It’s a big weekend in New Jersey, with Great Adventure opening for the 2025 season (along with the debut of its new The Flash Coaster, the opening of the epic Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in South Jersey, the kickoff of the Jersey Shore Wave women’s football team, and the beginning of this year’s PEEPS in the Village. Here are dozens events, festivals and attractions to check out this weekend!
WEEKEND
St. Patrick’s Day Events
Pier Village, Long Branch
Thursday – Saturday
There will be events and activities at different businesses and restaurants: bowling, live music, food specials, a makers market, jewelry sales, carousel rides, etc.
Millburn-Short Hills Restaurant Week
Millburn and Short Hills
Thursday – Sunday
Dozens of restaurants, cafes, sweet shops and wine boutiques will be offering specials and discounts during the week.
The Road to The Big Game: New Orleans
The Paley Museum at The Paley Center for Media, New York, NY
Thursday – Sunday
The exhibit pays tribute to the history of the Super Bowl. See the Vince Lombardi trophy and championship rings, Katy Perry’s halftime “Firework” costume from Super Bowl XLIX, and other memorabilia. Watch past Super Bowl commercials and halftime shows, or take part in family trivia. There will be arts and crafts and a gaming facility.
North New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Month
Bergen and Hudson counties
Thursday – Monday
Check the website, Facebook and Instagram pages of two dozen participating restaurants for updates and promotions.
Dream Asia Food Fest
American Dream, East Rutherford
Friday – Sunday
More than 90 food vendors will showcase food from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and fusion dishes – including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Anime NYC will present special anime-themed merchants. There will be a music festival with K-pop performances, lion dances, and a lantern parade. Get hands-on with workshops, such as lantern-making and tea ceremonies.
Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown
American Dream, East Rutherford
Saturday – Sunday
New Jersey Lottery is holding its first-ever competition dedicated to the classic children’s hand game. Adults 18+ can enter to win a $10,000 prize. Spectators of all ages are welcome.
Tamagotchi Spring-Themed Celebration
American Dream, East Rutherford
Saturday – Sunday
Celebrate the very first virtual pet with a scavenger hunt, portrait studio, character-shaped cotton candy, nail art, face painting, temporary tattoos and merch.
The Chocolate Expo
NJ Convention & Expo Center, Edison
Saturday – Sunday
Who can resist samples of chocolate, baked goods, cheese and specialty foods? There will also be demos, interactive presentations, balloon sculptures, face painting and a Kidz Zone.
Special Olympics NJ Spring Games Basketball Tournament
Wildwoods Convention Center and Throughout Wildwood
Saturday – Sunday
The public is invited to cheer on the Special Olympics athletes as they take to the court.
Winery Weekend Music Series
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturday – Sunday
Weather permitting, you can sit in the historic apple orchard. During cooler weather, seating is inside the wine barn with firepits, outdoor heaters, and hot mulled wine. Tasting flights of Terhune wines are available. All ages can have fun with s’mores and hot cocoa kits. The Barn Door Café will serve lunch. Live music is performed from 1-4 pm.
In Her Footsteps: A Celebration of Women in History
Museum of Jersey City History, Jersey City
Saturday – Sunday
Families can interact with actors portraying Maya Angelou, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Alice Paul, Mary T. Norton, Shirley Chisolm, Dolores Huerta, Ruth Asawa, Nellie Bly, and more. You can collect autographs, snap selfies, and win prizes. There will be dynamic displays, curated craft projects, educational activities, videos and interactive panel discussions.
Philadelphia Hot Sauce Festival
Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co., Croydon, PA
Saturday – Sunday
Some of the best artisan hot sauce makers in the Northeast will offer samples. There will be live music, food trucks, and spicy eating challenges.
Eid Al-Fitr Celebration
Children’s Museum of Manhattan, New York, NY
Saturday – Monday
Mark the end of Ramadan by creating Eid charity boxes filled with gifts and kind words, making decorative paper famous lanterns, listening to music and storytelling, watching a dance performance, and making crafts.
FRIDAY
Battle of the Bands
Bordentown Regional High School, Bordentown
Music from student bands will include rock covers, rock originals, punk rock originals and heavy metal.
Dinos After Dark: Community Science Night
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Inside Dinosaur Hall, kids can explore the museum while parents stop off for a drink im the Dino Drafts Beer Garden. You’ll learn about science and nature, connect with organizations that promote green spaces in Philly, and listen to science experts.
