This weekend take a drive through a winter wonderland at Magic of Lights in Holmdel, visit with St. Nick at the Holiday Preview Weekend in Cape May, or keep our beaches clean at the Asbury Park Beach Cleanup in Asbury Park.
Psst! Don’t forget to hashtag #NJMOM and tag @njmom and your little cuties could be featured in our next photo round-up.
Here are 11 kid-friendly festivals around NJ this weekend:
Magic of Lights New Jersey
November 16 – 18, 5PM
Bring the family to everyone’s favorite Christmas event: Magic of Lights at PNC Bank Arts Center. Drive through over 1 mile of Christmas lights, trees, and decorations to get you in the holiday spirit. Your littles will love the merry maze, pictures with Santa, the holiday village, and holiday movies and music.
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, NJ
Cost: $25 per car (Mon-Thurs) and $50 per car (Fri-Sun)
Food Trucks, Fire Pits, and S’mores!
November 16, 5:30PM – 9:30PM
Taste food trucks, make some s’mores, listen to music, and enjoy this time with friends. This annual event brings together the community and asks that you bring a non-perishable food donation for local food banks.
Hooper Ave. Elementary School
Toms River, NJ
Cost: free
Voorhees Town Center Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 16 at 6:30PM
Come on out to the Voorhees Town Center Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony to watch the tree sparkle and to see Santa arrive in style escorted by the Voorhees Township Police and Fire Departments.
Voorhees Town Center,
Voorhees Township, NJ
Cost: free
Asbury Park Beach Cleanup
November 17, 1PM – 3PM
Gather the family to help clean up our beautiful NJ beaches and enjoy free pizza as your reward. The Surfrider Foundation invites you to help clean the beach and then enjoy food and drinks at Langosta Lounge/Pop’s Garage Mexican Cantina aftwerwards.
800 Ocean Ave.
Asbury Park, NJ
Cost: free
Krampus Bazaar
November 17, 11AM – 6PM
Krampus is an old German folklore character – one of Santa’s helpers who takes care of the bad kids! This bazaar celebrates him with vendors selling dark art, jewelry, witchy wares, punk rock goods, and so much more. Enjoy live music, feast on festival food, and tour the haunted White Hill Mansion.
217 4th St.
Fieldsboro, NJ
Cost: $10, Kids under 12 free
Beef and Brew 2018
November 17, 5PM – 9PM
How much do you love filet mignon? Enough to enjoy an event with unlimited(yes!) filet mignon and proceeds going to the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation(a disease often characterized by brittle bones)? We hope so! Attend the Beef and Brew for unlimited filet mignon, salad, fries, beer, and soda. Your littles will love a fun silent auction and the legendary tricky tray. Bonus: Kids meals are available.
Three Saints Russian Orthodox Cultural Center
Garfield, NJ
Cost: Adult $45, Kids(7-13) $15, Under 7 free
Cape May Holiday Preview Weekend
November 16 – 18
Santa and his elves have decked out the Physick Estate with thousands of lights and holiday trimmings, ghost tours, holiday lights, and trolley rides. Visit the free Carroll Gallery exhibit, An Old-Fashioned Christmas, and capture the feeling of Christmas past with model trains and a Dept. 56 Dickens Village beneath the Christmas tree (through Jan. 1, 2019). Visit the Estate on Saturday at 7PM as Santa arrives to flip the switch for the tree-lighting ceremony. Visitors are encouraged to share in the holiday spirit and bring a non-perishable food item for the Cape May Community Food Bank. Your littles will love Santa’s Trolley Rides and a chance to visit with old St. Nick himself.
1048 Washington St.,
Cape May, NJ
Cost: free
Ocean City Horse & Carriage Rides
November 17, 18, 23, 24, & 25, 12PM – 3PM
Throughout November, your family can enjoy free horse and carriage rides throughout downtown Ocean City. Shop and dine along Asbury Avenue before and after your ride for a relaxing day with the fam.
City Hall,
Ocean City, NJ
Cost: free
Holiday Lights Festival at Hackettstown Medical Center
November 17, 5PM – 7PM
Join Hackettstown Medical Center for their 2nd Annual Holiday Lights Festival. All are welcome to attend, as they light up the campus to celebrate the start of the holiday season. Children’s activities include a very special arrival by Santa, arts and crafts, and snacks. A community reception will be held with live music and light refreshments. The grand lighting of the campus will take place at 6:30PM with fireworks to follow.
Hackettstown Medical Center
Hackettstown, NJ
Cost: free
Christkindlmarkt
November 18, 12PM – 5PM
Now’s your chance to attend a traditional indoor/outdoor Christmas market, just like in Germany. The Christkindlmarkt is the perfect spot to shop for holiday gifts, treats, and knick-knacks. Stop by the Grillhaus for some yummy grub and be sure to try the Gluhwein(German mulled wine).
787 Featherbed Lane
Clark, NJ
Cost: free
Skylands Stadium Christmas Light Show & Village
November 16-18, 5PM
Back for it’s 5th year, drive through a mile of over two million dazzling lights in your favorite holiday shapes and characters. After the drive-through, your family will enjoy the new outdoor village(starts Nov. 23) which features walk-thru lights, an ice skating rink, photos with Santa, ice cream, hot chocolate, and carnival games. Stay for dinner too.
Skylands Stadium
Augusta, NJ
Cost: $20 per car
Psst! Don’t forget to hashtag #NJMOM and tag @njmom and your little cuties could be featured in our next photo round-up.
