This weekend’s fun is packed with sunflower festivals, air-conditioned stage shows and lots of beachside events.
WEEKEND
Sunflower Trail Days
Alstede Farms, Chester
Thursday – Friday
Walk the Blooming Giants Sunflower Trail to take in the beauty of thousands of sunflowers. You can also pet the farm animals, relax on the new porch swings and get some homemade ice cream.
Peter Pan
Surflight Theatre, Beach Haven (LBI)
Thursday – Sunday
The stage play is geared toward kids ages 3-10.
Shrek the Musical
bergenPAC, Englewood
Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
This production showcases the talents of Northern New Jersey actors ages 8-25, who signed up for this year’s summer theater program.
Warren County Farmers’ Fair & Balloon Festival
1350 Strykers Rd., Phillipsburg
Friday – Saturday
After watching the hot air balloons launch you can head to the Demolition Derby and Rafter Z Rodeo. Traditions include an arts expo, kids’ corral, 4-H shows, free concerts by local bands, the garden tractor pull and a beer garden.
WWE SummerSlam
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
Friday – Sunday
One of the biggest wrestling events of the year takes place this weekend in NJ – the first-ever two-night event takes place on Saturday and Sunday. If you didn’t score tickets, you can visit American Dream from Friday to Sunday for the SummerSlam Superstore, which will have tons of merch, and also meet-and-greets with current and former WWE Superstars. Or, opt for tickets to Friday Night SmackDown, which takes place Friday at Prudential Center in Newark.
Kaleidoscope Kabaret
The Oakes Center, Summit
Friday – Sunday
The Theater Project’s Think Theater puts on an annual festival of songs and short plays from the Playwrights Workshop and Young Playwrights Competition. There will be 14 actors, 3 singers and a band on stage.
Clamfest
Huddy Park, Highlands
Friday – Sunday
The highlight is a wide variety of food trucks and the Lions Club Funnel Cakes. A beer, wine and sangria garden will be set up on the corner of Waterwitch and Bay avenues. Live entertainment will be featured daily. Highlands will mark Clamfest’s 30th anniversary with a fireworks display on Snug Harbor Beach on Saturday.
Move Like Mess Events
Saturday: Lowe’s of Paramus
Sunday: Lowe’s of Union
The kids of MyLowe’s Rewards members are invited to a youth clinic featuring hands-on soccer workshops with local coaches, exclusive Lionel Messi video content, giveaways and interactive activities.
Peach Festival Weekend
Alstede Farms, Chester
Saturday – Sunday
Pick your own peaches and other seasonal produce, order some peach-themed treats, listen to live music, take a scenic tractor-drawn wagon ride, visit the farm animals and stroll through the sunflower trail.
Peach Festival
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Saturday – Sunday
The annual peach-themed festival will feature a variety of treats, fresh local peaches, live entertainment, activities, summer sidewalk sales, and giant sand sculptures. Family activities will include a mobile escape room, a gel blaster battlefield, face painting, gem mining, lawn games, axe throwing and sand art.
Boardwalk Craft Show
Wildwoods Boardwalk, Wildwood
Saturday – Sunday
Rain or shine, “the boards” of the boardwalk will be lined with tents and booths of vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, home decor, unique artwork and other beach-themed treasures.
Sevens Down the Shore Rugby Tournament
Morey’s Piers, Wildwood
Saturday – Sunday
The Washington Township Rugby Club invites kid and adult teams to compete in a 7s format right on the sand.
Sticks in the Sand Field Hockey Tournament
Morey’s Piers, Wildwood
Saturday – Sunday
Field hockey players have to pass, sprint and shoot while running on the sand.
Bank of America Museums on Us Weekend
Multiple locations
Saturday – Sunday
Bank of America, Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank cardholders can receive free general admission to various cultural attractions on the first full weekend of each month.
FRIDAY
Barking Lots Sips & Brews
Animal Welfare Association, Voorhees
The end-of-summer luau will have food trucks, cocktails and local brews, live music, cornhole, and games for the whole family (including your pups) to help support Animal Welfare Association’s mission to save homeless animals.
Free First Friday: Paint a Pal
Eclectic Chic Boutique, Montclair
On the first Friday of the month, the studio is open for a free activity. Tonight, everyone in your family can paint their own 3D-printed figurine.
Dancing to Chopin
Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Students from Princeton Ballet School’s 2025 Summer Intensive will join PBS faculty on stage for their final summer performance, which be accompanied by a live pianist.
Farm Fun Day: Lammas/Lughnasadh Festival
Cherry Grove Farm, Lawrenceville
Celebrate the beginning of the harvest during the ancient festival of Lammas/Lughnasadh. There will be farm market vendors, hayrides, milking of the cows, corn dolly and greeting card crafts, a ballet story, a dance demo, yoga for adults, and lots of ice cream.
Sensory-Sensitive Hours at New Jersey Hall of Fame
American Dream, East Rutherford
The experience will include reduced lighting effects in certain exhibits, neutral lighting throughout the space, lower crowd levels, decreased sound effects in select exhibits, and minimal ambient noise overall.
