Earth Day is April 22nd and we can’t think of a better reason to get outdoors with your family to one of these special events or festivals. Give kids a chance to appreciate the beauty of our planet, learn more about sustainability and just enjoy the fresh air.
April 21
Earth Day Yoga
Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit
Gather your friends for a rejuvenating yoga and meditation session at sunset. Claire Diab, of the American Yoga Academy Studio, will demonstrate mantra meditation, breathing techniques, chakra toning and the six directions.
April 21-23
Earth Day Cleanup and Green Fair
Downtown Somerville
There will be a town swap all weekend: Help reduce waste and landfill space by putting out toys, clothes, books and other household items (in good condition) for others to pick up. On Friday, a tree planting activity will be held at the Somerville YMCA. On Saturday at Somerville High School you can plant more trees along the banks of Peter’s Brook and remove litter and debris from the borough’s parks, brooks and other public areas. The Green Fair at the high school on Saturday will include vendor shopping, free giveaways and info on the borough’s Community Garden.
April 22
Earth Day Celebration
New Weis Center for Education, Arts & Recreation, Ringwood
Spend the day forest bathing, journaling, learning about macroinvertebrates, taking a walk to learn about medicinal plants, going on a geology hike and seeing 18 species of trees.
Earth Day Celebration
Cape May County Park, Cape May Court House
Earth-friendly businesses will be the star of the show. There will also be educational exhibits, kids’ activities and live entertainment.
Earth Day Hike
Plainsboro Preserve, Cranbury
This free guided trail walk will explore the natural elements of the preserve.
Earth Day BioBlitz
Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Medford
A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. You’ll help count the plants, animals, birds, bugs, reptiles, fungi and other organisms like bugs and reptiles.
Community Day: Celebrating Earth
The Newark Museum of Art, Newark
Honor the planet with a day full of artmaking, education and performances that center around endangered animals, climate change and farming. The interactive kid’s podcast, Noodle Loaf, will air traditional Lenape performances and demonstrations, planetarium shows and music. Visit the Animal Kingdom on the third floor. Take part in animal origami, printmaking on muslin, fabric collages, Bon Appetit activities and demos from Traditional Earth Skills. You get free admission to the museum, too, so catch a planetarium show.
Let’s Clean Our City!
16th Street Park, Lower Level, Bayonne
The city-wide cleanup will be followed by an Earth Day celebration. Sign up with your family or a team.
Earth Day Celebration!
Herrontown Woods Arboretum, Princeton
Friends of Herrontown Woods host this day of activities with a Flowers and Frogs Family Hike, talk with the inventor of the Hydrogen House Project, check out the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, visit display tables in the Botanical Art Garden and have a snack in May’s Pop-Up Café.
Earth Day
Rockefeller Center, New York, NY
At the Center Plaza there will be free live musical performances by The Rock & Roll Playhouse, family-friendly activities, book readings of Earth-themed children’s stories, face painting, a visit from Rockefeller Center’s ambassador Roxy the Owl, and arts and crafts.
Community Green Fair
Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton
Activities will include historic garden tours with Morven’s horticulturalists, outdoor yoga, free bike repairs, electric lawn equipment demos, native flower crafts, Earth Day storytime, and a meet-and-greet with backyard chickens and their owners. The event will also feature DIY Trash Can Upcycling Workshops. Make your own compost bin or rain barrel from a recycled trash can.
Earth Day Celebration
The New Weis Center for Education, Arts & Recreation, Ringwood
Plans include nature crafts, games, activities and information from more than a dozen partner tables. Check the schedule for forest bathing, nature journaling, a medicinial invasive plant walk and a geology hike.
Earth Day Hike
High Mountain Park Preserve, Wayne
Explore Buttermilk Falls and Franklin Clove, an area of the preserve that was home to the Lenni Lenape people as far as ten thousand years ago. This tour will highlight local wildlife, native plants, and an early rock shelter found in Frankin Clove.
Earth Day Celebration
Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Princeton
Join Friends of Princeton Open Space as members plant native species at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. This free volunteer session is open to all ages and offers sessions from 10 am – 12 pm and 1-3 pm.
Earth Day Sustainable Fashion Show
Tanger Outlets, Atlantic City
Join House of BAV – BK Style for an upcycled and ethical fashion show featuring designers from all over the world.
Feel the Earth
Tanger Outlets, Atlantic City
Get your hands “dirty” and visit C.R.O.P.S. for multiple hands-on, interactive activities, such as digging around in a vermicomposting bin and making art from pieces of nature.
City Green’s Earth Day Festival
City Green Learning Garden at Eastside Park, Paterson
There will be nature crafts, gardening lessons, giveaways, storytime, spring veggie taste testing, an up-potting lettuce station, digging and planting, scavenger hunts, mud creations, seed collages, a gratitude tree, a plant sale, information on starting a community garden, and free play.
Stream Cleanup
Etra Lake Park, East Windsor
Co-Sponsored by The Watershed Institute and East Windsor Township, volunteers young and old will help clean up the local waterways and surrounding areas.
Earth Day Events
Colonial Lake Park and Lawrence Nature Center, Lawrence Twp.
