This weekend, savor funnel cakes and cotton candy at the Passaic County Fair in Woodland Park, rap with raptors at Bugs, Birds, & Beyond in Freehold, or watch and learn from real-life firefighters at Fire Muster and Family Day in Millville.
Psst! We love to feature your adventures around New Jersey! Don’t forget to hashtag #NJMOM and tag @njmom and your little cuties could be featured in our next photo round-up.
Here are 10 kid-friendly events this weekend around New Jersey:
La Festa Italiana in Jersey City
August 14 – 18, 5 PM – 11 PM
You’ll be singing “that’s amore” all night long after a fun night out at La Festa Italiana in Jersey City. For over 100 years, this fest has brought the community together with culinary Italian delights, traditional music, games, rides, merchants and vendors. Plus, the proceeds benefit Historic Holy Rosary Church.
Holy Rosary Church
Jersey City, NJ
Cost: free
Passaic County Fair
August 15 – 18
At the Passaic County Fair, there’s a wide range of rides for both the littles and big kids to enjoy (and yep, even the grown ups, too). Don’t forget to visit the petting zoo, enter the chess tournament and listen to live music while you’re there. Chill out at the beer garden at the end of the night, and wrap up the day with some carnival games or a sweet treat. Be sure to stick around for fireworks on Friday and Saturday as well.
Garret Mountain Reservation
Woodland Park, NJ
Cost: free, parking $5 per car
SummerFest Food Truck Festival Donaldson Farms
August 17, 11 AM – 7 PM
A family-friendly event on the farm is one you don’t want to miss, and the SummerFest Food Truck Festival is jam-packed with everything you could want. There’ll be 15 food trucks, a biergarten, live music, a hayride farm tour and tons of kids games and activities for all ages to participate in.
Donaldson Farms
Hackettstown, NJ
Cost: online: adults $5, kids $3, kids under 3 are free
At the door: adults $10, kids $3
Bugs Birds and Beyond
August 17, 12 PM – 4 PM
Ready to rap with raptors at Monmouth County’s Bugs Birds and Beyond festival? NJMOM is. Watch the penguin parade, hang out with live animals and insects and learn all about even more eccentric animals at this fun family-friendly fest featuring Rutgers’ master gardeners.
Monmouth County Agriculture Building
Freehold, NJ
Cost: free
Chester Food Truck & Music Festival
August 17, 11 AM – 7 PM
New Jersey foodies, unite! Eat your heart out at the Chester Food Truck & Music Festival with over 20 gourmet food trucks. Kids can enjoy face painting while mamas listen to live music and relax in the beer and sangria garden. All’s you need to bring is your appetite, lawn chairs, blankets and a non-perishable food item to support the local food pantry. Eat up and give back.
Municipal Field
134 Main St, Chester, NJ
Cost: $5, kids under 10 are free
Great Meadows Food Truck and Music Festival
August 17, 11 AM – 7:30 PM
Celebrate a day in the sun with your fam, great food and some awesome tunes. An amazing line-up of live bands, 80s music, local artisans and vendors and a magic show will make the Great Meadows Food Truck and Music Festival worth checking out this weekend. A bonus? There will be plenty of water bowls available for your furry friends, so bring the family pups to join in on the fun, too.
Independence Township Volunteer Fire Department grounds
Great Meadows, NJ
Cost: $5, kids under 10 are free
Smithville Fife & Drum
August 18, 1 PM
Experience gorgeous Smithville Village while you listen to the beautiful sounds of the Smithville Fife & Drum Corp. During your visit, be sure to stop by Historic Smithville’s 60 shops, seven eateries, carousel and train rides, paddleboats and arcade.
Historic Smithville
615 E. Moss Mill Rd., Galloway, NJ
Cost: free
Fire Muster and Family Day
August 18, 10 AM – 4 PM
Fire Muster and Family Day is a fun way to celebrate the firemen and women in Millville’s communities. The event features firefighter-related events kids will go crazy for. A firefighter competition will be held to show how they use their skills to battle a fire, a water barrel fight will take place and a bucket brigade and firefighting demonstration will happen—including pumping displays of fire hoses on all the fire trucks. It’ll definitely be a fun, educational day with local heros who keep us safe.
Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center
Millville, NJ
Cost: free
2nd Annual Summer Fun Festival
August 18, 11 AM – 3PM
Join Hudson Regional Hospital and the Town of Secaucus for the 2nd Annual Summer Fun Festival. Snag some fresh, local produce at the farmer’s market, let the kids participate in some of the children’s activities, adopt a pet, utilize a free health service, eat some yummy lunch at a food truck and listen to some amazing live music while you’re there.
Hudson Regional Hospital
Secaucus, NJ
Cost: free
Olde Freehold Day
August 17, 12 PM – 5 PM
Olde Freehold Day celebrates Springsteen’s hometown, and they’ve got an impressive way of doing so. For the mamas, there’s plenty of food, beer and wine. For the kiddos, there’s a newly revamped kids zone—which now features a rock climbing wall, petting zoo and bounce house. This free event will also have live music and boating on the beautiful Lake Topanemus all day long for every family member to enjoy.
Lake Topanemus
Freehold, NJ
Cost: free
