Enjoy September in New Jersey with this delicious assortment of dining and drinking events.
Cape May Tomato Festival • Backyard Park, West Cape May
September 2, 9 am-4 pm
Enjoy the unofficial end of summer with fresh produce straight from the farm, plus live music, food vendors and craft vendors.
732 Broadway
BBQ & NJ Craft Beer Festival • Monmouth Park, Oceanport
September 2-4, 11 am-5 pm
Enjoy great barbecue from food trucks including Lexylicious, Local Smoke BBQ, Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats, and Joe Smoke Bar-B-Que—as well as a selection of more than 40 craft beers. Buy general admission tickets and sampling tickets in advance or on the day of the event.
175 Oceanport Avenue
ScanFest • Vasa Park, Budd Lake
September 3
Enjoy traditional Nordic foods, handicrafts, music, games and more. $11 in advance/$14 at gate. Free admission with authentic dress.
93 Wolfe Road
Salute to Summer Lobster Boil & Cornhole Tournament • Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus
September 7, 6-10 pm
Part of the Bergen County Food & Wine Festival, this event features a lobster dinner (a full 1.25-pound ready-to-eat lobster, 6 littleneck clams, 4 PEI Mussels, sausage, corn and potatoes), live music and a cornhole tournament. Individual tickets ($75 each), a date-night package ($130 for two people) and VIP tickets ($120 each) are available. Entry in the cornhole tournament for one team of two people is $200 and includes two lobster boil dinners.
One Garden State Plaza Parkway
Hoboken Italian Festival • Hoboken
September 7-10
For four days, enjoy a parade, rides, entertainment, food and fireworks at one of the largest Italian festivals in the tri-state area. On Saturday, the “Feast” day, at 2 pm the 800-pound Madonna Dei Martiri is carried through the streets from St. Francis Church to the Hudson River. A fireworks show goes off at 9 pm on Saturday.
NJ Taco Festival • Sussex County Fairgrounds, Augusta
September 9, 10 am-8 pm
Sample lots of tacos and see which the judges crown Best Beef Taco, Best Chicken Taco, Best Pork Taco, Best Seafood Taco and Best Veggie Taco. First-, second- and third-place prizes are awarded in each category. Cocktail demos, live music and more activities round out the day. A kids’ area with bounce houses, face painting and more is available for little taco fans. Ticket prices range from general admission to VIP.
37 Plains Road
Boonton Brewfest • Canalside Park, Boonton
September 9, 10 am-8 pm
Enjoy craft beers from 30 local breweries, plus live music and games like corn hole and giant Jenga. Tickets cost $20-$80.
Plane Street
Wine on the Beach • Blaine Avenue Beach, Seaside Heights
September 9-10, noon-5 pm
Taste and enjoy delicious, award-winning New Jersey wines. Tickets cost $20-$25 for one day’s admission to the festival for samplers; the event is free for non-samplers and those under 21 years old. Ticket price includes a souvenir wine glass and sampling. Rain or shine.
Bergen County Food & Wine Festival Grand Tasting • Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus
September 10, 12-5 pm
Enjoy food from dozens of top area restaurants, as well as beer, wine and spirits tastings. Entertainment, DJs and dancing are on tap. The event is 21-plus. Tickets are $75/person for general admission, or $120/person for VIP access.
One Garden State Plaza Parkway
Tea by the Sea • Harry’s Sundeck at Montreal Beach Resort, Cape May
September 10 and 24, 4 pm
A three-course social event features tasty light bites, gorgeous panoramic views from Harry’s Sundeck at the Montreal Beach Resort, and a lively discussion about Cape May’s history as the country’s first seaside resort. Tickets are $39.99 per person and can be purchased through the resort, Harry’s or online.
1025 Beach Avenue
Complimentary Desserts for Hispanic Heritage Month • Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, Atlantic City
September 15-October 15
To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is offering a special from September 15-October 15. All diners who order the Cuban Pork Roast Feast for Two get two complimentary classic desserts of their choice.
The Quarter at the Tropicana, 2801 Pacific Avenue, 609-348-6700
Festival of the Sea • Downtown Point Pleasant Beach
September 16, 10 am-7 pm
Enjoy food from some of the area’s best restaurants, in addition to live music, games, family activities, a wine garden and more than 200 crafters and vendors. Free shuttles will go back and forth from the festival to parking lots at Point Pleasant Boro High School, Arnold & Ocean Ave, Central & Ocean Ave, Baltimore & Broadway, and Washington Ave & Route 35 N. Rain date September 17.
601 Arnold Avenue, 732-899-2424
Pizza Making Class • Felina, Ridgewood
September 16, 12-2 pm
Join Felina Ridgewood’s executive chef, Joe Tartamella, for an interactive cooking class on making the perfect pizza. In addition to pizza, you’ll enjoy unlimited wine, bubbles and charcuterie boards during the class. Cost is $75 per person ($60 for Landmark Club members), and tickets can be purchased at the link above.
18 Prospect Street, 908-418-4186
Spring Lake Italian Festival • Third and Morris Avenues, Spring Lake
September 23, 12-5 pm
Enjoy a day filled with food and fun including Italian food specialties, a wine and beer garden, a spaghetti eating contest, live music, and activities for the kids like face painting and a petting zoo.
LBI Chowderfest • Taylor Avenue Waterfront, Beach Haven
Photo: Shutterstock/kazoka
September 30: Cook-Off Classic, 11 am-3:30 pm; Bayfront Festival and Vendor Village, 10 am-6 pm
Families flock to Long Beach Island well after Labor Day for this annual event featuring seafood- and veggie-laden stews lovingly cooked up by local restaurateurs who all swear their recipes reign supreme. Eight restaurants are competing in the Cook-Off Classic, and event-goers get to taste the dishes. Winners are announced at the festival’s end. Tickets cost $30 in advance or $35 the day of the event. (Kids 12 and under are free.) Chowderfest also hosts a free, family-and-pet-friendly Bayfront Festival and Vendor’s Village with shopping, music and more. Rain date: October 1.
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