
Even though it’s still chilly outside, spring is in the air this weekend as we set the clock one hour ahead. Start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early by hitting one of the parades or events happening across the state. Don’t miss a delicious Chocolate Expo or the last chance to see the mermaids at Adventure Aquarium before they swim away. Happy weekend.
All Weekend
Maple Sugaring
Environmental Education Center, Basking Ridge
Visitors will see how trees are tapped, view sap-collecting methods past and present and see the boiling process that produces delicious New Jersey maple syrup. This 60-minute, outdoor program is conducted at the Sugar Shack, a ½-mile hike from the EEC. Please arrive at the EEC 20-30 minutes before the program start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Boots are recommended as the trails can be wet, muddy and/or covered by snow.
Spring Craft Fair
Morristown Armory, Morristown
Friday – Sunday
Spend the day shopping for uncommon and one-of-a-kind gifts for every age, taste and budget from 160+ of America’s finest craft artists. Find original fashions, accessories and jewelry, functional and sculptural works in ceramics, glass, metal, fiber, wood and mixed media, fine art painting, printmaking, drawing and photography and more. Enjoy handcrafted gourmet foods and beverages while you shop.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Farm
10 Lil Acre Rescued Animal Farm, Old Bridge
Saturday – Sunday
Friends can participate in the annual treasure hunt around the farm and receive a goody bag. Enjoy a tasty s’more with green Leprechaun punch. And if you’re lucky, you’ll win a basket as part of the holiday gift raffle. Enjoy all of this fun as you pet and feed the rescued animals and take a magical unicorn pony ride. Remember to wear green!
Friday
Newark St. Patricks Day Parade
Founded in 1936, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, Inc. is composed of delegates from nearly 100 Irish, Fraternal, Catholic, and Public Safety Organizations as well as other Civic, Social and Athletic Organizations. The parade goes from the Prudential Center on Mulberry Street past Gateway Center, NJPAC, Military Park, St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral, the Newark Museum and Washington Park.
Lucky Pot of GOLD Kids Night Out
Tumbles, Princeton
Defeat the Tumbles Leprechaun at trivia and complete an obstacle course. Don’t forget to wear green, as it makes the leprechaun weak. Kids will also be provided a slice of pizza.
Saturday
North Wildwood St Patrick’s Day Celebration & Parade
9th and Atlantic Avenue, North Wildwood
A Catholic Mass service will take place at St. Ann Church of Notre Dame La Mer Parish at 10 am. The ceremony will begin on the front steps of North Wildwood City Hall, 9th & Atlantic Avenue, in North Wildwood beginning at noon. A festive parade will begin at the conclusion of the ceremony and proceeds north on Atlantic Avenue to Olde NJ Avenue.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Museum of Early Trades & Crafts Annex, Madison
Come to METC Annex to celebrate Irish culture with Niall O’Leary and friends. There will be dancing, singing and live music. Bring your children to participate and learn a little dance. When the show is over, hop on over to the museum where your child can play a “find the pot of gold” interactive game using QR codes and the museum’s exhibits.
St. Patrick’s Day Tours
The Historic Village at Allaire, Wall Twp.
Take a 90-minute guided tour of the Historic Village at Allaire to experience the history and culture of Ireland. An interpreter dressed in period clothing will escort you to all of our historic buildings and trade shops where villagers are waiting to welcome you and demonstrate traditional Irish cooking, folklore and music. Listen to the Ballycastle Band perform a variety of traditional Irish songs in the historic Chapel, smell the delicious Irish meals and treats prepared by talented hearth cooks, learn about the history of the holiday and much more.
Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Morristown Town Hall, Morristown
Bring the family out for one of the most celebrated parades in NJ. There will be bagpipers, bands, officers, Irish dancing and marching starting on South Street to the Morristown Green.
Makerspace NYC: Women’s History Month
Staten Island Chidren’s Museum, Staten Island, New York
Makerspace NYC will guide you on how to assemble, decorate and fly a small wooden airplane inspired by pilot Amelia Earhart, the first woman aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. To secure a spot for the workshop, you must book your tickets online to the Staten Island Children’s Museum. Tickets to this event are available at the front desk the day of the event and are first come, first served.
2nd Annual March Medley: A Celebration of the Performing Arts
Investors Bank Theater, Succasunna
Come see and hear local actors, singers, dancers, musicians and poets as they showcase their talents at the second annual March Medley. Local performers ages 15 and older will take the stage for this show.
Pi Day Princeton
Virtual
Join on Facebook and Instagram to follow along in a day’s worth of online irrational fun to celebrate Pi and Einstein’s birthday including previous years’ contests, tours, video lectures and more.
Visit from the Horse Doctor and Shoer
Howell Living History Farm, Hopewell Twp.
Shots, worming medicine, dental exams and hoof trimming are in store for the farm’s six workhorses when the veterinarian and dentist come for their spring visit. Join them in the barns where they will be at work all day ensuring that horses, sheep, chickens and farm cat Bushy are fit and ready for spring. Visitors can listen to a horse’s heart through a stethoscope, watch an equine dentist at work and learn about old and new veterinary instruments and techniques.
