Our New Jersey Family Editor’s Picks for the weekend of March 20–22, 2026 include a big-top favorite as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey brings The Greatest Show On Earth to Prudential Center; a hands-on outing at Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, where the Quarry Dig Experience reopens on March 20 and lets kids dig for real fossils; and a festive way to keep the St. Patrick’s Day spirit going at the Highlands St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 21.
WEEKEND
Slime and Dance Party
All Children’s Art Center, Boonton
Thursday
Kids will mix, stretch and create their own slime before dancing to the beat.
The Greatest Show on Earth
Prudential Center, Newark
Thursday – Sunday
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey bring their circus vibes back to New Jersey for a weekend of performances.
Spring Artisan Market
Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes
Saturday – Sunday
Local artisans will line the tasting room. There will be live music, food by Antimos Italian Kitchen, wine tastings and flights.
Maple Syrup Festival
Happy Day Farm, Manalapan
Saturday – Sunday
Help Farmer Tim tap the trees the old-fashioned way. You’ll take a tractor ride around the 130-acre property before arriving at Olivia’s Sugar Shack to help with the process. Feed the farm animals, play in the animal cart, and order maple pancakes.
Wine & Chocolate Weekend
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturday – Sunday
Pair Terhune’s wines with chocolates from Pierre’s Chocolate of New Hope. There will be live music, farm animals for the kids to visit, and open playground areas.
Sleeping Beauty
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown
Saturday – Sunday
New Jersey Ballet dancers hit the stage while members of New Jersey Symphony play the music.
FRIDAY
Quarry Dig Experience Reopens
Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, Mantua Twp.
You can dig for real, 66-million-year-old fossils to take home, like shark teeth, hardened sponges and tiny dinosaur bones.
Trivia in the Winery
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Get your friends, family or neighbors to join your team and compete in rounds like General Knowledge, Entertainment, History & Geography, Sports, and Name That Tune.
Celebrate Eid Al-Fitr at iPlay America
iPlay America, Freehold Twp.
Bring your family to celebrate the end of Ramadan with a discount on ride bands and laser tag.
Art Attack
Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, Bridgewater
Kids ages 2 to 5 will use clay, paint, papier-mache, pastels and watercolors to express themselves without words, using creativity and emotions.
SATURDAY
Dog Man The Musical
BergenPAC, Englewood
The author of Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic Club wrote a story about a character with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, who loves to fight crime. In this stage show musical he’s got to save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish, the army of Beasty Buildings, and Petey the world’s most evil cat.
Sparta Special Olympics 2026 Spring Vendor & Craft Fair
Sparta High School, Sparta
There will be 60+ tables set up to sell all sorts of goods and food. Support the Sparta Special Olympics and Special Olympics NJ Morris-Sussex programs and wish their Athletes of Determination them luck for the 2026 spring season.
STEM & Sustainability
Museum of Trades & Crafts, Madison
To mark NJ Makers Day and New Jersey STEM Month, young “makers” ages 5 to 11 can create homemade kaleidoscopes, fidget spinners and paper dancing people.
Breakfast With the Easter Bunny
Tapville at Newport Centre, Jersey City
Tapville will bring in the Easter Bunny for breakfast, games and spring activities.
Mountain Family Brunch
The Bistro at iPlay America, Freehold
There will be storybook moments, character appearances and photos during brunch, which is loosely based on Disney’s “Encanto.”
Playstation The Concert
NJPAC, Newark
The most iconic gaming soundtracks are played by live musicians, with lots of techy visuals, including beats from “God of War,” “The Last of Us,” “Ghost of Tsushima,” “Horizon,” “Astro Bot,” “Journey,” “Helldivers 2,” “Bloodborne,” and “Uncharted.”
MOMI Maker Day
Newark Symphony Hall, Newark
As part of the NJ Maker Day Initiative, kids can get hands-on with cardboard fort building, toy hacks, giant bubble making, a clay flower garden, and more.
Highlands St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Huddy Park to Bay Avenue, Highlands
This event will celebrate Irish culture, with nearly 100 marching units including bagpipers, marching bands, Irish dancers, and decorated floats. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, this year’s parade will also include a patriotic nod to our nation’s history, inviting you to creatively blend Irish pride with red, white, and blue. Join in the fun at the annual float competition, then head to different restaurants around town after for pipe bands, live entertainment, and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
A Night in Paris
Old Rail Tavern, Barrington
Highlights include specialty drinks and French food, a children’s play area, Pierre the Mime, a live strolling violinist, a balloon artist, cozy fire pits, ice skating under the lights, a horse-and-carriage ride, and an Eiffel Tower replica for standout family photos.
Workhorse Rides
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
During this program, kids 5–12 will learn the differences between draft, saddle and carriage horses when they climb aboard a fully harnessed workhorse for a ride down the lane. After, that is, they help farmers with barn chores like bedding stalls, filling water troughs, and making feed.
Breakfast With the Easter Bunny
The Greene Turtle, North Brunswick
The morning includes breakfast (pancakes, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage), crafts, games, prizes for finding the golden egg, and pictures with the Easter Bunny.
Go Bucs PTO: Breakfast With the Easter Bunny
Bogota High School Cafeteria, Bogota
Pancakes, waffles, sausage, eggs, bagels, fruit, juice and coffee are on the menu. There will be pictures with the Easter Bunny and games.
