Things To Do This Weekend in New Jersey January 19-21

After the snow has cleared, make a plan to head to a show or free concert, celebrate Lunar New Year and more!

WEEKEND

Sound Sessions
Alto Rooftop, Montclair
Friday – Saturday
Sip on a cocktail, listen to a live DJ set, and take in the views of the Montclair and the NYC skylines.

FRIDAY

Concert by Latin Star Soleil
American Dream, East Rutherford
Soleil, who moved from Argentina to Miami when she was a teen, boasts over 1.5 million Instagram followers. Best known for her hit singles “Pa Fuera”, “No me arrepiento” and “Pa’ la calle,” she’s coming to American Dream for a free concert, but you do need to secure tickets.

Constellations, Their Myths & The King
Hoffman Park, Hampton
Gaze at the stars and share the season’s constellations and the myths/stories that went along with them. You will also take time and look at the King of the Gods, Jupiter.

The Brit Pack
SOPAC, South Orange
The British session musicians from NYC perform British classics by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, David Bowie, Elton John, The Who, Oasis, Radiohead, The Police, Amy Winehouse, and more.

Furry Friday: Dog Trivia
AKC Museum of the Dog, New York, NY
See who’s the top dog at knowing the most about your canine friends. Dogs are welcome.

SATURDAY

Tehani Mid-East & Polynesian Dance
West Windsor Arts Council, Princeton Junction
The show features dances from Hawaiian, Polynesian and Mid-East cultures, who will then teach you some of their traditional dance steps.

Puppy Pals Live!
LeVoy Theatre, Millville
Wesley Williams created a comedic stunt dog show, which is an hour of dogs doing flips, tricks and acts you won’t believe.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon
New Brunswick Free Public Library, New Brunswick
Entertainer Patricia Shih will cover culture, food, music, language, customs and more related to how the Lunar New Year is celebrated in China and other countries. Watch a dance performance by Xiao Fen Krasowitz, a professional dancer skilled in traditional, ribbon and fan dances. Children will receive “Good Luck” Lunar New Year dragon coloring page souvenirs, make a special celebration lantern to take home, and some lucky volunteers will get to play Chinese instruments and become lion dancers.

Laurie Berkner Band Greatest Hits Concert
McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton
Princeton’s own children’s singer will put on two shows: one for families, and a special sensory-friendly concert where the light and sound will be modified.

Red Bank Cocoa Crawl
Downtown Red Bank
Pop into different businesses throughout the downtown to enjoy specialty cocoa-flavored beverages, as well as other cocoa-inspired offers from restaurants and other merchants. January 20 is also National Use Your Gift Card Day, so break out your Red Bank Bucks digital gift card and go to town.

Saturday Winter Walk
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, Bernardsville
A guided two-mile nature hike lets you enjoy the trees, birds and plant life in the sanctuary. The next dates are February 17 and March 16.

Southern Accents: A Tribute to Tom Petty
Carteret Performing Arts and Events Center, Carteret
A team of musicians from Nashville recreates the music, style and sound of Tom Petty.

Meatball Mania
Berlin Brewing Company, Berlin
The event will feature a buffet with Momma’s famous meatballs, salads, snacks, and other treats. You can groove to the live music by Drinkin’ Outta Cups, participate in the basket auction with amazing prizes, and join the Meatball Throwdown.

Read and Explore: The Gingerbread Man
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
The group of kids will read “The Gingerbread Man” and then each child will decorate a big gingerbread man cookie to take home. They will learn about how many gingerbread man ingredients come from farms.

Commemorative MLK Breakfast
Princeton Hyatt Regency, Princeton
S.E.E.D. (Servants Endeavoring to Empower and Develop) will offer a community breakfast that is highlighted by inspiring presentations.

Freestyle Flashback Concert
Bergen PAC, Englewood
Performing live on stage will be TKA, George Lamond, Judy Torres, Noel, Safire, Cynthia, Soave, Lisette Melendez, C-Bank and Nyasia. Hosted by Sal Abbatiello and Speedy, with music by DJ Whiteboy KYS.

