Trying to find something to do this weekend? Take advantage of the amazing fairs and festivals that can be found across New Jersey during the summer months! We have scoured every list of fairs, festivals and events within the Garden State to give you our top picks! Take a look and let us know what you think!
Wine Events
One of the best places to find upcoming Food and Wine events is New Jersey Monthly, which provides a long list of events for every weekend! Our top choice from their list for the weekend is the Four Sisters Winery Barefoot Grape Stomping event. Although a little pricey (at $35 per person), you get a lot of bang for your buck. Four Sisters Winery is located in Belvidere, NJ, and the Stomp is this Saturday (July 17th) from 1-4 PM. Reservations are required so call early!
What Makes it Unique: Not only do you actually get to stomp your own grapes while barefoot (which is super fun!), the day is full of many great activities. You will have a wine tasting with a home cooked meal of spaghetti and meatballs, bread, and dessert. This is followed by the stomping, a cellar tour, and dessert wine tastings. The day is jam-packed with fun, and you will truly get a once in a lifetime wine experience!
Festivals
If you’re looking for local fairs and festivals to check out each weekend, head over to Everfest.com, which provides a list of the best festivals for every weekend. Our top choice on this weekend’s Everfest list is the Atlantic City Caribbean Carnival. The festival has a parade, costumes, and takes place right on the Atlantic City Boardwalk! The Carnival will occur this Friday and Saturday (July 15th and 16th). The parade (noon-6 pm Saturday) is free to visitors, with the Friday after-party costing $25 per ticket, and the Saturday after-party costing $30 per ticket.
What Makes it Unique: The AC Caribbean Carnival is an amazing cultural experience right in your backyard! Everyone has extravagant costumes, and food and craft vendors will offer authentic Caribbean treats. There will be a band, steel-pan orchestra, and beer garden. The festival will be incredibly colorful and exciting, plus you can relax by the pool with food until the Glow Party starts Saturday night at 10 PM.
Family Fun
We love Jersey Family Fun because it lists all types of fairs and festivals that are perfect for the whole family. Plus, each fair is easily searchable by which county you live in! Our top choice this weekend from the Jersey Family Fun list is the Monmouth Park Surf and Turf Seafood Festival. The festival occurs both this Saturday and Sunday, from 11:30 AM to 5 PM. Parking is $5, Admission is $5, and children under 12 are free.
What Makes it Unique: The Surf and Turf Festival offers the best of the best when it comes to local seafood. You can find everything from lobster, to shrimp, to clam chowder. But that’s not all! The festival takes place at the Monmouth County Racetrack, and live races will occur throughout the day, starting at 12:50 PM. There will also be tons of games, including a free Family Fun Day on Sunday!
Food Festivals
Edible Jersey is one of my favorite sites because I love food, and Edible Jersey is your one-stop place to find the best food events for every weekend of the year. For this weekend, Edible Jersey highlights the New Jersey State Crab Festival, which is an all day event from 11 AM to 10 PM. The crab festival is located in Wildwood, NJ. Event admission is completely free!
What Makes it Unique: The State Crab Festival is awesome because it’s family friendly and all about food! There will be a ton of entertainment as well as a crab race, but also plenty of refreshments for adults. This includes a beer garden as well as crabby bloody marys!
Music Events
As you probably know, Visit NJ is an amazing website, because you can find things to do every weekend, in every category imaginable. Visit NJ mentions two great local music festivals for the weekend: the WNTI Stage in Columbia, and the Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton. Although we are excited for both, we are especially excited for the 20th anniversary of the Black Potatoe, which extends all the way from Wednesday-Sunday.
What Makes it Unique: The Black Potatoe Music Festival is a great place to see top indie artists from all over the country, including singers who have played all over the world. However, they will also have many great local indie groups. Headliners include Willy Porter, the Matt Angus Thing, and Ellis Paul over the weekend.
