A craft beer, music and crab festival at the beach sounds just about perfect, doesn’t it?
Whether you enjoy flying kites, watching cool cars cruise, listening to live music on the beach or drinking craft beer, there are dozens of festivals happening throughout South Jersey this spring and summer to make you happy.
The Barefoot Country Music Fest in Wildwood is touted as the largest outdoor country music festival in the Northeast. It’s scheduled for June 16 to 19 and will feature more than three dozen artists. The annual Willingboro Jazz Festival is set for Aug. 14 and the Atlantic City Jazz Festival takes place Sept. 17.
There also are kite festivals, county fairs, history festivals, seafood festivals and much more.
Some things are close to home while others might require a little drive.
Have you ever attended the Burlington County Farm Fair? Or how about the Cumberland County Farm Fair, where there’s a demolition derby, a Little Miss & Mister Pageant and a pie eating contest?
Here are 26 festivals or fairs to check out between now and when the leaves start to change:
The 33rd Cape May Music Festival, presented by Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture), is back after all-virtual concerts in 2020, and a hybrid of virtual and in-person concerts in 2021.
This year’s will be all live, in-person, with indoor and outdoor concerts over eight weeks in a variety of genres from May 1-June 30.
Events will be held at Emlen Physick Estate, Episcopal Church of the Advent, Cape May Convention Hall and Rotary Park.
There will be 15 musical performances of classical, chamber, jazz, brass band and Americana music. Performers include: The Bay Atlantic Symphony, the New York Chamber Ensemble, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players, Nora Jane Struthers and Paula Johns. There will be a tribute to George Mesterhazy.
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One highlight is the award-winning 35-piece Atlantic Brass Band returns in a free outdoor concert during Memorial Day Weekend.
Go: Various venues, 609-884-5404; capemaymac.org/experience/special-events/cape-may-music-festival/
After a two-year absence, Woolwich and Swedesboro residents can look forward to Locke Avenue Fun Day! on May 21.
Fun Day runs 1 to 9 p.m., with food, drink, vendors, a beer garden, amusement rides and other activities for children. Unlimited ride wristbands for $30 are on sale until May 20 and are $35 on Fun Day. The rain date is May 22.
All wristband sales are available on Ticketleap.
Visit the Facebook page for the link to purchase wristbands.
Go: Locke Avenue Park, 58 Locke Ave.; jerseyfamilyfun.com/event/family-fun-day-in-swedesboro-at-locke-avenue-park/
Go fly a kite!! Skyfestivals.com referred to the Wildwoods International Kite Festival as “a full-blown kite festival on steroids.” The 36th annual event is a four-day experience beginning on a Friday with an official “Unlocking of the Beach” ceremony and culminating on Monday with the World Indoor Kite Competition and Performance.
The festival takes place on the beach at Rio Grande Avenue and inside the Wildwoods Convention Center. There is the opening of the Kite sales tent, Friday night social via the local kite club, team flying and family games. There also will be two days of play shops that are designer-intensive. The dates are May 27-30. It’s free to spectators. Friday noon to 11 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
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Go: 4600 Ocean Ave.; wildwoodsnj.com/event/wildwoods-international-kite-festival-2/
Live music will be featured on multiple stages, from blues, rock, folk and more.
More than 200 artists and crafters will be present. There will also be a children’s “KidZone” with carnival games, rides and children-friendly crafters.
There will be an antique and classic auto show as well as several food courts.
The date is May 28 (rain date May 29) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
An estimated 60,000 people attended the 2019 event (pre-COVID).
Go: Business district along Haddon Avenue; collingswood.com/things_to_do/arts_and_events/may_fair.php
This festival got its start in 2006 with 3,000 people and fewer than 30 breweries. To date, nearly a million have attended the festival, according to its website.
Annually, approximately 27,000 people attend the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival.
Its new outdoor location at Bader Field covers more than 1.4 million square feet.
More than 1,000 different beers from 150 breweries will be featured at the festival.
The dates are June 4-5.
All attendees must be 21 years of age.
Music, life-size beer pong, pop-up jam band space, culinary offerings from favorite Atlantic City eateries, vendors and exhibitors and much more will be featured.
Music will be performed by Alkaline Trio with thrice, New Found Glory and Four Year Strong.
Go: Bader Field, 545 N. Albany Ave.; acbeerfest.com/
The annual event draws celebrities and musical stars from all over the country.
The Roots are an iconic hip-hop, neo soul group founded by members Questlove and Black Thought in Philadelphia in 1987.
The event is June 4-5, beginning at 5 p.m. at The Mann Center at Fairmount Park.
Mary J. Blige with The Roots, Jazmine Sullivan, Keyshia Cole, SWV, Rick Ross, Bilal, Musiq Soulchild, Kirk Franklin, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Rakim and others will perform.
