Close
Enter your
text here

festival

new jersey, state fair, sussex county, fair, festival, fairgrounds, things to do, weekend
8 Reasons to Go to The State Fair this Weekend!
 8 Reasons to Go to The State Fair this Weekend! 960 640 Emilie
By:

Local fairs and festivals are fun, but there’s nothing like going to a giant state fair. This coming weekend is the first weekend of the New Jersey State Fair, which ranges from August 5th-14th. The fair is located at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, and will be open from 10 AM to 10 PM each day. The fair has so many amazing things to do, with great food and great vendors. But if I haven’t convinced you yet, take a look below at all of the best parts of the fair you’ll want to check out this weekend. For a full list of things to do, check out the schedule here.

Carnival: Open from noon to 10 PM each night, the carnival captures the essence of a great fair. Full of games, a ferris wheel, carnival rides, and tons of festival food: it’s sure to keep you entertained for hours.

Freestyle Motocross Show: 7:30 PM Saturday. Hosted in the Miller Lite Outdoor Entertainment Area, the motocross show is completely free. Grab a beer, and watch the show! Monster Truck rides are also available from 11 AM- 6 PM for $7 a piece.

Ronetco Supermarkets Family Entertainment: The Ronetco Family Entertainment Area has a huge number of fun and exciting things to do all day long. Both Saturday and Sunday you will find a chainsaw artist, racing pigs, and a Butterfly Encounter exhibit. There is also a petting zoo, magician, and pony rides.

Agricultural Shows: Various animal shows- including those for steer, sheep and swine- will occur throughout the day both Saturday and Sunday. The agricultural area also has barns of animals, a milking parlor with daily milkings, an agricultural museum, farmers market, and daily tractor parade at 2 PM. Saturday there will also be a Woodchopper’s competition from 7-10 PM, and a Fiddler’s Competition starting at 3 PM on Sunday.

Oxen Pull: 11 AM Sunday. The pull is completely free, and located in the Miller Lite Outdoor Entertainment Area. Or, see oxen demonstrations in the agricultural area- around 6 PM on Saturday, and around 4:30 PM on Sunday.

Demolition Derby: 7:30 PM Sunday. Also hosted in the Miller Lite Outdoor Area, the Demolition Derby is unfortunately not free (unlike the motocross show the previous night). You can get tickets at the admissions office until 3 PM, and at the Miller Lite Outdoor Area until 4 PM. Tickets cost $11 a piece.

Music and Performing Arts: The performing arts tent has different performers each day. This Saturday, the tent will have a Tribute to the Troops for most of the day, followed by an 8 PM Queen of the Fair pageant. Sunday, bands will be playing from 2:30-10 PM, including Country Cousins, Whiskey Crossing, and The Royal Dumonts.

Art and Food Shows: The Richard Building is a great place to find art and food shows: with photography, art, honey shows, and even a chili contest on Sunday at 1 PM. The Richards Building is also home to 1 PM wine awards and 3 PM beer awards on Saturday. There are also vegetable and forage shows each day in the greenhouse.

Check out the fair this weekend to see everything New Jersey has to offer! You will also find horseback riders at the horse show area of the fair, a crafts tent, 4H exhibits, and more!

 

 

july fourth, weekend, new jersey, festival, fair, fireworks, independence day, parade
Best Activities in the Jersey Area for 4th of July Weekend
 Best Activities in the Jersey Area for 4th of July Weekend 960 640 Emilie
By:

Who doesn’t love Fourth of July weekend? Personally, it’s one of my favorite holidays. Fireworks, parades, food on the BBQ, sparklers, lawn games… the list goes on and on. So as we get excited about this coming weekend, we wanted to tell you about the best Fourth of July activities around New Jersey. We can’t wait!

Wildwood Fourth of July Celebrations: North Wildwood has a ton of awesome Fourth of July activities. Start your day at 9 AM with the Independence Day Parade, Yoga on the Beach, or the Wildwood Patriotic Beach and Boardwalk 5k. A free concert starts at 2 PM, and will showcase the incredible Tim McGraw and Hunter Hayes! McGraw is set to start at 8 PM, with fireworks at 10 PM, followed by an awesome after party.

26th Annual Oceanfest: Oceanfest is a huge and diverse festival for Independence Day located right on the Jersey shore. Oceanfest is comprised of live music, tons of food, a street fair, and all kinds of entertainment including dancers, jugglers, magic shows, balloon makers, and much more. The fair will open at 10 am on July 4th, and will close at 10 pm. There will also be an impressive fireworks display starting at 9 PM. This is not an event you want to miss!

