Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 07/16/2024
The Wag will perform on Saturday during the festival
(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- The Wag, Chuck Lambert Band, and Poppa John Bug Band are among the many performers bringing their music to Sunset Park in Asbury Park for the 49th Annual Clearwater Festival Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1, 2024). The free, fun-filled, family-friendly event is the longest-running environmental festival in New Jersey.
“We faithfully follow the original festival concept of our mentor folksinger and environmentalist Pete Seeger,” said Chrissie Goedkoop of Howell, President of N.J. Friends of Clearwater (NJFC), which operates the Festival. “Provide people with great music and fun activities to celebrate the environment and give them practical information on how to protect that environment. It’s music and more - with a mission.”
As a certified Green Team city, Asbury Park is very supportive. “The Clearwater Festival is so important to getting the word out there about how vital it is to take care of our environment,” said Asbury Park Mayor John Moor.
“As a shore town, making sure we have clean water for our residents and visitors to enjoy the ocean is paramount to making sure Asbury Park and NJ stay as the class of hospitality”,
The bring-your-own-chair event in beautiful, partly shaded Sunset Park is two blocks from the ocean on Main Street. The festival will run from 1:00pm to 8:00pm on Saturday and 12:00pm to 5:00pm on Sunday.
As always, the festival will feature a variety of music styles ranging from rock, jazz and blues on stage. The Wag, The DTs, Kevin & Secret Sound, and the Poppa John Bug Band take the stage Saturday and The Chuck Lambert Band, Tommy D & the Deep Blue Sea Band, Corvid Corpus and Shade Tree Mechanics on Sunday.
The NJFC Circle of Song, a group of folk singers and musicians who are known to take requests from others to join in, will be on a second stage. The Circle performances will be opened by The Solidarity Singers early Saturday. Also returning are three of Pete Seeger’s backup performers, the Sloop Singers. They are Lydia Adams Davis, Eric Russell and Hillary Zaenchik. Also joining will be singers Mara Levine and Dale Lakata.
Ecological Systems is donating sustainable solar energy to power the two music stages.
Throughout the park, exhibits and environmental groups, such as the Climate Change Lobby, Friends of the Asbury Park Shade Tree Commission, and a children area will be available for fun and information. And for the first time there will be special workshops for guitar playing by Spook Handy and sea shanty singing by Markus Misery.
Visit one of the food trucks in the park including Kona Ice, Island Noodles, and Del Toro Tapas. Or try Nessie Tea and Kolchuk Honey while checking out crafters and other vendors.
The Festival and the NJ Friends of Clearwater began in 1975 on Sandy Hook, following an inspiring visit by by Pete Seeger. The event is returning to Asbury Park this year, where it was staged from 2001 to 2012. It has also traveled to Long Branch, Middletown and Red Bank.
NJFC is inviting environmental groups, vendors, including food vendors, crafters, sponsors and donors to be part of the event. For more information go to, click here.
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