Women’s Empowerment Fair
RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, Hamilton Twp.
Keynote speaker Jennifer Downing Mathis, Mercer County First Assistant Prosecutor, will discuss how inspired women lead. Participants include RWJ Hospital Hamilton, Girls on the Run NJ East, The Father Center, Womanspace, Homefront, Girl Scouts – Hamilton, S.H.I.N.E., One Simple Wish, Dream of Blue Skies, I Believe in Pink, Shine and Inspire and Dress for Success.

Rhythm at the Woods Theater
Lauren K. Woods Theater, Long Branch
Sit down for a drum and percussion experience that will include special guests, solos, duets and group performances from the Lakehouse Music Academy’s drum students and instructors, as well as members of the Monmouth University Pep Band Drum Line.

Jersey City Whiskey Festival
Harborside, Jersey City
With your ticket you can taste over 100 styles of whiskey and spirits, ranging from all-American Kentucky bourbons to Mexican tequila to Russian vodka. There will be local brews as well. You’ll be able to purchase food and merch, too.

Black Wine Tasting
Above Art Studios, New Brunswick
Enjoy the best wines from the darkest wines, which are also created by crafters of color.

STATEN ISLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM / ShopRite Kidz Cook

ShopRite Kidz Cook
Staten Island Children’s Museum, Staten Island, NY
Kids will prepare fruit kebabs with yogurt dip during this caregiver-and-me program that introduces children to a diversity of foods, explains cooking concepts and helps build dexterity with cooking utensils. Included with museum admission.

SUNDAY

Jersey Shore Winter Comic Book Show
Elks Lodge, Toms River
The artists, writers, costume groups and crafters include guests like Bob Petrecca from Marvel Comics, J.M. DeSantis, Christian Espiritusanto, Jason Pharo and Tony DiGerolamo (The Jersey Devil) – plus the Star Wars 501st Legion.

Caribbean Vibe Steel Drum Band
Staten Island Children’s Museum, New York, NY
It may be winter in NY but you can transport yourself to the islands with reggae and other party favorites played on steel drums. Included with museum admission.

Cinderella
NJPAC, Newark
The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine presents one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time.

Steeple Concerts Featuring New York Polyphony
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Westfield
New York Polyphony has two tenors, a countertenor and a bass-baritone singer who perform everything from Gregorian chant to contemporary music, especially rare music from the 12th to 17th centuries. A meet-and-greet reception with the performers will follow the music.

MLK Celebration: Poor People’s Campaign
Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick
Performances will center around the 1968 march planned by Dr. King as he sought to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. The event will include a documentary about the campaign by film student Muhammed Qadar; performances by the Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble and Kirkpatrick Choir with students from the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts; a digital collage; and more.

ONGOING

Makerspace Saturday
Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Madison
First Saturday of every month
Whether you are looking for a kid-friendly project or for something creative to do after spending time at the museum, drop by Makerspace for hands-on activities in a new collaborative workspace geared toward kids ages 5 -12. Kids will build with LEGOs, paint, make jewelry, experiment with engineering and coding robots, and more.

Tours of Crane House & Historic YWCA
Crane House & Historic YWCA, Montclair
Every Sunday
Take a self-guided tour to learn about the women of the Historic YWCA and the Crane family at your own pace. Take some time to walk through the gardens and meadow on site.

Wayne PAL Antique Collectibles Show and Vintage Flea Market
Wayne PAL Athletic League Complex, Wayne
First Sunday of every month, through April
The show features over 150 vendor tables in two large rooms and the front lobby where you can find vintage and sterling jewelry, glassware and Lenox, toys and trains, antique and collectible dolls and action figures, vintage postcards and photos and artwork, military, political and sports memorabilia including cards, magazines and newspapers, vintage coins and watches, classic rock CDs and more.

Winery in Winter Weekends
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Saturdays – Sundays in January
There will be live music ranging from jazz to blues to folk to rock. Seating is available indoors amongst the wine tanks or outdoors with firepits. Adults can have hot mulled wine or tasting flights of Terhune’s wines. Kids can have fun with s’mores and hot cocoa kits. Light bites of cheese plates and chips & salsa baskets are available inside.

Broadway Week
Broadway, New York, NY
January 16 – February 4
There are two dozen plays and musicals that are offering 2-for-1 tickets, like The Lion King, &Juliet and Spamalot.

Traditions and Transitions: Historical to Contemporary Perspectives in Black Art
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown
January 17 – March 5
The annual art exhibit by Art in the Atrium will present a range of still life, portrait, landscape, and fiber art, as well as optical art, and abstract expressionistic and non-objective styles. A free public reception will take place on January 28 at 3 pm.