SATURDAY
Let’s Talk Women’s Health & Wellness Symposium
NJPAC, Newark
Engage in candid conversations about breast health, mental well-being, financial wellness, reproductive health, menopause, weight management, and the power of movement and mindset. There will be panels and fireside chat sessions. Pamper yourself at the Let’s Talk Wellness Lounge, which includes a dance fitness session, talks on better sleep, lymphatic massage, a “nervous system reset,” creation of a vision board, a mindfulness session and mocktails. There will also be a curated marketplace for shopping.
Opening of Edelman Fossil Park & Museum
Edelman Fossil Park & Museum, Mantua Twp.
After 7 years of waiting, the epic new museum where you can see life-sized to-scale models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures will open to the public. Outside is a dino-themed playground and a quarry where you can dig for real fossils (starting May 1) while inside there are exhibits, interactive games, a Discovery Forest for kids and a VR game teens will go crazy for.
Princeton FrancoFest
Hinds Plaza and Princeton Public Library, Princeton
This celebration of Francophone cultures is a chance to learn the traditions of the French-speaking world through music, theater, food, art, savoir-faire, games, and a movie screening.
Jersey City Pizza Fest
Throughout Jersey City
Think of this as a pub crawl, without the beer. Instead, you’ll get a half-slice of pizza from every participating pizzeria to sample throughout the city.
Pasta La Vista, Baby
Downtown Cranford
Different restaurants will offer samples of their best pasta dishes.
Let’s Get Growing
Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit
The gardening program has workshops for kids ages 5-10 on topics like vegetable gardening, helpful bugs and crafting.
Career Carnival for Kids: All Careers Tour
Camden County Library System, South County Regional Branch, Atco
Kids ages 8-14 will meet professionals from a variety of fields, such as STEM leaders, engineers, public safety members and first responders, and human resources experts.
Six Flags Great Adventure Season Opening
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson
Starting with weekend visits, you can ride your favorite rides, take pictures with Bugs Bunny and Tweety, get your hands on some funnel cake, and await the opening of THE FLASH vertical boomerang coaster.
Tea Party With Miss Newark USA Queens
Feldman Middleton Jr. Community Center, Newark
Bring the family for a tea party, buffet, a lesson in tea etiquette, treats, entertainment, jewelry crafts, raffles, and a meet-and-greet with the Miss Newark USA 2024 Queens.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Sesame Place
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
The party at the park will include the Furry Friends St. Patrick’s Day Dance Party, Irish dancing shows by the Rince Ri School of Irish Dance at Sesame Studio, Grover’s Clover Scavenger Hunt, St. Patrick’s Day Dine with Elmo & Friends, themed attractions and rides, the Sesame Street Mardi Gras Parade, “Elmo the Musical – Live!,” and Cookie & Gonger’s Pizza Party.
Super WHY! Family Day
The Paley Museum, New York, NY
Storybrook Village will experience a Super WHY! takeover, with screenings of Super WHY’s Comic Book Adventures in the theater, Super WHY! crafts, Super WHY! video games, face painting, and a photo with Super WHY! himself.
SUNDAY
Jersey Shore Comic Book Show Spring Fling
Toms River Elks Lodge, Toms River
The Jersey Shore Comic Book Show returns with comics, trading cards, toys and crafts. Meet artists, writers and costume groups.
Lost Brook Trail Run
Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Choose the 5K or 10K course that winds through the woodlands and wetlands of the Lost Brook Preserve, and join other runners, walkers and hikers.
Ultimo Domingo: Festival Latinx
Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick
Explore the museum’s exhibits, create art, and watch interactive performances during this bilingual festival that celebrates Latinx culture.
Sensory-Friendly Screening: Snow White
The Clairidge, Montclair
Lights and volume will be low, you can move around as needed, and open captioning will be available so families with sensory needs can watch “Snow White” in a relaxed environment.
Easter Bunny Express
Cape May Seashore Lines, Cape May
During the 60-minute railroad journey with the Easter Bunny, you’ll be entertained by live musicians while the train is rolling along, and once the Bunny appears he’ll have a special gift for every child on board.
Dink, Slam and Serve For A Cause
The Atlantic Club, Manasquan
Pickleball players of any skill level, age 11 and above, can play during the night to benefit HABCore, which supports the homeless in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival
Atlantic City Convention Hall, Atlantic City
More than 100 breweries from around the world will have 300+ beers for you to sample.
Paint in the Park
Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Teaneck
Painters of all ages and skill levels will meet at the park, and the group will decide where to paint for inspiration.
Tulip Day
Union Square Park, New York, NY
Pick up to 10 tulips – for free! from among 170,000 that will fill the park with beautiful sights and smells.