Cookstove Demonstration
Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel
See what’s cooking on the woodstove and discover how recipes, cooking techniques and kitchens have changed since the 1890s.
Sunday
The Chocolate Expo
New Jersey Expo Center, Edison
The Chocolate Expo feature tastings & sales of chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, cheeses, wines and much more, along with entertainment throughout the day. DJ CHEF, a winner from Cutthroat Kitchen, will both conduct demos and spin tunes.
Kidz Cook for Pi Day
Staten Island Children’s Museum, Staten Island, New York
Ms. Becky will be hosting a cooking workshop throughout the day in honor of Pi Day, where kids will learn how to make blueberry hand pies and sing the numbers 3, 1 and 4! After making pie participants will be able to take them home.
St. Patrick’s Day Combo Class Strawberries and Cookies
Raritan
During this class you will learn the basics of working with Royal Icing and how to flood cookies. Students will also be decorating six chocolate covered strawberries. All supplies are included, 12 – 2pm.
Women’s Lifestyle Expo
PAL Buidling, Wayne
The Women’s Lifestyle Expo will have approximately 50 exhibitors that offer a wide variety of women services and merchandise for sale. Participating exhibitors will each donate a prize valued at $250, $100, and $50.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Terhune Orchards, Princeton
Toast to St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish tunes of Bill O’Neal and Andy Koontz. With 16 varieties of wine made with Terhune’s own grapes as well as three wines made from our apple cider, tasting flights are a great way to sample the wide offerings. All ages can have fun with s’mores and hot cocoa kits. Light fare of cheese plates and chips & salsa baskets is available. Hot mulled wine is a seasonal favorite.
Feeling the luck o’ the Irish? Check out these St.Patrick’s Day parades in NJ!
Ongoing
Mermaids at Adventure Aquarium
Thursday – Sunday (through March 13)
Adventure Aquarium, Camden
Thisis the last weekend to see real-life mermaid swim among the sharks. Then get a chance to interact with a mermaid at the Stingray Beach Club. One-on-one visits are also available in the Mermaid Grotto.
Maple Sugaring at Tenafly Nature Center
Sundays through March 20
313 Hudson Avenue, Tenafly
Learn how to identify a maple tree. Discover the history of syrup making and how technology has changed the way we gather sap over the centuries. The group will check Tenafly Nature Center’s tapped tree and boil down sap to make fresh, warm maple syrup, a sweet treat for all to taste. All ages are welcome.
Night Forms: dreamloop by Klip Collective
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Twp.
Thursday – Sunday
Grounds For Sculpture announced a two-year partnership with Klip Collective to present a distinctive after-hours multi-sensory experience. The Night Forms series will directly interact with a selection of contemporary artworks and signature horticultural features across the park’s 42 acres, furthering the nonprofit’s commitment to creating unique experiences bringing art and nature together. *Show extended to April 3.
2nd Annual Winter Wonderwalk
Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May
The grounds of Cape May’s only Victorian House Museum, the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., have been transformed for the holiday season. Winter Wonderwalk is an exciting new addition to the decorated estate. Walk the grounds and view these fun & whimsical display of winters past. Individuals, families, community groups, businesses and school classrooms are all welcome to participate.
Terhune Orchards Winery in Winter
330 Cold Soil Rd., Princeton
Saturday – Sunday
This winter the winery will be open Saturdays & Sundays with indoor and outdoor seating. The seasonal hot mulled wine is a wonderful way to warm up. Sample a variety of wines with a tasting flight or enjoy wine by the glass. The fire pits will be going all weekend. All ages can enjoy s’more kits and hot cocoa.
Harbaugh Village
Tuesdays – Sundays
Mullica Hill
Harbaugh Village was founded by Steve Harbaugh after years of attracting local and national visitors to his holiday display and toy drive at his home in South Jersey. Now, it’s not just about the holidays. Harbaugh Village is a year-round attraction for communities in South Jersey and beyond. Bring your family, friends, and loved ones to enjoy endless entertainment, attractions, local vendors, event spaces and more!
Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center Maple Sugaring
Chatham Twp.
Weekends until March 12
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make real maple syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. This year, the program will be held entirely outdoors, so dress for the weather. Spiles and syrup will be available for purchase, while supplies last. For ages 5 & up.
96th Anniversary Model Train Exhibit
Friday- Saturday, weekends through March 20
Society of Model Engineers, Carlstadt
The Society operates a train museum with two large model train layouts that cover almost 5,000 square feet. Model trains operate on both layouts. Many of the models are one of a kind and were handmade by Society members. Members take pride in operating their miniature railroad just like real railroads operate. Also on display is the Society’s collection of historic railroad memorabilia and artifacts.
New York International Children’s Film Festival
Friday- March 19
SVA Theatre, New York, New York
Return to the magic of big screen events with the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF), North America’s largest film festival for kids and teens, and celebrate their 25th annual festival in-person. Catch must-see screenings of exciting new animated, live action and doc films for young audiences, plus filmmaker Q&A’s.
Looking for more ways to make winter fun? Plan a day trip to Storm King!