May Festivals Near Jersey City & Hoboken (2026 Guide)

Jersey City Tequila & Mezcal Fest — May 8 100+ styles of tequila and mezcal in one room at Harborside Atrium. If that sentence doesn’t sell it, nothing will. You get a souvenir tasting glass on arrival, live music throughout the night, and food available for purchase. This festival is 21+, tickets are non-refundable, and once you leave you can’t come back in — so pace yourself accordingly. Where: Harborside Atrium, 210 Hudson St, Jersey CityCost: $73 admissionDistance from Jersey City: You’re already here Bayonne Food Truck Festival – May 9 Bayonne is 15 minutes away and somehow nobody ever thinks to go. The Bayonne Food Truck Festival is a good reason to finally make the drive. 30+ food trucks, a beer and wine garden, live bands, and a neighborhood street fair energy that feels genuinely local rather than produced. Avenue E turns into exactly the kind of afternoon you didn’t know you needed. Where: Avenue E (22nd–24th St), Bayonne, NJCost: Free (food pay-as-you-go) Distance from Jersey City: 15 mins Hot Rods & Harleys — May 9 700 cars. Hundreds of bikes. Three live music stages. All of downtown Rahway closed to traffic for the day. Free to attend. Hot Rods & Harleys has been running since 2003 and it shows — this is a well-organized, full-day event that genuinely takes over the town. Food vendors, local restaurants open all day, live music from morning through evening, and a car and bike show that draws serious enthusiasts. Where: Downtown Rahway, NJCost: Free admission | $20 to enter your vehicle in the showDistance from Jersey City: About 30 minutes Branchburg Food Truck & Music Festival – May 9 If you want more space and a slower pace, Branchburg Food Truck & Music Festival is your move. White Oak Park gives the festival room to breathe — food trucks, live music, a beer garden, and actual seating so you can stay for a while instead of circling the same five vendors. Good for groups who want to make an afternoon of it without the crowd pressure. Where: White Oak Park, Branchburg, NJCost: $5 admission | Free for kids under 5Distance from Jersey City: 50 minutes New Jersey Seafood Festival — May 15–17 Free admission, fresh seafood, live music, and a park right by the water. The 38th annual version of this one — which means Belmar has been doing it right for a long time. Top NJ seafood restaurants set up all weekend, alongside craft vendors and live music. Friday evening is a shorter window if you want to avoid the weekend crowds. Saturday is the full day. Where: Ferruggiaro Park at Silver Lake, 5th & Ocean Ave, Belmar, NJCost: Free admission (food pay-as-you-go)Distance from Jersey City: About 1 hour Laurita PicklePALOOZA — May 16 A pickle festival at a winery in New Jersey. This is not a sentence that needs further explanation. Laurita Winery transforms into a full-day celebration of everything brined, fermented, and frankly delightful — pickle-inspired food trucks, specialty pickle vendors, live music, vineyard wagon rides, and wine. Lots of wine. The lineup of food trucks alone (Chick-fil-A, Smokey Thickboy BBQ, Red’s Wood-fired Pizza, and more) is worth the drive before you even get to the pickle part. Where: Laurita Winery, 85 Archertown Road, Plumsted, NJCost: $16 online in advance | $20 walk-in or after 6PM Friday | Under 21 freeDistance from Jersey City: About 1 hour Asbury Park Vegan Food Festival – May 16 – 17 A full weekend on the Asbury Park boardwalk, which honestly sells itself. The Asbury Park Vegan Food Festival has food vendors, drinks, live music, shopping, and the ocean right there. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy it — you just have to like good food and a good atmosphere, which covers most people. Buy the two-day pass if you can. Where: Asbury Park, NJCost: $20 (Saturday or Sunday) | $30 two-day passDistance from Jersey City: 60 mins Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival – May 17 The Hoboken Spring Arts & Music Festival is basically in your backyard and it delivers every year. Washington Street becomes a full-day street fair — 300+ vendors, local makers, food stands, and multiple stages of live music spread across several blocks. The kind of event where you show up for an hour and somehow stay for four. Free, easy to get to, and genuinely one of the best things to do in Hoboken this weekend. Where: Washington St, Hoboken, NJCost: FreeDistance from Jersey City: 15 mins Rib King NYC – May 23 Technically Brooklyn. Worth it anyway. BBQ competition, unlimited food and drinks, pitmasters from across the city, and a crowd that gets progressively more fun as the afternoon goes on. Rib King NYC is 21+, it’s contained, and it’s the kind of event that feels more like a party than a festival. Budget for the VIP if you can — the line situation is much better. Where: Industry City, Brooklyn, NY Cost: $45 early bird | $50 general admission | $75 VIPDistance from Jersey City: 30 mins New Jersey Jerk Festival — May 24 Eight hours of jerk chicken, reggae, dancehall, soca, and afrobeats at the Middlesex County Fairgrounds. That’s the whole pitch and it’s a good one. The NJ Jerk Festival is a full Caribbean food and culture celebration — jerk chicken, pork, fish, goat, oxtail, lobster, and more from some of the best vendors around, plus live performances running all day. Kids under 10 get in free, there’s onsite parking, and a Game Zone for families. Buy advance tickets — they genuinely recommend it and it’s the move. Where: Middlesex County Fairgrounds, 655 Cranbury Rd, East Brunswick, NJ Cost: $30+ admission | family bundles available | VIP upgrades + add-ons | Children under 10 freeDistance from Jersey City: About 45 minutes Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival – May 23 – 25 Food trucks plus horse racing is a combination nobody asked for but somehow works perfectly. Monmouth Park Racetrack gives the Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival festival actual space to spread out — food trucks, live music, open grounds, and races happening at the track if that’s your thing. A longer afternoon plan that gives you more than one reason to be there. Where: Monmouth Park Racetrack, Oceanport, NJ Cost: Tickets on sale soonDistance from Jersey City: About 1 hour Jersey City Jazz Festival – May 27–31 Save the best for last and this one is right here. The Jersey City Jazz Festival takes over the Exchange Place waterfront for five days of live jazz, soul, funk, and more. Multiple stages, food vendors, pop-ups, and some of the best skyline views in the city as your backdrop. Main stage performances are free. Ticketed shows for select headliners and indoor venues — worth checking the lineup in advance. This is the one free thing to do in Jersey City this May that you absolutely cannot skip. Where: Exchange Place Plaza + multiple venues, Jersey City Cost: FREE main stage performances; ticketed shows for select headliners and indoor venuesDistance from Jersey City: Under 10 mins Want to say in the loop about more amazing New Jersey events? Follow @JerseyCityConnects on Instagram for monthly events and local ideas! Get the best Jersey City & Hoboken events and local happenings delivered weekly Home About Us Events Things to Do Contact Search Privacy Policy Refund Policy Code of Conduct Jersey City Connects, established in 2021, goes beyond event organizing — it’s a community fostering genuine connections and unforgettable experiences.