Things to Do This Weekend in New Jersey August 12-14 – NJ Family
The heat wave finally broke, so now’s the time to get outside and enjoy some summer sun and fun! There are lots of food festivals, nature activities and immersive experiences you and the kids can take part in this weekend.
ALL WEEKEND
Atlantic County 4-H Fair
4-H Fairgrounds, South Egg Harbor City
Friday – Saturday
You can pre-purchase crab cake or BBQ chicken dinners which will feed your appetite before spending hours enjoying games, rides, 4-H displays and more fun.
Day Out With Thomas the Tank Engine
Phillipsburg
Friday – Sunday
Jump on board Thomas the Tank Engine for an interactive train ride. Pick up your Dream Pass and head to the Play Pod or say “hello” to Sir Topham Hatt. For the little engineers who want a little more excitement, check out the Dream Big Corner for photos ops, lawn games and more. And don’t forget to head to the Exclusive Pop Up gift shop for toys and swag!
Tidal Wave Music Fest
Atlantic City
Friday – Sunday
The first-ever Tidal Wave Music Festival will take over Atlantic City’s Beach Aug. 12-14 for a weekend filled with performances by top country music stars. The music festival will feature amazing sets and over 30 artists including Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Dierks Bentley, and many more. Check out the full lineup.
Sunflower Festival
Stony Hill Farms, Chester
Friday – Sunday
Aside from getting lost in a field of 50,000 sunflowers, enjoy lots of photo opps, live music, games, homemade ice cream and Noah’s Ark Playground.
Plays-in-the-Park: A Chorus Line
Roosevelt Park, Edison
Friday – Sunday
Middlesex County’s Plays-in-the-Park will conclude its 60th season with “A Chorus Line.” “A Chorus Line” is scheduled through Aug. 13. Exploring the inner lives and ambitions of professional Broadway gypsies, the show captures the spirit and tension of a Broadway chorus audition.
Wildwood Tattoo Beach Bash
Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood
Friday – Sunday
Drive to South New Jersey for a weekend full of incredible artistry and fun events – over 200 major national tattoo artists, live tattooing, art exhibits, contests, side shows, unique vendors and much more are on tap.
Passaic County Fair
Garret Mountain Reservation, Paterson
Friday – Sunday
Enjoy all things a wonderful county fair offers: rides, games, attractions, 4-H displays, petting zoo, food vendors, live music, entertainment and fireworks.
Gathering of the Tribes
Camp Sacajawea, Farmingdale
Friday – Sunday
Touch Mother Earth Festival: Gathering of the Tribes 2022 will feature camping, workshops, live music, drum circles, yoga, storytelling, discussions, open mic, face painting, late night around the campfire, and vendors. Check out the complete weekend schedule.
Seafood Festival
Bellview Winery, Landisville
Saturday – Sunday
Come hungry and ready to dance the day away! Hang out and unwind with your family and friends as you enjoy local seafood vendors, live music, sangria, wine and craft vendors.
La Festa Italiana
Sixth Street, Jersey City
Friday – Sunday
Celebrate Italian heritage, food and faith. Eat at a local restaurant or a food vendor, play games, go on rides or listen to live entertainment.
IAATO Italian Festival
Joe Palaia Park, Oakhurst
Saturday – Sunday
The Galbani Cooking Series will provide cooking demos. On Saturday and Sunday there is a children’s cheese stacking contest.
Surf & Turf Seafood Festival
Monmouth Park, Oceanport
Saturday – Sunday
Join as nearly 20 of the Shore’s best seafood establishments converge for the annual seafood celebration. This two-day festival will feature live music all weekend, plus free family fun day activities on Sunday. Enjoy live music by Soulstirs on Saturday and Madison Ave Band on Sunday.
Brick & Central’s Summertime Carnival
Bayville
Saturday – Sunday
Buy your wristbands in advance for four hours of unlimited rides! Play games of chance and eat great fair food while you’re there, too.
FRIDAY
Sunflowers, Sunsets & Ciders
Alstede Farms, Chester
Enjoy live music, hard cider and wine tastings by Tomasello Winery outdoors under the beautiful evening sky. Traverse through the “Blooming Giants” sunflower fields while enjoying delicious food and tasty snacks available from The Hen House. Treat yourself to homemade ice cream, featuring seasonal flavors, while soaking up the rural farm atmosphere at night.
Campfire on the Beach
Sandy Hook
Sing silly Sandy Hook songs with park rangers and hear true stories from days of yore surrounding the history and mysteries of the Hook.
Magnolia Night Market
Magnolia
Bring everyone out for a family-friendly night of produce vendors, handmade goods, children’s activities, food trucks, music, beer and wine.
