) and a PET PARADE (costumes optional) at 2:30 pm with prizes in several categories. The event is FREE and will occur rain or shine. All are welcome to attend – with or without a pet!
Oct 6, 2019
Verona Civic Center
600 Bloomfield Ave., Verona, NJ 07044
HUDSON COUNTY
Celebrate your favorite furry friends with a tail-wagging pop-up market on Saturday, October 5th as Harrison Urby hosts Woofstock: the social experience bringing the community’s four-legged pals and their owners together for a day of fun installations, live music, and more. WHAT: Join Harrison Urby in celebrating our love for our four-legged friends with a one-day pop-up market featuring our favorite dog brand vendors, feel-good music and installations for a very exciting afternoon filled with plenty of activities and libations. FREE to attend!
Oct 5, 2019
Harrison Urby
777 S. 3rd St., Harrison, NJ 07029
Join us for a beautiful fall afternoon spent in Lincoln Park, the jewel of the West Side. Local food trucks serving up delicious treats. Neighbors and friends together. Amazing live, free music from Jersey City and Hudson County musicians filling the air. Local artists displaying their wares. Children’s activities. A FREE, family-friendly event! The festival will feature the best music Jersey City and Hudson County have to offer -jazz, funk, and rock- n-roll, to name a few- spoken word performances, local artists and vendor booths and more. It’s a celebration of all that makes the West Side of Jersey City so special and unique. Email us to become a volunteer, sponsor, or community partner.
Oct 5, 2019
Lincoln Park, Jersey City, NJ 07304
HUNTERDON COUNTY
The Knowlton Township Historic Commission welcomes all to our annual Riverside Fall Festival. Activities: Old time clock works demonstration by Marty Ridder. History of time keeping for railroad purposes will be one topic for discussion. Ministers of Apollo’s live period Irish folk music will stroll about in period attire. Quilts on display from Sharon Kubich, president of the Evening Star Quilt Guild. Yarn spinning demonstration by Winterberries of Hainesburg, NJ. Cornhusk doll making with Karen Lund. Civil War reenactors 15th NJ Volunteer Infantry, Company B. Art exhibit Landscapes in Peril: The Delaware Water Gap and Environs in Paintings, Drawings, and Photographs. Local produce and honey for purchase by E&R Mathez Farm. Apple tasting and cider press demonstration. The Timber Rafting Era on the Delaware River – self guided slide show. Local eatery Humpty Juniors will be on hand for purchase of tasty treats. Bring your friends, family and pets are welcomed with a leash!
Oct 6, 2019
Ramsaysburg Historic Homestead
140 Rt. 46, Delaware, New Jersey, NJ 07833
MERCER COUNTY
The West Windsor Arts Council invites the community to come out and join in a day of artistic play! Autumn Arts activity stations are taught by Teaching Artists and designed to engage all ages and abilities. All you need is your imagination – materials will be provided free at this family-friendly public event! This event is sponsored by DDR Corp at the Nassau Park Pavilion: 510 Nassau Park Blvd, West Windsor.
Oct 6, 2019
510 Nassau Park Blvd
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
37th Annual North Brunswick Heritage Day
Join us for a “Day of Fun to Become One” at the 37th Annual North Brunswick Heritage Day on Saturday, October 5 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Community Park, off Route 130 South. Enjoy live music, food, rides, crafters, horse and carriage rides, petting zoo and beer garden. Evening festivities will include the Ann Marie Chandlee Heritage Day Award Ceremony, Parkway Soul Band and fireworks! Free Admission! For more information, please contact (732) 247-0922, ext. 475 or e-mail events@northbrunswicknj.gov.
Oct 5, 2019
2051 Route 130 South
North Brunswick, New Jersey 08902
Hailey’s Harp and Pub Annual Outdoor Oktoberfest Biergarten
If you’re going to Metuchen’s Country Fair, stroll on over to Hailey’s Harp and Pub’s annual outdoor Oktoberfest biergarten for some cold craft beer, German fare and snacks, friends and family, music, and more. Located in the Station Place parking lot behind Hailey’s Harp and Pub and directly across the street from the Hailey’s Harp-cade.
Oct 5, 2019
15 Station Place
Metuchen, New Jersey 08840
New and Expecting Parents shopping Event 2 days of Everything from the bump to 7 years old.