ONGOING
Nature Game Nights
Last Friday of every month
Plainsboro Preserve, Cranbury
Inside the nature center, choose from nature-inspired puzzles and games, or bring your own from home.
Kids Craft Drop-In Days
Wicoff House Museum, Plainsboro
First Sunday of every month
This fun, informal program is designed for kids of all ages to explore their artistic side while making exciting crafts. Each session features a new theme or project, from painting and paper crafts to seasonal decorations and more.
Egg Hunt Hayrides
Johnson’s Corner Farm, Medford
March 28 – April 19
Hop a hayride to the egg hunt grounds, decorate cookies, snap photos with Peter Rabbit and visit the farm market.
Rolling Railway Easter EGGspress
DiDonato’s Family Fun Center, Hammonton
March 29-30; April 5-6, 12-13, 18-19
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 or eat at the Alley Bar & Grille or the Pin Deck. Toy Market will be on-site at their pop-up snack and toy cottage.
Elmo’s Eggstravaganza
Sesame Place Philadelphia, Langhorne, PA
Weekends, March 29 – April 21
Full schedule from April 12-21
Highlights include photo ops at the Easter Bunny Picture Patch, Easter Dine with Elmo & Friends, the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt, Furry Friends Bunny Hop Dance Party, and Donut Decorating with Cookie Monster. From April 18 to 20, you can mark Passover with storytime, a holiday presentation, meetings with Baby Bear and a sing-along with a local cantor.
Jersey Shore Wave Women’s Tackle Football
Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson
March 29, April 5 and 12, May 3
The Wave is the newest franchise in the Women’s National Football Conference (WNFC), a professional women’s tackle football league, and has games scheduled at the historic Hinchliffe Stadium, home of the New Jersey Jackals baseball team and site of the Negro League in the 1930s and ’40s.
West Orange Restaurant Week
West Orange
March 30 to April 6
Support local chefs downtown by trying new restaurants or returning to old faves. Each participating location will offer menus and specials dedicated to the event.
FLIP Circus
Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus
Through April 1
Created by the Vazquez family, who are fourth-generation performers, Flip celebrates the great American circus tradition with clowns, acrobats, jugglers and daredevils from an international cast of performers.
Charm Harbour
Maxwell Place Park, Hoboken
Through April
The seven installations are meant to look like whimsical charms or magic tokens that’ll inspire physical and mental play as you touch, climb on and take photos of the sculptures that line the waterfront.
The Longest Yarn
NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum, Cape May
Select dates in April
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.
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical
Axelrod Performing Arts Center, Deal Park
Select dates, through April 6
This musical tells the journey of how Carol Klein of Brooklyn, NY, became Carole King, the world-famous pop icon and hitmaker. She sings songs including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Natural Woman” and “I Feel the Earth Move.”
Spring Model Train Show
Garden State Model Railway Club, North Haledon
Saturdays-Sunday, through April 6
The club will run model trains of all kinds on a 1,200-square-foot HO scale layout, including Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. There will be a special appearance on March 29 by John Rezuke’s Ringling Bros. Circus Train, and April 5 and 6 will feature the Golden Age of Steam. The second railroad room has a children’s railroad where kids can try their hand at running trains.
Back Deck Concert Series
Morris Museum, Morristown
Select dates, through April 21
Sit outside at sunset for performances in classical, jazz and other music styles.
PEEPS in the Village
Peddler’s Village, Lahaska, PA
Through April 27
The Visitors Center will have dozens of sculptures made out of the popular Easter marshmallow candy. Vote for your favorites.
The Cereal Cocktail Bar
North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
Select dates, through April 27
The world’s first cereal-themed cocktail bar will have brunch every Saturday with Saturday morning cartoons and Y2K music.
Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! Exhibit
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through May 4
There are a series of immersive zones that let kids go on George’s adventures in the city, on the farm and in outer space. The exhibit includes the operation of wheels and pulleys, three holes of mini golf, a space rocket, a sidewalk produce stand, a vacation in the country, a farm visit, a city park playset, a busy wall, and a museum that has an original manuscript.
Star Light Star Bright
Pier A Park, Hoboken
Through May
The neon-lit structure has over 9,000 feet of fluorescent paracord. During the day, walk through the star-shaped archway. At night, watch as the illuminated space frames the waterfront and NYC skyline.
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.
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 and professional athletes and Olympians, Paralympians, and Special Olympians. The exhibit features items from Rutgers University, Middlesex College, several high schools, and individuals. 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.
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Read More:
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