SATURDAY
Honey Harvest
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Look inside the hives and meet the worker bees. You can help uncap and extract this year’s crop from the combs, then taste the honey. The hive opening will be at 11 am, but honey will not be extracted until 1 pm.
Fort Lee Artisan Night Market
Fort Lee Commons, Fort Lee
Local makers will sell fashion and accessories, jewelry, beauty and bath products, fine art and photography, pet products, home decor, kids’ items, artisanal foods, and more.
End-of-Summer Bash
Bierman Autism Centers, Princeton and Ramsey
The sensory-friendly party is geared to kids with autism ages 2–9, but is open to all families. Event highlights include backyard games, inflatables, face painting, balloon twists and snacks. A quiet corner will be available all morning for anyone who needs a break.
Olde Freehold Day
Lake Topanemus, Freehold Borough
The day will begin with a ceremony honoring Freehold Borough’s veterans. Then there will be live music, food trucks, a beer garden, a vendor marketplace, an art show, a climbing wall, a dunk tank, canoeing and paddleboats, and a Kid Play Zone with a petting zoo and inflatables.
Artisan MarketÂ
Bergen Town Center, Paramus
Take a stroll through this market in the mall, featuring 25+ artisans and vendors selling handcrafted jewelry, home decor, pet products, sweet treats, handmade gifts and more.
Morey’s Mania Beach Wrestling Tournament
Morey’s Piers, Wildwood
This tournament draws wrestlers of all ages and skill levels from across the region, who will compete in a ring that’s etched into the sand.
Butterfly Festival
The Watershed Institute, Pennington
The 25th annual event celebrates butterflies and other insects through tours of the butterfly house, a butterfly and insect parade, animal and science exhibits, hayride tours, crafts and live music.
SUNDAY
Life Rolls On
Baker Avenue beach, Wildwood
Life Rolls On gets people living with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities into the ocean and riding waves with the help of volunteers and special adaptive surf boards.
Farm-to-Table Peach Pancake Breakfast
Alstede Farms, Chester
Start with a scenic wagon ride around the farm, which drops you off at Harvest Hall. The menu includes homemade peach pancakes with warm peach compote, peach French toast cobbler, peach muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, crispy home fries, and non-alcoholic peach Bellinis. After your meal, continue exploring the farm and pick your own fresh produce.
Navy SEAL Challenge
Beach at Lincoln Avenue, Wildwood
Sign up for a 1-mile ocean swim, a 5K run, and an obstacle course consisting of sand and water obstacles that are designed for Navy SEALS, so they are a test of physical endurance, mental toughness and grit. There will be grueling sand sprints, ocean swims, push-ups, pull-ups, and weighted exercises. There’s also a kids run.
ONGOING
Middlesex County’s Music-in-the-Park Free Summer Concert Series
Wednesdays, through August 27, Thompson Park, Jamesburg/Monroe Twp.
Sundays, through August 24, Spring Lake Park, South Plainfield
Thursdays, August 7 and 14, Joseph Medwick Park, Carteret
August 21 at Johnson Park – Children’s Summer Series
Wednesdays, through September 10, Raritan Bay Waterfront Park, South Amboy
Bring a lawn chair and snacks and listen to live music played at these free family outdoor summer concerts.
Cirque Italia Water Circus
August 1-3, Hamilton Mall, Mays Landing
August 8-10, Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold
September 5-7, York Exposition Center, York, PA
A group of European aerialists, contortionists and balancing acts perform above 35,000 gallons of water.
Sussex County Farm & Horse Show (New Jersey State Fair)
New Jersey State Fairgrounds, Augusta
August 1-9
Free activities include fire dances, The Human Slinky, a cycle circus, a performing arts tent, a circus act, hot dog pig races, Oscar the Robot, flying K9s and freehand custom carving demos. Additional fees apply for bull riding, demolition derby, monster truck show, championship pulling series and truck pulling. Children’s Day is Tuesday.
End of Summer Bash
Bierman Autism Centers
August 2: Ramsey and Princeton
August 9: Eatontown
The outdoor activities – like inflatable games, bean-bag bullseye, face painting and balloon twisting – will be geared toward kids with sensory issues. That means there will be restrictions on crowds, noise, lights, etc., along with space to wander, and a designated quiet zone tent.
Salem County Fair
August 4-8
Salem County Fairgrounds, Woodstown
For animal lovers, there will be a horse arena, horse barn, poultry barn, rabbit barn, beef bar, sheep and swine barn, goat tent and livestock arena. Check out the farm machinery, tractor pull area, skillet throw area and lots of food. Sign up for the home economics, tablescaping, pig scramble or cast iron skillet contests.
Middlesex County Fair
Middlesex County Fairgrounds, East Brunswick
August 4-10
There will be a home arts show, vendors and exhibits. Even more fun are the events and entertainment including racing, chainsaw carving, lots of horses, a magic show, comedy, puppets, jugglers and a stilt walker.