There will be a live podcast stage.
Go: 5201 Parkside Ave.; rootspicnic.com/philly/
The Orange Loop is three blocks of restaurants, bars, live music, coffee and more just off the Atlantic City boardwalk.
It gets its name from the Atlantic City-based board game Monopoly. Why is it called Orange Loop? The three blocks – Tennessee Avenue, St. James Place and New York Avenue – are all orange on the Monopoly board, its website states.
The festival will technically take place on the Showboat festival grounds outside of the Showboat Hotel but will incorporate the Orange Loop and other venues into its programming.
Stone Temple Pilots, Chevelle, Hoobastank, Treach of Naughty by Nature, Hinder, LA Guns, Great White, Slaughter, Doro, Dangerous Toys and more will perform. There will be Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner & Journey tributes.
The festival is June 10-12.
Go: 800 Atlantic Ave.; orangelooprockfest.com/
The 30th Annual Cruise Down Memory Lane rides up to Landis Avenue on June 11, rain date June 12. Billed as the largest cruise in the region, the event traditionally draws about 2,000 automobiles. Take a mile stroll down The Ave between 5 and 9 p.m. and view a visual catalog of American auto history. Music and food available.
Go: Landis Avenue, 856- 794-8653; theave.biz/
The Friends of India Society hosts its 14th Annual Kite and Color Festival, a family fun participation event. Organizers encourage attendees to join the boisterous, color-soaked celebration that combines an appreciation of Indian culture with Hindu religious traditions.
The festival runs 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. June 11 at the Cumberland County Fairgrounds.
Work up an appetite dancing and chasing after your kite. There’s a lunch that includes traditional Indian dishes.
Tickets, which must be purchased by June 8, are $25 for those 13 and older, $15 for those 5 – 12, and children younger than 5 years old are admitted free. Ticket price includes a kite, thread, colors, snack and lunch.
Go: 3301 Carmel Road; foisnj.org/
The second annual South Jersey History Fair will be held on the grounds of the 1756 Gabreil Daveis Tavern Museum House on June 11 (rain date June 12) from 10 a,m. to 4 p.m. Exhibitors include historic committees and groups from counties across South Jersey, along with reenactor groups. There will be free antique appraisal from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tours of the Gabreil Daveis Tavern and historic grounds will be available.
Go: 500 3rd Ave.; facebook.com/events/389405039587951/
The largest outdoor country music festival in the Northeast will be June 16-19 and feature more than 40 of the country’s hottest artist on five unique stages. This year’s lineup includes: Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Bret Michaels, Cole Swindell, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Michael Ray, Rita Wilson, Matt Stell, Priscilla Block, among others.
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Go: Morey’s Piers & Beachfront Water Parks, 3501 Boardwalk; barefootcountrymusicfest.com/
The three-day event, held June 16-18, gives participants a chance to witness 30 bands on two stages, 40 interactive workshops and enjoy the lake and camp under the stars.
The Paradise Lakes Campground, located in the Pinelands, is complete with a lake and hiking trails.
Go: Paradise Lakes Campground, Route 206 (between mile markers 3 and 4); beardfest.net/
The three-day event is an extravaganza of food, entertainment and fun for the whole family.
The Atlantic City Seafood and Music Festival will be June 24-26.
The festival will offer event-goers the opportunity to experience foods cooked on-site. Food and beverages will be for sale at various booths. Attendees also can shop for local crafts, jewelry, art, home décor and more.
The event offers games and rides, face painting, a special kids zone and fun food. For adults, music, beer gardens and full-service liquor bars will offer a variety of cocktails, frozen drinks, beer and wine.
The festival begins at 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday with free admission. On Saturday, the event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, the event runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $11 Saturday and Sunday, with children 12 and under free.
Go: Bader Field, 545 N. Albany Ave.; festivalnet.com/93155/Atlantic-City-New-Jersey/Food-Festivals/Atlantic-City
New Jersey’s Oldest County Fair, the Cumberland County Fair is a five-day celebration of the homemade and homespun, running July 5-9.
In addition to pie-eating contests and pony rides, be sure to check out the variety of wildlife from the 4-H livestock exhibits to the demolition derby.
On July 7, don your dancing boots. The Roadhouse 4 County Band takes the main stage. Kids also will enjoy the $25 wristband ride-all-day special.
Free parking. General admission is $5. Children under 5 and seniors 65 and older are admitted free. Cash only payments. There is an ATM on Cumberland County Fairgrounds.
Go: 3001 Carmel Road; cumberlandcofair.com.
It’s free and it’s by the sea.
From July 8-10, the outdoor main stage at North Wildwood’s Anglesea Entertainment District will be the site of this blues festival.
It’s on tap to feature both national and regional blues musicians and also accompanies the New Jersey State Barbecue Championship.
