It’s Mother’s Day weekend in New Jersey and we found more than 35 events happening across the state, from markets and craft fairs to spring festivals, food trucks and live performances.
Some of our top picks include:
- Mamas Night Market on the Farm at Needle Creek Brewing in Pennington
- Asbury Park Spring Bazaar
- Mother’s Day Picnic & Craft Fair at Valenzano Winery in Shamong
- LGPA’s Mizuho Americas Open at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell
- Alvin Ailey American Dance Company’s Mother’s Day Performances
at NJPAC in Newark - Performances of Snow White at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Brunswick
- Spring Blossom Festival at Riamede Farm in Chester
- Azalea Festival at Sayen Botanical Gardens in Hamilton Twp.
WEEKEND
Mamas Night Market on the Farm
Needle Creek Brewing, Pennington
Thursday
This free event is open to all sorts of mamas – and even non-mamas and boys, too – for a night of shopping, socializing and time at the farm (with a beer if you’d like, too).
Mizuho Americas Open
Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell
Thursday – Sunday
The world’s best golfers will compete – including icon Michelle Wie West, LPGA’s top players, 24 elite junior girls from the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), and Jeeno Thitikul, the world’s No. 1-ranked player.
Mother’s Day Maker’s Market
A Maker’s Circle, Pottersville
Friday – Saturday
Nine local artisans will sell handmade goods, including pottery, fine art, jewelry, embroidery and farm goods so you can find a special gift for Mom.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Company’s Mother’s Day Performances
NJPAC, Newark
Friday – Sunday
There will be 5 brand-new performances in addition to returning favorites.
Asbury Park Spring Bazaar
Grand Arcade of Convention Hall, Asbury Park
Saturday – Sunday
Shop for any of the moms in your life – from your mother to dog and cat moms to grandmothers and everyone else. There will be 30+ sellers, live music and DJs, lots of food, face painting, a photo wall, a DIY hat car, and custom art from kids’ drawings.
Make Mozzarella With Mom
Annabella’s House of Mozzarella, East Rutherford
Saturday – Sunday
The family can attend a hands-on mozzarella making class, during which Mom will get a free glass of peach sangria, and everyone will snack on Italian apps. You’ll take home the mutz for Mother’s Day dinner.
Snow White
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, New Brunswick
Saturday – Sunday
Celebrate Mother’s Day watching Princeton Ballet School’s dancers, ages 6 to 26, during their one-hour version of Snow White. Prior to the 11 am show on Saturday, you can add on a meet-and-greet with the ballerinas where you’ll learn some of the steps from the show.
Mother’s Day Celebration at Sesame Place
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
Saturday – Sunday
Join the Furry Friends “Mommy & Me” Dance Party, make a Mother’s Day craft, and make a resy for the the Mother’s Day Dine with Elmo & Friends. Crime-fighting superheroes Catboy, Owelette and Gekko from PJ Masks will strike a super pose at Meet & Greets throughout the weekend.
FRIDAY
Mother’s Day Celebration
Hamilton Park, Jersey City
JCFamilies has planned an afternoon for moms and kids with a photo corner, arts & crafts, music, performances, cookie decorating, giant bubbles, flowers for moms, a picnic, and more family activities.
Baby Walk
Uplands Reserve / Bernadette Morales Nature Preserve, Flemington
Bring your baby (age birth to 23 months old) and take a walk with a group of other parents. You’ll learn a little nature education, and then walk at the pace of the adults.
Garden Conservancy’s Open Days
Deb’s Native Garden, Essex County
This is the only day you can tour a special, private garden blooming with 150 native plants like milkweed and cardinal flowers. You’ll see pollinators like butterflies, fireflies, bees and hummingbirds.
SATURDAY
Mutts Gone Nuts
NJPAC, Newark
NJPAC will go to the dogs–performing dogs, that is. Seen on America’s Got Talent, the K9s perform tricks, flips and dances across the stage.
Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea
Robbinsville Branch of Mercer County Library System, Robbinsville
Aside from tasting some tea, the group will play games, talk about the way mothers have influenced the world of tea drinking, and bless the mothers.
Sea Con
Recreation Center, Sea Bright
This collectibles festival celebrates comic books, trading cards, toys and crafts. Meet artists, writers and costume groups.