West Orange Classic Film Festival
AMC Theatre, Essex Green Shopping Center, West Orange
Sundays, January 21 – March 3 (no showing February 11)
Catch movies on the big screen in the town where Thomas Edison invented movies. There will be an intro before each movie and an interactive Q&A session after. The schedule is Chinatown on January 21, In The Heat of the Night on January 28, Laurel & Hardy at Work on February 4, The Conversation on February 18, The Quiet Man on February 25 and The In-Laws on March 3.

Antique Toy Train Show
The Museum of American History at Deptford, West Deptford
Thursdays-Sundays, through January 28
The show will feature O and O-27 gauge toy trains from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Lionel, Marx and American Flyer engines, with adjoining cars, will race against each other on two platforms.

Holiday Tea
The Mathis House, Toms River
Select dates, through January 31
Visit this gorgeous Victorian B&B with beautifully decorated tea rooms on the first floor, plus a year-round Christmas store in the attic. During the holiday season, come by for a special afternoon holiday tea or themed events like Friendsgiving Dinner, Scones With Santa, Most Wonderful Crime of the Year Murder Mystery and several holiday open houses.

Sunday Character Meet & Greets
Casino Pier Arcade, Seaside Heights
Sundays, through February 4
Take a break from playing in the arcade to take photos with your favorite costumed friends: January 21 Snow Sisters; January 28 Trolls; and February 4 Enchanted Rose Princess and Mermaid Princess.

Lunar New Year
Shops at Riverside, Hackensack
Through February 24
Celebrate with events, exclusive offers and more happenings at the mall. Check each store for the deals and promotions they may be offering. The illuminated cherry blossom tree will be adorned with gold coins to celebrate Lunar New Year and The Year of the Dragon on level 1 near True Food Kitchen.

Lunar New Year Festivities
American Dream, East Rutherford
Select dates, through February 25
To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, stop by on different days for a fashion show, runway pageant, dance-off, gala, youth competition, Dream Wheel lighting ceremony, opera and orchestra concert.

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
Through March
The famous ice-skating rink returns to Rockefeller Center in NYC for its 87th season. While you’re watching the skating, or when you need to take a break from the ice, you can warm up inside the special skate chalets on the South Esplanade. This year will be the first time you can enjoy alcoholic beverages in the chalets, with a soon-to-be-announced menu of drinks by Other Half Brewery, served alongside a menu of après-skate bites. Skating runs through March but the chalets will be rentable from November 4 to January 14, 2024. Details on Family and Kids Day and opportunities to take photos with Santa will be announced.

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
Bryant Park, New York, NY
Through March 3
The rink is the largest, free ice skating rink in New York. You can relax at The Lodge, where you can eat and drink while watching the skaters.

Newport Skates
Jersey City
Through March 15
JC’s only outdoor ice skating rink is not only available for open skating but for lessons and parties, too.

Windows of Understanding
Highland Park, Metuchen, New Brunswick, Rahway, South Plainfield
Through March 31
This public art project highlights the positive strides made by local organizations, addressing critical social justice issues such as climate change, food insecurity, human rights and violence protection.

Roosevelt Park Family Skating Rink
Roosevelt Park, Edison
Through March 31
There is open skating as well as skating lessons.

Night Forms
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Through April 7
You will have nighttime access to the art and horticulture throughout the sculpture park, which will be illuminated in an immersive experience.

The Science Behind Pixar
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Through May 5
Learn all about the science behind Pixar’s animated films. Kids can try a bunch of hands-on experiences like making a short film, creating a robot friend for “WALL·E” and designing a new movie set using props from “Monsters University.” Learn what animation rendering is, then practice it by rendering a scene from “Inside Out.” Create a digital sculpture from an artist’s sketch. Use lights to solve challenges similar to the ones Pixar faced in creating underwater scenes with virtual light in “Finding Nemo.”

Micah Williams: Portrait Artist Exhibit
Cornelius Low House, Piscataway
Through June 30
Learn about Middlesex and Monmouth County residents from the 19th Century through the portraits of artist Micah Williams. Adults can work with pastels to create their own portraits, and kids can contribute to the Student Gallery.

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