Oct 5, 2019 – Oct 6, 2019
NJ Convention Center
97 Sunfield Ave., Edison, NJ 08837
MONMOUTH COUNTY
Highlands 19th Annual Oktoberfest
The feel-good spirit of Highland’s Oktoberfest is modeled on the traditional Munich, Germany Oktoberfest with an emphasis on eating, drinking and being merry while providing something for everyone. Authentic German food, live music, dancing and entertainment from 2 – 8 pm. Festivities will include a “Best-Dressed” Contest, and a “Beer Stein Holding” Contest with special prizes. There will also be a Super 50/50 drawing with 50% of the proceeds going to the lucky winner. Rain Date: October 6. Admission and parking for the event is free.
Oct 5, 2019
Veteran’s Park
23 Bay Ave., Highlands, NJ 07732
MORRIS COUNTY
Hanover Township PBA Seafood Truck & Brewfest
Please join us for our Annual Seafood Truck & Brewfest! It will be a day of great food from the 10 food trucks, 40 plus beers on tap, activities, games, Tethered Hot Air Balloon rides, face painting, tattoos, Superhero Characters, petting zoo with pony rides and live music by the Eden Lane Band. You can purchase discounted tickets in advance or purchase at the door. For advanced tickets go to our website.
Oct 5, 2019
Bee Meadow Park & Brickyard Field
111 Reynolds Ave., Whippany, NJ 07981
OCEAN COUNTY
This family fun festival features live music, activities and unlimited Chowder tasting with the opportunity for each ticket holder to vote for their favorite red and white chowder. It has become a tradition for family and friends to gather together to say good bye to summer and welcome in the fall. Always the weekend before Columbus Day Weekend, this year join us for the fabulous Merchant Mart (free admission) where local vendors offer the best deals of the season and Sunday for the Chowder Cook Off Classic. Enjoy unlimited chowder tasting! Live music, children’s entertainment, and a food court are all part of the event, which is held rain or shine.
Oct 5, 2019 – Oct 6, 2019
Little League Field
9th St. & Taylor Ave., Beach Haven, NJ 08008
Autumn Toast to a Healthy Environment 2019
This Chocolate and wine fueled event will benefit Clean Water Action’s local programs to protect drinking water, reduce single-use disposable plastic and foam pollution in oceans, rivers, lakes, streams and streets, counter climate change by moving aggressively towards 100% renewables, as well as address the needs of environmental justice neighborhoods who face multiple pollution impacts every day. We are changing the world one sip of wine at a time! Autumn Toast is a fun-filled day featuring: Wine Tastings with Sommelier Louis Fontenelli. Chocolate Tastings with J. Emanuel Chocolatier. The Sandy Sasso Jazz Quartet. Savory Hors D’oeuvres. Silent and Chance Auction. 50/50 Raffle.
Oct 6, 2019
540 S Hope Chapel Rd.
Jackson, New Jersey 08527
It’s Fall Forestry Festival’s 25th Year! Demonstrations • Howling Woods Farm • Forest Fire Service Helicopter Water Drop • Prescribed Burning • Sawmill Demonstration • Chainsaw Demonstration • Maple Sugaring • Forest Tools & Drone Demonstration • Forestry 101 • The Buzz About Honey • Woodcarving & Woodturning Activities • Big Tree Program & Tree Measurements • Native American Drum Circle and Dancing • Nursery Greenhouse – free tube seedlings • Acorn Planting • Cut a Tree Cookie on a Crosscut Saw • Dragonfly Craft • Scavenger Hunt • What is your Watershed Address? • Wheel of Water • Recycle, Trash, or Compost Game Nature Hikes Live Music Educational Displays • Ocean County Solid Waste & Master Composters • NJ State Park Police K9 Unit • Ocean County Soil Conservation District • Ocean County & Rutgers Master Gardeners • Save Barnegat Bay/Barnegat Bay Partnership • Rutgers Urban Forestry Program • NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife And so much more! Visit AlertMeDEP.nj.gov to sign up
Oct 5, 2019
NJ Forest Service Nursery
370 E. Veterans Hwy., Jackson, NJ 08527
Jackson Jaguar Marching Band’s “Showcase of Champions” Competition
The JMHS Jaguar Marching Band is excited to announce the date of the “Showcase of Champions” marching band competition. On Saturday, October 5th, award-winning bands from all around the state will compete and be judged on music and performance of their field shows. Every band brings their unique sound and exciting show that entertain and amaze audiences. If you have never seen a band competition before, it is a complete package of sound and color. Many bands have props and themes that tell a story through music and movement. Join the excitement and check out the Gift Basket Auction with many beautifully designed and themed basket to win! Food and other vendors will be available to add to the festivity of the event. The JMHS Jaguar Marching Band is proud to host this event starting at 5:45pm on Jack Munley Field located at Jackson Memorial High School, 101 Don Connor Boulevard, in Jackson. Gates open at 4pm. Admission $10.