Financially L.I.T. Mother’s Day Market
KIPP High School, Newark
More than 100 student CEOs and local vendors will prove Luxury Is Teachable (L.I.T.) during this massive Mother’s Day market, where kids will sell apparel, beauty products, baked goods and handmade crafts.
Mother’s Day Dinner
Hidden Spring Lavender & Alpaca Farm, Skillman
You’ll be surrounded by the peaceful lavender fields and gentle alpacas as you celebrate Mom. There will be light music during dinner. Stroll around the farm after, meet the animals, and take lots of photos in the fields.
Bayonne Food Truck Fest
19th to 22nd Street Ave E., Bayonne
There will be 30+ food trucks, drinks, bands and face painting.
Mother’s Day Carriage Rides & Barn Swallow Celebration
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Treat mom to a horse-and-buggy ride around the farm. At 2 pm, a county naturalist will be on site to provide an up-close look at swallows, bats, owls and insects that are essential to the ecosystem where farmers raise their crops and animals.
Building Princeton: America 250 Edition
Updike Farmstead, Princeton
Teams will use 100,000 LEGO blocks to recreate scale models of historical Princeton buildings, which will then be placed on a large-scale map. In honor of this year’s semiquincentennial celebration, eight additional 18th century buildings have been added, including homes of two signers of the Declaration of Independence. At the end of the program, each team will get a scavenger hunt map so they can explore Princeton and find the real buildings.
Mother’s Day Open Swim
Five Star Swim School, Cherry Hill and East Hanover
Moms swim free in the heated saltwater pool with their kiddies.
Maker Day Open House
Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, Morris Plains
While visiting the museum and Log House today for free, you can watch art demos (like plein air painting), weave your own basket, check out what the crafters are selling, take a tour of the North Cottage (make sure to look for the rare green ash furniture), and pick up a handmade gift for Mother’s Day. Kids ages 4 to 8 can take a children’s tour of Adventures at Craftsman Farms or sign up for the scavenger hunt.
Dragon Dance
Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will perform a dance in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, before the soccer match between Jersey’s Gotham FC and Boston Legacy.
Azalea Festival
Sayen Botanical Gardens, Hamilton Twp.
Walk through a magnificent display of over 250,000 flowering dogwoods, azaleas and rhododendrons through the walking paths, fountains, bridges, lakes and gazebos.
Water Safety Day
Goldfish Swim School, Mt. Laurel
Pool season is almost here, so parents can attend a water safety presentation, and then swim with their kids. There will also be crafts, games, shopping and snacks.
SUNDAY
Main Street Pops Artisan Markets
770 Jackson Street Plaza, Hoboken
The popular monthly market showcases a curated selection of unique, handmade treasures from local artisans.
Mother’s Day Picnic & Craft Fair
Valenzano Winery’s Event Grounds, Shamong
You’ll get a free wine tasting and a souvenir glass to take home. The whole family can come for the marketplace, food trucks and live music.
Spring Blossom Festival
Riamede Farm, Chester
Tour the historic apple orchard on the hayride. Each pink and white bloom you see could eventually become an apple. There will be live acoustic music, a variety of food trucks and craft beer, 40 craft booths, apple cider donuts for sale at the farm store, and garden plants for sale. Pick peas and flowers in the fields, and sign up your kid to make a painted pot with a plant.
Toast to Mom : Mother’s Day Wine Class
La Otra / Lita, Aberdeen
Toast to Mom with a flight of four springtime wines, plus snacks from the Team Lita Kitchen.
Mother’s Day Open Swim
Five Star Swim School, Deptford, East Brunswick, Eatontown, Edison, Galloway, Princeton
Moms swim free in the heated saltwater pool with their kiddies.
ONGOING
Sky Observing Night
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
Washington Crossing State Park, Titusville
May 8 and 15
You’ll start at the museum with an extended star talk in the planetarium, discussing what is visible in the night sky that evening, with an extra focus on deep sky objects that are observable with telescopes. If it’s a clear night, the group will drive to Washington Crossing State Park’s Simpson Observatory. You’ll use the historic telescopes to view the objects discussed at the planetarium.
Car Cruise
Historic Smithville, Galloway
May 8 and 22
June 12 and 26
July 10 and 24
August 14 and 28
September 11 and 25
Stop by The Village Greene to see vehicles on display, or to show off one of your own.