Bat Walk
Duke Farms, Hillsborough
During this “after hours” Walk and Talk program, adults will learn to identify some common species of bats that call New Jersey home and how healthy habitats support their day-to-day lives. Discover what you can do to encourage populations while identifying the benefits bats provide to both humans and the ecosystem.
Full Moon Meditation on the Beach
Seaside Heights
Relax and meditate during a Sound Off Glow Experience which will include the playing of crystal singing bowls while wearing individual headphones. Experience a sage energy clearing, affirmation cards and a full moon ritual.
Family Outing
Cheesequake State Park, Matawan (Old Bridge)
Enjoy games and snacks with other families from the area.
Salem County Fair
A pig scramble, skillet throw and kiddie tractor pull are just some of the events you can enjoy on the last day of this festival. You may even run into Little Miss Salem County or the Fair Queen!
Restore & Sound Bowls Workshop
People of all ages can log in virtually to experience restore yoga, which relaxes the body and mind, improves sleep and lessens anxiety.
Rock Yoga Hits the Streets
Cranford Post Office, Cranford
Take a free yoga class with Gina at the Post Office Plaza. Practice in the community and then hang in Downtown Cranford for dinner or drinks.
SATURDAY
New Brunswick Heart Festival
Monument Square, New Brunswick
This free outdoor family-friendly festival, which celebrates all of the vibrant arts and history that New Brunswick and the County of Middlesex have to offer, will feature live music and dance performances; a visual Arts Market; craft and food vendors; interactive activities and games; fun giveaways; a Health & Wellness tent with Garden of Healing; readings of famous love letters by actors from Thinkery & Verse; and much more!
Dark Twilight Walk
Duke Farms, Hillsborough
As the sun sets and local wildlife settle down for the night, nocturnal creatures take over the scene. Join this night hike and discover why dark skies are a natural resource and key to survival for many species. Appropriate for adults.
International Food & Music Festival
Ivy Hill Park, Newark
Pack a blanket, enjoy the cool evening breeze and dance to the sounds of summer during the Essex County International Food & Music Festival.
Caribbean Festival
Monte Irvin Orange Park, Orange
Pack a blanket, enjoy the cool evening breeze, and dance to the sounds of summer for the Essex County Summer Music: Caribbean Festival.
Three Bridges Five Mile Road Race
Three Bridges, Reading Twp.
The 5-Mile Road Race is a course of rolling hills through Reading Twp.’s beautiful rural community. Timing and scoring will be conducted by Best Racing Systems. There will be mile markers and water stations. This is for runners 14 and older. The 2-Mile Health Walk will be a peaceful stroll through the historic Three Bridges community. Children are welcome to join.
Old Fashioned Fun & Games
Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold
Visit Walnford and play a variety of historically themed games to delight and challenge the whole family!
Salsa & History
Cream Ridge Winery, Cream Ridge
Join a pairing of salsa demos and dance plus a wine tasting, history, music, tapas and dessert.
The Fresh Kids of Bel-Air
The Vogel, Red Bank
The Fresh Kids of Bel-Air are five NYC-based musicians who have come together to put on the dopest live ’90s show in the city. Hear hits from Third Eye Blind, Alanis Morrisette, Green Day, Lit, Britney Spears, Blink-182, Sublime, The Backstreet Boys, Ace of Base and more.
Flea Market
Wall Twp.
Shop the top Jersey Shore vendors during this flea market, located in the Historic Village of Allaire.
Community Science Day
Rogers Refuge, Princeton
Visitors of all ages are encouraged to participate in guided nature walks and collect data to support Princeton’s Environmental Resource Inventory.
Vets Summer Fest
Hackettstown
This annual event supports Operation Chillout, an all-volunteer outreach dedicated to ending to the crisis of homelessness for veterans across the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. It features live music, craft vendors, a kids zone, bike run and food.
Celebrate the Meadowlands
Laurel Hill Park, Secaucus
This free event includes boat and paddling tours and a morning fishing clinic. Come learn about the Meadowlands, check out booths staffed by local environmental groups and vendors, and sample food from local food trucks.
Family Architecture Tour
Crane House & Historic YWCA, Montclair
Teach your kids the language of architecture. On this Family Walking Tour, you’ll look for architectural details in the beautiful homes located on the streets near the Crane House and Historic YWCA. Maybe you’re raising the next Mead, McKim or White!
Guided Hike
New Weis Center for Education, Arts and Recreation, Ringwood
Take a leisurely nighttime hike to a beautiful viewpoint over the highlands at sunset. On the hike back down, you’ll get to experience some of the nocturnal creatures beginning their night!
Salt Water Day
Laurence Harbor, Old Bridge
The family-oriented event features rides, a bounce house, entertainment, games, slides, arts and crafts, vendors and food. A fireworks display is planned for the end of the night.
