Things To Do

26th Annual Clam Festival

Festival

Aug 6–8: Expect seafood galore, live entertainment, vendors and children’s activities. Not a fish fan? Choose from the landlubber menu.

Axelrod PAC Presents the Vogel Summer Concert Series

Music

Thru Aug 26: The Axelrod PAC presents the Vogel Summer Concert Series. At the Arthur Pryor Bandshell on the Asbury Park boardwalk and on the rooftop deck at Bell Works in Holmdel, see performances by Broadway star Adam Pascal, American Idol alumni Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo, and Motown-inspired group the Motor City Revue. 

Two River Theater Announces Summer 2021 Season

Theater

Thru Aug 22: Two River Theater invites audiences back to in-person performances with two-month season of theater, music and comedy. The Plaza Players Series will take place outdoors. To end the summer, comedian Hasan Minhaj showcases new material for his forthcoming one-man show in the theater.

Wildwoods Baby Parade

Family/Kids

July 28: A tradition since 1909, the Wildwoods Baby Parade showcases cute tikes dressed in adorable clothing and seated on creative floats. Categories include best float, cutest baby and best dressed.

Kites in the Heights

Festival

July 6–Aug 31: Every Tuesday, whimsical kites will fly above Seaside Heights. Join the fun and send your own kite soaring above the shoreline.

Shore Theaters Anticipate Another Summer of Invention

After a year of survival tactics, the show must go on.

5 Jersey Shore Tours to Take This Summer

Amplify your appreciation of the Garden State’s coastal wonders.

Full Moon Climbs at Cape May Lighthouse

Family/Kids

Thru Aug 22: Get an up close view of Earth’s natural satellite during a nighttime trek up 199 steps to the watch gallery.

Visit Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Outdoor Stage

Theater

July 8–Aug 1: Outdoors at Saint Elizabeth University’s Greek amphitheater, experience Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors and Snug, a new Bard-inspired play by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s artistic director Bonnie J. Monte.

Pavilion in the Pines

Music

Thru Oct 2: The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents this outdoor summer concert series. Rain or shine, all shows will take place under a covered pavilion at Tuckerton’s Atlantic Shore Pines Campground.

Dino Safari: A Drive-Thru Adventure Invades NJ

Family/Kids

July 10–Aug 8: Grab your prehistoric passport and buckle up for this expedition taking over two Garden State malls. The experience features 40 life-size mechanical dinosaurs.

Soulsational Fest

Festival

July 31: End July with a day of peace. This festival invites attendees who bring a food-pantry item or toy donation to take part in yoga sessions, kids’ arts classes, treasure hunts and a food-truck lunch.

Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival

Festival

Aug 1–21: Events include a nighttime bike ride, bar crawl, karaoke night, drive-in singalong movie and more. The festivities come to a close at a celebration on August 21 at the Headroom LGBTQ+ Lounge.

83rd Annual Warren County Farmers’ Fair

Festival

July 31–Aug 7: Watch square-dancing performances, bull-riding shows, equestrian events, mass hot-air balloon ascensions, car shows, animal exhibits and more.

Montclair Film Kicks Off Free Outdoor Summer Screenings Series 

Film

June 26–Aug 21: Plop down on your lawn chair or blanket and watch film favorites on a big screen.

MPAC Trend Motors Drive-In Concert Series

Music

June 17–Aug 19: Mayo Performing Arts Center presents six drive-in concerts at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township.

State Fair Meadowlands

Family/Kids

June 18-July 11: Chow down on a corn dog, scream on more than 100 amusement rides, and try your luck at boardwalk-style games. Don’t miss pig races, magic shows and other entertainment.

Paper Mill’s Brookside Cabaret Returns

Food/Drinks

Thru Sept 25: Enjoy live entertainment and alfresco dining at the F.M. Kirby Carriage House Restaurant, located on the Millburn-based theater’s campus. 

Hunterdon Summer Concert Series

Music

June 17–Aug 5: Hunterdon County’s Music Under the Stars summer concert Series returns to Deer Path Park.

NJ Symphony Orchestra Presents Outdoor Music Series at Newark Museum of Art

Music

Thru Aug 14: Dubbed Arts in the Garden, all programs will take place in the museum’s Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden.