Artisan Market Pop-Up
Pier A Waterfront Walkway or 770 Jackson Street Plaza, Hoboken (depending on the date)
May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8
There will be 60+ vendors selling jewelry, baked goods, eyewear, handmade items, prints, knitted items, accessories and chocolates.
Kiwanis Karnival
East Northfield Road, Livingston
May 12-16
There will be rides, festival food and treats, carnival games and prizes – with free admission thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Livingston.
SUE The T. Rex Experience
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through May 25
The world’s most complete, most well-preserved T. rex skeleton is making a stop at LSC so you can see her bones, hear her growl and smell her breath (seriously!). There will be fossils on display, projection mapping of other prehistoric creatures, and a life-sized fleshed-out replica to show what the creature’s life was like in the Cretaceous era.
U.S. Military History Exhibit
Museum of American History at Deptford, NJ
Through May 31
This exhibit, covering World War I through the Iraq War, is a tribute to the American veteran and all of our fallen heroes. Included will be military as well as civilian artifacts. The museum’s permanent exhibits include artifacts from the Pre-Columbian (Native American) period, American farmstead, antique hand tools and equipment, a glass and ceramics room, a fossil exhibit, artifacts from the Pine Barrens, and, just in time for the America’s 250th, several new exhibits from the Colonial Era.
The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Arden Children’s Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Select dates, through May 31
Based on the book, this musical flips classic fairy tales completely upside down. The Ugly Duckling stays ugly, a princess gets more slime than romance after kissing a frog, and familiar characters keep wandering into the wrong stories as narrators lose control and chaos takes over.
Face(t)s of America Exhibition
Gallery Space, Rahway
Through June 13
Six artists whose work explores what it means to live, belong and define oneself in America will present their artistic thoughts through portraiture, photography and painting.
Elmo’s Springtacular
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
Select dates, through June 14
Kids can meet Blippi, sing along (and sign along to ASL) during a concert with Emma Memma, watch “Dino Ranch On Stage!’, check out the new Elmo’s Imagination Explorers stage show, and dress up for Elmo’s Pirate Weekend, as just some of the different themed events taking place each weekend.
Camp Boardwalk: Atlantic City During World War II
NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum, Cape May
Through September 7
The traveling exhibit finds a new home inside historic Hangar #1, showing the role AC played in World War II: hotels were converted into military barracks, ballrooms into drill halls, and Boardwalk Hall into a training facility. You’ll experience oral histories, archival materials, and personal stories that highlight the wartime experiences of servicemen, nurses, volunteers and civilians.
Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA
Through September 7
There are animatronics, robots, ride designs, costumes and props that mimic The World Famous Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, giving you an insider’s look at the storytelling and building behind the rides and worlds at the Florida and California theme parks.
Editor’s Note: Always check times, dates and weather updates before heading out.
Got questions about this weekend’s events?
We pulled together a quick FAQ to help.
Q: Do I need tickets or reservations?
A: Some of the bigger attractions (musicals, theme parks) do require tickets, and popular times can sell out. It’s important to check the event link in our guide for details, times, date, pricing, availability and weather before you head out.
Q: Does the list include both indoor and outdoor events?
A: You’ll find a mix of indoor shows, markets, and museums, along with outdoor flower shows, events and festivals.
Q: What are some of the best things to do in New Jersey this weekend (May 8-10 2026)?
A: This weekend (May 8-10, 2026) features family-friendly things to do across New Jersey and in NY and PA. Highlights during Mother’s Day weekend include Asbury Park Spring Bazaar, LGPA’s Mizuho Americas Open at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, performances of Snow White at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Brunswick, the Spring Blossom Festiva at Riamede Farm in Chester, the Bayonne Food Truck Fest and the Azalea Festival at Sayen Botanical Gardens in Hamilton Twp.
Q: What parts of New Jersey do these events cover?
A: We include family events happening throughout North, Central, and South Jersey, plus more events in New York and Pennsylvania.
Q: Where can I find more events near me?
A: This weekend’s roundup is a comprehensive list, but you can also browse more upcoming events on our calendar.
Q: How can I stay updated on more things to do in New Jersey?
A: Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Read More:
You and Your Kids Will Love These Day Trip Ideas Around New Jersey
Fairs and Festivals in NJ: Our Mega-Guide
The Best Free Things to Do in New Jersey in May (2026)
The Best Fairs & Festivals in NJ in May