Beach Full Moon Yoga + Sound Bath
Asbury Dog Beach, Asbury Park
Relax, release and let go with yoga instructor/Reiki Master Jana Valkova for a very special yoga flow and sound bath under the power of the full moon.
Plant Swap and Stop
Rancocas Woods Shops
Vendors will be stocked with your new favorite sustainable, earth conscious and other plant related goodies! Come wander The Woods with fellow plant lovers. Make new friends, support local entrepreneurs and artisans.
WWII Victory Day Aboard the Battleship
Battleship NJ, Camden
Experience World War II artifacts, re-enactors and military vehicles.
Craft Fair
St. Elisabeth’s Chapel, Ortley Beach
Join the Friends of Ortley Beach and support local craft vendors.
SUNDAY
Peach and Summer Harvest Breakfast
Alstede Farms, Chester
Indulge in a hearty farm-to-table peach pancake breakfast. You and your guests will be greeted with a scenic wagon ride around the farm which will ultimately make its stop at the new Christmas Barn where the breakfast will be served. Following breakfast, you can continue your day on the farm picking farm fresh produce in the PYO fields.
India Independence Day
North Brunswick Twp. Middle School, North Brunswick
Families of all backgrounds are invited to celebrate Bharat Mata Ke Veer: India’s Bravest in honor of India’s independence from Britain. There will be many entertaining and educational activities planned.
Forest Bathing
New Weis Center for Education, Arts, and Recreation, Ringwood
The practice of forest bathing means to immerse oneself in the forest and soak in the atmosphere through the senses. This walk will be at an easy pace and will focus on connecting to nature through mindfulness. Explore your senses and the present moment through short, guided meditations in the forest.
Juice House Anniversary Celebration
31 E. Main St., Freehold Borough
Celebrate the store’s one-year anniversary with live music, a deejay and free prizes, plus 10% off all day.
ONGOING
Open Play at Play Big Zone
Morganville
Summer hours extend through August
Your kids will love 10,000 square feet of space for nonstop fun. Activities include Amazing Race, Spin Zone, Foosball Arena, Laser Maze, Robots, Bumper Cars and Little Play Zone.
Red Bank Broadwalk: Kids Takeover
Fridays (Aug. 12, 19 and 26)
Bring your little ones with their trikes, scooters, helmets and chalk for some summer fun along Broad Street. Appropriate for children ages 2-8.
WheatonArts
Millville
Thursdays – Sundays (through Aug. 31)
The Wheaton Wide Open initiative offers all visitors free admission for the entire month. WheatonArts is a charming 45-acre wooded campus that includes the Museum of American Glass; the Down Jersey Folklife Center; glass, pottery and flamework studios; museum stores; scenic picnic areas; and the mile-looping Nature Trail with a scavenger hunt for native species and structures.
Half Mile of Horses Artwork
Downtown Freehold Borough
Every day (through Sept. 30)
There are 12 painted horse sculptures decorating Main Street. The display honors the equine heritage of Freehold Borough, home of the oldest half-mile horse racing track in the country. Vote for your favorite one!
Dig It! Plant It! Eat It!
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, Morristown
Saturdays
From pollinators to plant dyes, each Saturday discover something new in nature! Rain or shine. Recommended for ages 4 – 10.
Flemington Car Shows
Main Street, Flemington
Select Saturdays (through Aug. 20)
Historic Flemington’s Main Street will be bustling with hot cars, live music, kids’ activities, delicious food and summer fun on select Saturday nights when Flemington Car Shows come to town all summer long.
Artisan Market
Veterans Park, Beach Haven
Fridays (through Aug. 26)
Browse the crafts and artisan items made by local vendors.
Outdoor Walking Tours
Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton
Saturdays and Sundays (throughout August)
Princeton University is home to one of the country’s most significant collections of 20th- and 21st-century public sculpture. Join a free, hour-long walking tour led by a museum tour guide and discover the campus’s outdoor artworks, including Henry Moore’s bronze Oval with Points, monumental geometric screens by Louise Nevelson, and more.
Summer Stage @GSPlaza
Garden State Plaza, Paramus
Fridays (through Aug. 20)
Join Z100 radio hosts Maxwell and Crystal as they hang out at Westfield Garden State Plaza’s Summer Stage with popular TikTok stars! Stop by to experience a live podcast as they interview the popular stars. You’ll get to know more about their lives, and you may even get a chance to meet them!
History Kids Summer
The Historic Village at Allaire, Wall Twp.
Fridays (through Aug. 26)
Kids ages 5-12 can learn what it was like to live in the 19th century and experience history firsthand by different trades, tasks and lifestyles of an 1830s Howell Iron Works village. This will be paired with an activity. The schedule is butter making on Aug. 12, printing on Aug. 19 and a field survey on Aug. 26.