SUNDAY
Laurie Berkner in Concert
McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
The singer-songwriter – and Princeton native – who focuses on children’s music will perform a sensory-friendly performance of her greatest hits in the morning; in the afternoon, her band joins her for another greatest hits concert.
All-Ages Folk Dances
Suzanne Patterson Center, Princeton
Open to everyone from age 4 to 104, the options include square dances, contra dances, party games, traditional American dances, and folk dances from around the world. The music will be played by the Mixed Age Dance Band, and you can join the group at a rehearsal before the dancing begins.
Spring Craft Show
Paramus High School, Paramus
Two gyms, the vestibule and the café will be set up with more than 145 booths selling all things arts, crafts and photography. Homemade pickles, beef jerky, kettle korn and desserts – plus chainsaw animals and a tie dye station – will be set up outside.
Anime Wild
Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood
There will be a collection of anime, manga, Pokemon, trading cards, comics and toys. Meet artists, writers and costumed groups. There will be a costume contest for all ages.
Bergenfield High School Flea & Collectible Market
Bergenfield High School, Bergenfield
More than 50 vendors will sell crafts, clothing, jewelry, candles, toys, antiques, vintage items, sports collectibles and housewares. There will be a tag sale and other bargains. Food vendors will be on site. This is a fundraiser for the BHS Parents Association.
Spring Artisan Market
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Look for handcrafted jewelry, pottery, woodworking, original artwork, skincare products, gourmet treats and more inside the gallery space, then spend time outdoors walking around the 42-acre sculpture park. There will be live glassblowing demonstrations and food from Constellation Culinary Group.
ONGOING
Erba+ : A Forest in the City
Two River Theater, Red Bank
Select dates, March 17-29
Two dancers and kids create a vibrant, ever-changing world during this interactive performance. One dancer draws colorful homes and winding streets while the other fills the landscape with trees, insects, and green spaces.
Easter Bunny at Newport Centre
Newport Centre, Jersey City
March 19 – April 5
Book a time to see the Easter Bunny for photos, and you can also join the KIDZ BOP dance party. Special events include Caring Bunny for children who are neurodivergent, pet night for your dog, and Breakfast With the Bunny.
Cattus Island Nature Walks
Cooper Environmental Center, Cattus Island County Park, Toms River
Saturdays – Sundays, through March 29
These walks have been taking place for 40 years, and have you join a park naturalist to walk through the park. Themes include: Osprey Nests on March 21 and 22; and Return of the Osprey on March 28 and 29.
Easter Bunny Express
Black River and Western Railroad, Flemington
March 21-22, 28-29; April 4
Take a round-trip train ride from Flemington to Ringoes and back. Meet Peter Cottontail aboard the train for a brief photo op. There will be an egg hunt when you stop off in Ringoes.
Easter Bunny Express
New Hope & Ivyland Railroad, New Hope, PA
March 21-22, 28-29; April 4-5
This epic train ride is just over the NJ border. Venture through Bucks County on a 45-minute excursion that starts and ends at New Hope Train Station. The Bunny will stop to greet every passenger, take pictures, and hand out treats.
Rolling Railway Easter EGGspress
DiDonato’s Family Fun Center, Hammonton
March 21-22, 28-29; April 3, 4
Hop aboard the train that takes you through the Spring Village. Meet the Easter Bunny, go on an egg hunt, and find your way through the Spring Hedge maze. Kids will get a free snack, plus an Easter prize. There will also be a giant slide and an inflatable 40-foot obstacle course. You can add on a game of bowling, hang out in the arcade, or eat at the Alley Bar & Grille or the Pin Deck. Little Strikes Toy & Candy Shop & DiDonato’s “Bowl-tique” will be open.
Montclair Flea
Montclair Flea, Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair
March 21, April 25, May 16, June 27
There will be curated vendors selling everything from art to vintage finds indoors. Food trucks will be located outside.
The Rink at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center, NYC
Through March 30
There’s still plenty of time to skate or chill in a rinkside chalet.
Northern New Jersey Restaurant Month
Multiple Locations
Through March 31
Thirty restaurants will offer discounts, prix-fixe menus and special offers throughout the month.
Easter Bunny
MarketFair, Princeton
Through April 4
The Super Bunny Bash Welcome Party on March 14 includes a 47-foot Super Mario-themed obstacle course, color a plush bunny craft, music by DJ Mario, face painting, sweet treats and more. On select nights, the Sensory-Friendly Bunny Experience and pet photos are on the schedule.
PEEPS in the Village
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Through April 12 (closed April 5)
More than 100 dioramas made out of Easter candy will line the walls of the Visitor and Event Center. There are dozens of shops and restaurants in the village to visit after you cast your vote for your favorite marshmallow masterpiece.
SatARTdays Free Kids’ Art Classes
Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University, Atlantic City
Saturdays, through April 18
A professional artist will lead art classes for kids ages 5 to 12.
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.
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, outdoor light shows, Santa trains) 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 winter light displays and festivals.
Q: What are some of the best things to do in New Jersey this weekend (March 20-22, 2026)?
A: This weekend (March 20-22, 2026) features family-friendly things to do across New Jersey and in NY and PA. Highlights include The Greatest Show on Earth circus show, PlayStation The Concert at NJPAC, the Highlands St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a children’s concert by Princeton native Laurie Berkner and her band, and an Eid Al-Fitr night at iPlay America in Freehold.
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:
The Best Things to Do Indoors in New Jersey (2026)
The Best Free Things to Do in NJ During March 2026
Best Fairs & Festivals in New Jersey in March