Plays-in-the-Park: Grease
Roosevelt Park, Edison
Through August 9
You can watch a Broadway-quality musical under the stars. This week’s show is “Grease.”
Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags
The Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia, PA
Through August 10
As America gets ready to celebrate its 250th birthday next year, take the kids now to see a collection of 16 flags that flew during the Revolutionary War.
Mercer County Summer Concert Series
Mercer County Festival Grounds, West Windsor
Fridays, through August 22
Bring a blanket or chair and listen to live music from acts like Yellow Brick Road, All About Joel, Yacht Rock Gold and Men of Soul.
Picnic in the Park
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Through the summer season
You can order a curated picnic lunch that you can eat with the family in the Acer Courtyard (where the peacocks hang out) or anywhere within the 42-acre sculpture garden.
Free Weekly Summer Programs
New Jersey State Museum, Trenton
Tuesdays to Saturdays, through August 29
Each day has a different themed program. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are storytime with crafts, Wednesdays and Fridays are drop-in activities at the Imagination Studio, and Thursdays are crafts from the activity cart.
Safari in Sand
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Through August 31
There is a spectacular display of safari-themed sand sculptures, both large and small, that you can view as you walk through the village for shopping and eating.
Butterfly House
Middlesex County EARTH Center, South Brunswick
Saturdays – Sundays, through August 31
See hundreds of beautiful butterflies as they fly around the exhibit.
Jaw-some Adventure
Adventure Aquarium
Through August 31
Shark-themed activities include walking across the shark bridge and through the shark tunnel, snorkeling with sharks, seeing species up close at the touch tank, and booking a behind-the-scenes tour in the Shark Realm.
Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through September 1
This real-life interpretation of the book Grossology teaches your kids all about farting, burping, sneezing and other bodily functions in a fun, educational – and awesomely gross – way. You can climb a wall of skin that uses pimples and warts as footholds, dodge a snot ball, compete in an arcade game about urine, and play a game of Operation.
The Longest Yarn
NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum, Cape May
Through September 1
The Longest Yarn is a 3D wool exhibit, knitted and crocheted by hundreds of volunteers worldwide. It measures 80 meters (265 feet) and honors the 80 years since D-Day and the 80 days of battle it took for the Allies to liberate Paris. It’s coming from the UK to New Jersey for a few months.
Slow Motion
Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton
Through September 1
Five artists from Monument Lab in Philadelphia created gigantic, creative, introspective monuments that will be on display for their beauty, but also to address political, cultural and social issues.
Tipsy Tiki Bar Pop-Up
The Bistro at iPlay America, Freehold Twp.
Through September 2
There’s a menu of 10 tropical drinks (including mocktails) you can sip on while catching all the summer vibes. Book a resy for a table with the family, or make it a Moms Night Out and hang at the bar.
Sunset Sips & Sounds
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Fridays, through September 5
Come to the historic apple orchard for wine, music and food. Music styles range from jazz and blues to folk and rock and will change artists each week.
Winery Weekend Music Series
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturdays, through September 7
In the wine orchard among 100-year-old apple trees, have a glass of wine, listen to live music from local artists, snack on food, shop in the farm store, or take a stroll with the kids on the farm.
Sesame Place Philadelphia 45th Birthday Celebration
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
Through September 7
The season-long birthday party features the daily Sesame Street Birthday Parade and meet-and-greets with characters dressed in their birthday outfits. The park will be decorated with bright balloons, colorful garland and birthday presents.
Festival of Fountains
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA
Through September 28
Come for the Waterlily Court but stay for the Rose Garden, Flower Garden Walk, Peirce’s Woods, Idea Garden, Ornamental Kitchen Garden, Meadow Garden and indoor West Conservatory. You can visit on any day, but special events are planned for the Fireworks & Fountains Shows, as well as Fountain Fest Weekends.
Field Station: Dinosaurs
Overpeck County Park, Leonia
Select dates, through November 9
This will be the final season of the dino-themed park, which has 30 life-sized dinosaurs, a bounce house, live musical shows, meetings with paleontologists and science shows.
Topiaries at Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA
Through October
As part of a garden redesign inside the zoo, you can see five beautiful, giant, 3D shrubbery sculptures, in addition to planters that will change throughout the season. The topiaries include giraffes, fish, a butterfly, a peacock and a snail.
Free Guided Garden Tours
New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
Sundays, through October 16
A docent will lead you on a tour of what’s blooming around the gardens.
Hometown Pride: The Power of Sports in Middlesex County
Cornelius Low House Museum, Piscataway
Select dates through December 31
Middlesex County’s sports connections include the first-ever college football game played between Rutgers University and Princeton University; professional athletes and Olympians, Paralympians, and Special Olympians. You will see high school trophies from the 1930s to the present, NFL golden footballs for pro athletes, balls from the highest-scoring high school athletes, uniforms from the 1930s to the present, and more.
Editor’s Note: Always check times, dates and weather updates before heading out.
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