Bounce the Mall
The Mills at Jersey Gardens, Elizabeth
Weekends (Through Aug. 28)
Bounce, slide and dance with the kids through a surreal, candy-colored wonderland. This special event features the largest ball pit on the planet, a 600-foot obstacle course, inflatable sports area, silent disco dome, giant slides and more!
Beyond Van Gogh
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City
Through Aug. 28
This is an immersive experience in which both still and moving art provide a show your family will never forget. More than 300 of Van Gogh’s masterpieces come alive, appearing and disappearing and flowing across multiple surfaces. This one-hour walk through will have your whole family captivated by the sights, sounds and colors.
Pop In The City
Greeley Square, New York
Through Aug. 28
Walk, “swim” and slide through a new immersive experience in Midtown Manhattan. When you enter this inflatable wonderland, you take a giant slide down to oversize ball pits, live deejays, cutting-edge effects and 200 glittering disco balls.
Beach Baby Goat Yoga
Beach Haven
Fridays (through Sept. 2)
Join fellow yogis and animal lovers on the beach for a beginner-friendly goat centric yoga experience and snuggles with baby and miniature breed goats. Reap the benefits of animal and laughter therapies as the baby goats jump on your back, snuggle in your lap or take a nap on your mat as you move through the instructor’s guidance.
Field Station: Dinosaurs
Leonia
Summer Hours: 10 am – 6 pm, Tuesdays – Sundays, through Labor Day
At Field Station: Dinosaurs, more than 30 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs are sure to impress all the paleontologists in your group. Enjoy dozens of shows, Jurassic Jump, and then Dinosaurs: After Dark come October.
Cruise Nights
Downtown Somerville
Fridays (through Sept. 4)
Friday Night Cruise Nights return to Downtown Somerville. Through Labor Day weekend, the coolest classic cars around line up along Main Street every Friday.
Summer Carillon Concerts
Graduate School, Princeton University, Princeton
Sundays (now through Sept. 4)
The carillon is a musical instrument of 23 or more bells that produce music when sounded. All concerts start at 1 pm every Sunday, July 3 through Sept. 4 (Labor Day), and are held rain or shine. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on.
Shark Tooth Summer
Adventure Aquarium, Camden
Every day through Sept. 5
This month-long celebration highlights the aquarium’s jaw-some collection of sharks. The highlight, the new Scuba Tooth Fairy, will use their special skills to find and scoop up fallen shark teeth hidden in the sand of the Ocean Realm exhibit. Walk through the Shark Tunnel or Shark Bridge or visit the Touch-a-Shark Tank.
Sunset Sips & Sounds
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Fridays (through Sept. 9)
Meet in this historic apple orchard for Terhune wine, music, light bites and friend-filled evenings every Friday night at Terhune Orchards Vineyard and Winery. It’s a great way to unwind after the week, meet friends, bring your family and enjoy the sunset on the farm.
Post-Game Fireworks
TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater
Select dates (through Sept. 17)
After watching an exciting Minor League baseball game with the Somerset Patriots, stick around for a great fireworks display! Scheduled dates are Aug. 13, 24 and 27, and Sept. 17.
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
New York, New York
Fridays (through September)
Enjoy the history and magic of the Intrepid for free on select Fridays through September.
Stargazing Boat Cruises
Belmar
Fridays and Saturdays (through September)
Take a sail out to the ocean while gazing up at the moon, stars and constellations.
Sunrise Wellness Sails
Wilbert’s Marina, Lacey Twp.
Saturdays (through September)
Anyone who is interested in yoga, meditation and mindfulness is welcome to take part in a 3-hour Sunrise Sail along the Barnegat Bay. Sail into rejuvenation with Jaime Zazzara and Captain Dave from Jersey Coastal Adventures for the wellness retreat. There are options to enjoy a swim or float in a tube when the boat anchors out at sea.
Tours of Wyckoff-Garretson House & Museum
215 South Middlebush Road, Somerset
Second Sunday of every month (through October)
Docents will lead tours of the house, which dates back to 1730.
Sunday Farmers Market
Garden State Plaza, Westfield; in the parking lot between Macy’s and Route 17
Sundays (through Nov. 20)
Garden State Plaza is the site of weekly Sunday farmers markets. Expect food vendors, food trucks, music, activities for kids and a car show from 9 am-2pm.
Weekend Wine Tasting
Weekends (through Dec. 31)
Tomasello Winery, multiple locations
Plan a relaxing evening sipping wine at any of their five locations in the South Jersey region. Choose from a wide variety of award-winning wines and bubblies, accompanied by assorted cheese boards and truffles. Wine Tastings are available everyday, but reservations are strongly recommended for a weekend wine tasting.
Check out where to go whitewater rafting or tubing or beat the heat at a sprayground!