Top acts will perform on the main stage and nearby clubs and pubs.
Street parking is available.
Go: 201 New Jersey Ave.; angleseablues.com/
This day-party music festival is inspired by Caribbean culture.
Created in 2012, Beach Road Trip Weekend is located in several tourist locations: The Florida Keys, Atlantic City, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos, Los Angeles, California and the Dominican Republic.
The Atlantic City event will be July 15-17 and participants must be 21 or older.
A three-day weekend pass is $285. With that pass, you’ll get entry to all five Main Events including Maui Wowi Bonfire, Xtreme Wet ’N Wild, BRT “Glow”, Jouvert Breakfast Party and BRT “all white” grand finale.
Free food and drinks will be provided at each event.
Go: Atlantic City Beach and Boardwalk; brtweekend.com/
The 77th Annual Obon Festival, hosted by Seabrook Buddhist Temple in Upper Deerfield, is observance of the annual Buddhist tradition celebrating the time of year when ancestors’ spirits are said to return to this world to visit with their loved ones.
The July 16 observance features drummers, lanterns and Japanese dancers in colorful kimonos. Attendees encouraged to bring a lawn chair. Free admission, but online registration required.
For more information: 856-451-3422; sbtnj.org
Held at the Showboat Hotel, the two-day festival features vegan and plant-based meals from local chefs as well as vegan products, live music, plant-based fashion and more.
The Atlantic City Vegan Food Festival is held outside on the boardwalk. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Kids 13 and under are free. The festival will be July 16-17.
Go: 801 Boardwalk; eventbrite.com/e/2022-atlantic-city-vegan-food-festival
Christmas in July and a chicken barbecue are part of the happenings at the Cape May County 4-H Fair.
The fair is the major fundraising effort of the 4-H Foundation, Inc. The event, held July 21-23, provides a showplace for the project work and accomplishments of the youth members of Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program.
There will be a Johnny Cash tribute by musical artist Terry Lee Goffee, amusement rides and more.
Times include Thursday 3 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Go: 355 Court House South Dennis Road; cmc4h.com/
This is the 75th anniversary year of the Burlington County Farm Fair.
It will be July 19-23 at the Burlington County Fairgrounds. Horses, cows, rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats and other animals are on display. Many are shown by 4-H members, hoping their project animal wins a blue ribbon.
On Saturday, farmers and state Future Farmers of America members compete in dairy cow shows from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Go: 1960 Jacksonville Jobstown Road; burlingtoncountyfarmfair.com/
Eat, drink and be merry.
Free admission to this festival which features hard shell crabs, craft beers, vendors, food trucks, crafters and more.
Music will be played on the stage at Emlen Physick Estate. Participants can bring chairs, blankets to check out the entertainment.
The festival is July 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Go: 1048 Washington St., 609-884-5404; capemaymac.org/eat-drink/craft-beer-music-crab-festival/
The fair attracts about 20,000 visitors annually.
The Gloucester County 4‑H Fair has a wide variety of activities planned with participation by agricultural and commercial exhibitors. Equestrian, livestock and other 4‑H projects are exhibited and demonstrated through shows and competitions.
There are “Jersey grown” products.
The fair will be from July 28-31.
Go: Gloucester County Fairgrounds, 275 Bridgeton Pike NJ-77; njaes.rutgers.edu/4hfair/
This is a brand new country festival on Atlantic City’s beach, Aug. 12-14.
Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Chase Rice and more will perform.
More:Luke Bryan, Morgan Wallen to headline new Atlantic City country music festival
General admission is available.
Go: 1001 Boardwalk; TidalWaveMusicFestival/
Performers have included Big Daddy Kane, Sheila E., CeCe Peniston, Alyson Williams and many more.
The annual Willingboro Jazz Festival attracts top talent and also features some local talent as well.
It takes place in Millcreek Park and is a family-friendly event, which includes food and clothing vendors and much more.
The jazz festival will be Aug. 14 from noon to 9 p.m.
Go: Millcreek Park, 300 Beverly Rancocas Road, willingboronj.gov/Home/Components
Patti Smith and The War on Drugs are among the headline performers at the XPoNential Music Festival.
The annual music fest, which is produced by Philadelphia radio station WXPN 88.5 FM in partnership with the Camden County Board of Commissioners, will take place at Wiggins Park on the waterfront in Camden from Sept. 16-18.
Go: Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd.; https://xpnfest.org/
Atlantic City Jazz Festival, Atlantic City
This year’s performers include Brian Culbertson, Najee, Jeff Bradshaw, Jazmin Ghent and Althea Rene.
The Atlantic City Jazz Festival will be at Ocean Resort Casino’s Ovation Hall on Sept. 17.
Doors open at 6 and the show begins at 7.
Go: 500 Boardwalk; theatlanticcityjazzfest.com/
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