Volunteer at Colonial Lake Park or the Lawrence Nature Center for a spring cleaning of the waterways.
Party Like It’s Your Earth Day Community Green Fair
Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton
Join Morven, Sustainable Princeton, the municipality and the Johnson Park Elementary School for a family-friendly day of workshops and activities promoting sustainable living. Take a tour of the historic gardens at Morven, do outdoor yoga, get a free bike repair, see a demo of electric lawn equipment, listen to story time, make a native flower craft, meet backyard chickens and upcycle a trash can.
Earth Day Event
Menlo Park Mall, Edison
Families can stop by Center Court for a fun-filled afternoon of complementary activities including crafts, giveaways, educational programs and more. Watch an animal show by Rizzo’s Wildlife World. Rutgers University and Middlesex County will provide information on sustainable practices. Kids will have the chance to decorate reusable tote bags and make bath bombs at Lush. Additional participating retailers include OrangeTheory Fitness, The Body Shop and more.
April 22 and 23
Earth Day Weekend Celebration
New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
Saturday – Sunday
A number of special programs are planned to celebrate the beauty of nature.
April 23
Daffodil Festival & Earth Day Fair
Van Neste Square, Ridgewood
Interactive eco-themed activities include educational displays, demos and crafts. The fair includes a petting zoo, recycling magician, musical entertainment from the Blue Plate Special and activities for kids. The highlight every year is the Daffy Dog Parade: all leashed dogs and their owners are welcome to dress in costume to win prizes.
Earth Day Festival
Environmental Park, Egg Harbor Twp.
Atlantic County Utilities Authority will take over the park, offering interactive workshops, music, animal meet-and-greets and free workshops.
Earth Day at Cheesequake
The Trailhead at Cheesequake State Park, Old Bridge/Matawan
Enjoy a guided nature hike and give back to the park by planting 10 seedlings – and as a reward you get take one home.
Friends of High Point State Park Earth Day Celebration
High Point State Park, Sussex
There is birding, reptiles, yoga, a lake cleanup, family crafts and more activities planned.
Earth Day Volunteer Shoreline Cleanup
Liberty State Park, Jersey City
Lend a hand by cleaning up the shores of the Richard J. Sullivan Natural Area by removing trash that has come in with the tides.
Earth Day Clean-Up
Parvin State Park, Pittsgrove
Support a healthy park ecosystem by picking up trash and litter and weeding invasive plant species.
Conservation Projects
Spring Garden Lake, Florham Park
Work on a variety of projects at the lake, such as building a pollinator garden, putting together a rain garden, cleaning up the native species area, laying wood chips along the trail and cleaning up litter. Historical tours around the lake will be available.
2023 Earth Day Celebration
Riverfront Park, Pt. Pleasant
There will be exhibits set up by businesses and non-profits that support the environment.
Forest Defenders
Tenafly Nature Center, Tenafly
Adults, teens and families who consider themselves to be environmentalists can learn about invasive species and how they toxify soil and harm native plants by identifying non-native plants and work with the land manager to find the best removal techniques.
Earth Day Celebration and Folk & Bluegrass Festival
770 Jackson Plaza, Hoboken
This free, family friendly, open air event will showcase hyperlocal local businesses, fitness, green artisans and engaging green and nature-themed activities for all ages. As a new addition, this year will feature the first NJ Folk & Bluegrass Music Festival showcasing the area’s talented musicians.
Spring Festival and Earth Day Celebration
Red Bank Battlefield, National Park
Join a day of family fun, including colonial games and crafts, a petting zoo, a sheepshearing demo and a magic show.
Sustainable Family Fun Day
House of BAV – BK Style, Tanger Outlets, Atlantic City
Adults and kids can bring their own clothing to paint, color, embellish, cut and more using Equalshuman Spirit Kreature paint by numbers to create new designs.
Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony
Rowan University’s Pfleeger Concert Hall, Glassboro
Author and composer Dan Brown brings beetles, bats, boars and other species from throughout the animal kingdom together for a special concert in honor of Earth Day. With projected illustrations from the children’s book, New York-based stage and screen actor Matt Dallal narrates while the Rowan University Wind Ensemble performs the score, bringing the story to life. You can also sit on the Wilson Hall patio before or after the show to see original short plays starring contemporary artist-made marionettes.
April 26
From Assumpink to Stoney Brook: Story of the Streams of Lawrence Township
Virtual Presentation
Learn how local streams helped to shape the Lawrence of today, and how they were shaped by the past. Presented by Dennis P. Waters, Mercer County Library commissioner and former Lawrence Township historian.
April 29
The Seas Are Rising
Englewood Public Library, Englewood
Dan Sheehan and his band will perform songs from his forthcoming concept album “The Seas Are Rising,” featuring songs about the impacts of climate change around the globe.
Go Green With Hope
Hope School, Hope
Celebrate 10 years of this green fair, craft market and townwide yard sale.
Bike Rodeo and Electric Vehicle Meet-up
Lawrence High School, Lawrence Twp.
The day will feature bike course, bike safety check, free bike helmets, fire truck and ambulance to explore, tree seedling giveaway, food trucks, and dozens of owners of electric cars and bikes who will share their EV experience and help you find the vehicle that is right for you.
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