Oct 5, 2019
101 Don Connor Boulevard
Jackson, New Jersey 08527
PASSAIC COUNTY
Woodland Park Food Truck & Music Festival
Come and celebrate a day in the sun with fabulous food trucks, great live music, and fun for the kids! Special activities for the kids include Sugar Sweet Farms Petting Zoo, a face painter, and more! A terrific variety of non-food vendors will be there too. Bring your family – plenty of fun for all! Bring your dog – we’ll have plenty of water bowls! Bring blankets and chairs – pop up tents permitted. Adult beverages will be available – domestic and craft beers, Sangria, Margaritas, and Mojitos. Be sure to bring your ID. We ask attendees to bring some of the following items as donations for our sponsor, START, Save the Animals Rescue Team to help support the animals! Cans of Cat Food: Friskies, Fancy Feast, Nutro, Pro Plan. Bags of Cat Food: Rachael Ray, Pro Plan. Other Items: KMR (a mother’s milk replacement), Human Baby Food (for orphaned kittens), Gift Cards to Pet Supply Stores.
Oct 6, 2019
Rifle Camp Park
387 Rifle Camp Rd., Woodland Park, NJ 07424
SALEM COUNTY
Celebrate the 23rd anniversary of this event which supports Salem County Meals on Wheels! More than 60 giant pumpkins will be on display. Enjoy loads of fun for all ages, including hayrides, live music, crafts, costume pageant, games, food trucks, bobbing for apples, wine tasting and much more! Guests will be granted the opportunity to vote for best pumpkins in a variety of categories, plus our awesome collection of scarecrows designed by local school students of all ages.
Oct 5, 2019
Salem County Fairgrounds
735 Harding Hwy., Pilesgrove, NJ 08098
The Annual Elmer Harvest Festival celebrates small town Elmer with historical exhibits, antique car show, children’s games, pony rides, food, vendors, 5K race, demonstrations, and more!
Oct 5, 2019
Greater Elmer Area Historical Society
117 Broad St., Elmer, NJ 08318
SOMERSET COUNTY
Somerville Street Fair & Craft Show
Artists, crafters, vendors, food, rides, live music, performances, children’s rides, game trailer, petting zoo, martial arts exhibitions, and more. Average event attendance is 20,000. For more information and applications, call, email or go to our website.
Oct 6, 2019
W. Main & Bridge St., Somerville, NJ 08876
SUSSEX COUNTY
Music – Food – German beverages – outdoor games for the kids and adults. Chef Shaun offers a special menu this day: Check out our facebook – PigWhistleInnMenu – for more info! -Pretzels with Beer Cheese -Beer Brats with sauerkraut and German Potato Salad -Beer Cheese Burger with Guiness Onions on a Pretzel Roll -Weiner Snitzel with Lemon Herb Sauce with Spaetzel and Sautéed Red Cabbage & Apples -Roasted Chicken Served with Spaetzel and Sautéed Red Cabbage & Apples -Gueniss Beef Stew Dessert… Apple Bombs & Black Forest cake Beverages – a variety of German beverages will be available to compliment the menu!
Oct 5, 2019
Pig Whistle Inn
108 Stickles Pond Rd., Newton, NJ 07860
WARREN COUNTY
Longmeadow Farm Harvest Festival
The Longmeadow Farm’s Annual Harvest Festival is Oct. 5th 2019. We will have apple, pumpkin and raspberry picking all day with hayrides through Spook Hollow and our corn maze, The Labyrinth! We have a great variety of jams, jellies, our own honey, super sweet corn and seasonal veggies! There will be over 30 vendors, delicious food and great music. Fun for kids of all ages including pumpkin painting, Face Painting, Farm animals and a fire truck to explore! 11 am – 4 pm. Rain date: October 6th 2019. Check out our website for more information and directions to the farm.
Oct 5, 2019
Longmeadow Farm
561 Hope Blairstown Rd., Hope, NJ 07844