For two days every September, the beach and boardwalk in Asbury Park are filled with sun & surf lovers who come to the Jersey Shore for the Sea.Hear.Now Festival. IYKYK. And if you do know, it’s time to vote for Sea.Hear.Now as the best music festival in the country, ran by USA Today.
Musicians take to three different stages as surfers ride the last waves of the season and artists head inside for a curated art exhibit at Danny Clinch’s Transparent Gallery. Past performers have included Bruce Springsteen, Hozier, Lenny Kravitz, Sublime, ZZ Top, De La Soul, and Alabama Shakes.
There are food trucks set up all weekend, specials at local restaurants, and activities for families.
The 2026 festival is set for September 19 and 20. Details will be announced soon, so you can sign up for all the info here. Tickets sell out almost immediately every year.
As of press time, Sea.Hear.Now was No. 18 out of 20 on the list in the USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. You can vote through midnight on February 11, and vote once a day in each category.
Here’s the list of the 20 best music festivals in the U.S. for 2026:
- Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, Texas
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, Tennessee
- BottleRock Napa Valley, Napa, California
- Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Bristol Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia
- Festival Napa Valley, Napa, California
- Joshua Tree Music Festival, Joshua Tree, California
- Lollapalooza, Chicago, Illinois
- Mile O Fest, Key West, Florida
- Movement Music Festival, Detroit, Michigan
- Musikfest, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
- New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Newport Folk Festival, Newport, Rhode Island
- Ohana Festival, Dana Point, California
- Outside Lands, San Francisco, California
- Roots Picnic, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Sea.Hear.Now Festival, Asbury Park, New Jersey
- South by Southwest, Austin, Texas
- Summerfest, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, Colorado
- Waterfront Blues Festival, Portland, Oregon
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Read More:
Sea.Hear.Now Mega Beach Fest Takes Over Asbury Park
Things to Do in Asbury Park, New Jersey