Jersey City Freedom and Fireworks Festival: This festival is known for the beautiful fireworks display highlighting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, but the Freedom and Fireworks Festival is more than just this colorful display. It features a ton of amazing food vendors, including House of Cupcakes, Dellano’s Zeppoles, Coney Island Pizza and Bacon me Crazy. It also has free musical performances, carnival rides, and children’s entertainment. Fair is open from 1-10 PM.

State Fair Meadowlands: Looking for something to do this weekend before 4th of July celebrations on Monday? Check out the State Fair Meadowlands. Not only will they have a huge fireworks display on Sunday (starting at 11 PM), there will be tons of activities the rest of the weekend. Both days you will find racing pigs, magicians, a high dive show, an open air thrill show, and tons of food, booths, crafts and music. This weekend parking will be $5, with the fair opening at 2 PM and ending at 1 AM.

Ridgewood Fourth of July: If you are looking for something a little more low-key, try going to Ridgewood for the Fourth. This is the 106th year that Ridgewood is hosting a Fourth of July celebration, but this year they will also be celebrating 100 Years of the United States’ National Parks. Flag raising will begin at 9 AM, the parade at 10 AM, and evening activities including Illumination Twirlers and the Patriot Brass Ensemble will start at 6 PM. Fireworks will occur later at night.

 

 

 

festival, new jersey, new jersey beer and food festival, whitesbog blueberry festival, battleship beer festival, sip into summer, washington lake park wine festival, rocks ribs and ridges festival, state fair meadowlands
5 Great Fairs and Festivals in Jersey this Weekend
 5 Great Fairs and Festivals in Jersey this Weekend 960 686 Emilie
By:

Last week we brought you a list of our top picks for things to do in Jersey for the weekend. This weekend has so many amazing fairs and festivals going on, and we wanted to tell you about all the best ones!

The State Fair Meadowlands. This weekend is the first weekend for the state fair meadowlands! The fair extends from June 23rd to July 10th, however it is closed this Sunday. Saturday the fair opens at 2 PM and will close at 1 AM (although the box office closes at 11:30 PM). Saturday is offering several free shows, including the Steve Bayner Hypnotist Show, Rosaire’s Royal Racing Pigs, Commerford’s Education Petting Zoo, and free concerts throughout the day. The fair also has a huge variety of games and rides. Tickets are $9 for 12 and under, and $11 for 13 and over. It is located in East Rutherford, NJ.

7th Annual Rock, Ribs and Ridges Festival. As the name suggests, this festival is devoted solely to the enjoyment of Rock and Roll and delicious ribs. Both Saturday and Sunday doors open at 11:30 AM, and bands start playing at 12:30. Bands include Kansas, Blues Traveler and The Outlaws, and “ribbers” include Texas Smoke BBQ, Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ, Pigtails BBQ and Skin & Bones. Cost of entry is $45 per day in advance, $50 at gate, or $80 in advance weekend pass (tickets do not include cost of food). The festival is located at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.

“Sip Into Summer” Washington Lake Park Wine Festival. With samples from some local Jersey wineries, food trucks, arts and crafts, and live music, the Sip Into Summer festival is sure to be a great event. The festival will be open from 12 PM- 6 PM on Saturday, and 12 PM- 4 PM on Sunday. 21+ tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate, below 21 are $5 each. Visit their website for more information and a list of participating wineries. Festival is located in Sewell, NJ.

Battleship Beer Fest. The Battleship Beer Fest this coming Saturday is aboard the Battleship New Jersey, the oldest battleship in our country, and allows people free access to tour the ship. Gates open at 12:30 PM and the festival ends at 4:30 PM. Tickets are $45 and include 15, 4 oz. samples of local craft beer. The battleship beer fest is located in Camden.

33rd Annual Whitesbog Blueberry Festival. This Saturday and Sunday you can attend the Blueberry Festival from 9 AM to 5 PM at the Historic Whitesbog Village (in Pemberton Township). Each day you will experience festival food, arts and crafts, vendors, food trucks, wagon tours, and live musicians playing everything from country to folk to blues. And of course, there will be blueberry picking and all of the blueberry pastries and foods you could dream of! The festival will go on rain or shine!

The New Jersey Beer and Food Festival. Located at Crystal Springs Resort in Sussex County this Saturday, the festival offers a range of craft beer (over 150 types) and food (cooked open fire style). Enjoy your beverages and meals as you listen to music by  Philly Cover Band and Lima Bean Riot, all while playing lawn games and enjoying activities like hot air balloon rides. Tickets for the festival are $75, but other events include a Chef and Shorts event, Beer and Chocolate Seminar, and Hops and Yoga, all of which occur before the actual festival and each cost $45. The actual festival is from 3-7 PM.