Six Flags Xpedition Dino

Family/Kids

Sept 7: Six Flags Great Adventure launches Xpedition Dino. Drive or walk through this Jurassic adventure featuring 30 life-size dinosaurs.

Get Your Tickets for the Basie Center’s Concerts On the Green

Festival

May 14–AUG 26: The lineup for this summerlong outdoor concert series at Suneagles Golf Club in Eatontown includes Brian Fallon, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes and Judy Collins.

Lots of Strings Festival at Morris Museum

Festival

May 23–Sept 26: Stunning sunsets and live music combine during this summerlong outdoor concerts series atop the museum’s parking deck.

“A New View—Camden,” An Outdoor Public Art Project Launches on Earth Day

Art

Launching on Earth Day, this six-month project calls attention to illegal dumping and its impact on Camden’s community through several large-scale art installations.

Pop-Up Outdoor Artisan Market Launches in Hoboken

Shopping

March 21–Dec 19: On the third Sunday of each month, shop for handmade goods from local makers under the 14th street viaduct.

Visit NJ’s Newest Arboretum at Kean University

Tours

The Arboretum at Liberty Hall is home to some of the state’s most historically significant trees, including a horse chestnut planted in 1770 by the daughter of New Jersey’s first elected governor and Liberty Hall’s first resident, William Livingston.

Six Flags Great Adventure & Wild Safari Kicks Off 2021 Season

Family/Kids

Get your fill of thrills beginning March 27 at Six Flags Great Adventure. Catch a glimpse of a new ride that opens this summer, the Jersey Devil Coaster and stop by the Wild Safari drive-through.

Anglesea Night Market Returns

Festival

July 1–Aug 12: Food truck fun is back this summer in North Wildwood. Along Olde New Jersey Avenue, get your fill of fare.

Hunterdon Art Museum Presents Exhibits Exploring Social Issues

Art

Thru Sept 5: Works in “Print+,” including Sara Carter’s Protective Hairstyle (pictured), display works of protest and resistance. Pieces in “Crossroads: Book Artists’ Impassioned Responses to Immigration, Human Rights, and Our Environment” comment on these controversial topics. 

Newark Museum of Art Reopens, Hosts NJ Arts Annual

Art

Thru Aug 22: The museum reopened its doors earlier this month. Beginning June 17, see the New Jersey Arts Annual, an exhibition featuring the work of 45 local artists and focused on the theme ReVision and Respond.

Exhibit Uncovers NJ’s Influence on Artist Thomas Eakins

“Thomas Eakins in New Jersey” runs through June 27 at the John F. Peto Studio Museum in Island Heights.

Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center Reopens

Art

Beginning April 2, WheatonArts will open the Museum of American Glass, the Down Jersey Folklife Center and the museum stores.

The Morris Museum Presents “Natural Essence—Motion Perceived”

Art

April 1-–Aug 15: In the exhibit “Natural Essence—Motion Perceived,” four artists transform everyday materials into kinetic works.

Morven Museum & Garden: “In Nature’s Realm: the Art of Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh” Exhibition

Art

Thru Jan 9, 2022: The exhibit “In Nature’s Realm: the Art of Gerard Rutgers Hardenbergh” displays wildlife paintings by the ornithologist who is also the great-great-grandson of Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh—the first president of Queen’s College (Rutgers University).

‘Those Beautiful Rags,’ A Tribute to Ragtime Music and Tin Pan Alley, To Open at Morris Museum

Art

Jan 30–Oct 10: The exhibition “Those Beautiful Rags” features rare ragtime sheet music cover art from the museum’s world-renowned Guinness Collection.

MPAC Announces 2021-2022 Season

Music

Mayo Performing Arts Center expects to present events at full capacity beginning this fall. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 4 at 10 am. The lineup includes Michael Bolton, Audra McDonald a touring production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and a hologram show of rock and roll legends Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly.

Crossroads Theatre Company Announces 2021–2022 Season

Theater

Sept 22–June 26: The New Brunswick-based theater company’s new season includes collaborations with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Daniel Beaty, Harlem’s New Heritage Theatre and the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Newark Symphony Hall, WACO Theater To Present ‘Black Terror’ Play by Richard Wesley

Theater

This summer, Symphony Hall’s inaugural company-in-residence, Yendor Theatre Company, will release a livestream production of Richard Wesley’s ‘Black Terror,’ in partnership with the Los Angeles-based WACO Theater Center.