2026 Jersey City Music & Arts Festival to take place September 24th to October 3rd

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2026 Jersey City Music & Arts Festival to take place September 24th to October 3rd

Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 09/16/2026

(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- New Jersey Symphony presents the Jersey City Music & Arts Festival from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, October 3, 2026 in the Powerhouse Arts District (Provost Street between Bay and Morgan Streets). Admission is free and open to the public.

Eight days of music, movement, and making, right in the heart of Jersey City. Dance, listen, paint, create, and taste your way through a festival built for the whole community. All events will take place outdoors (weather permitting).

Hands-On & Family Fun - Try a painting class, get henna tattoos, try out an instrument at our Instrument Discovery Zone, catch outdoor movies, settle in for Library Bookmobile story time, and unwind with wellness meditations.

Eat & Shop Local - Food trucks and craft vendors line the square all festival long.

Festival Partners - Educational Arts Team; Jersey City Night Market; Jersey City Public Libraries; Kulture Kool; Let’s Talk Women’s Health and Wellness; Nimbus Dance; Riverview Jazz Festival; Studio 14C; Undead Arts.

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Events and Live Performances

New Jersey Symphony Chamber Concert on Thursday, September 24 at 6:30pm

Family-Friendly Movie Night – Friday, September 25 at 7:30 pm

Kids Fest – Saturday, September 26 at 10:00am

Featured performances include: Peter and the Wolf (New Jersey Symphony); Bollywood Dancing (Kulture Kool); Arias (Undead Arts); Global Grooves (New Jersey Symphony); and more...

Featured tables: Instrument Discovery Zone (New Jersey Symphony); Bollywood Dancing, Henna & Instrument Demos (Kulture Kool); Library Bookmobile table; Educational Arts Team table; Undead Arts / Zombie Opera table; and more...

Wellness Day: Sound Bowls with Salvation Wellness – Sunday, September 27 at 12:00pm

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Family-Friendly Movie Night – Tuesday, September 29 at 7:30pm

Salsa Night with Riverview Jazz – Wednesday, September 30 at 6:30pm

Nimbus Dance Performance – Friday, October 2 at 6:30pm

New Jersey Symphony Chamber Concert – Saturday, October 3 at 6:30pm

Founded in 1922, New Jersey Symphony is a non-profit organization. As the state orchestra of New Jersey, we are a century-plus institution that has grown from a small Montclair ensemble into a cornerstone of New Jersey's cultural life. We connect communities across the state through live music, education, and shared experiences. This festival carries that same spirit into Jersey City.

Your shows can be listed here for just $10
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A Beat of Our Own

There are multiple performances including:

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
@ 7:30pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
Princeton, NJ

From the Tony Award-winning producers of Hadestown comes A Beat of Our Own — a brand-new musical comedy that pulls you straight into the pulsating rhythms, kaleidoscopic colors and raw energy of competitive bhangra dance.

CLICK HERE to view all remaining performances.

George

George Street Playhouse presents The Unexpected 3rd

There are multiple performances including:

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
@ 7:30pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
New Brunswick, NJ

Written by and Starring Kathryn Grody
Directed by Timothy Near

A Radical, Rollicking Rumination on the Optimism of Staying Alive

CLICK HERE to view all remaining performances.

Kean

Kean Department of Theatre presents "References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot"

There are multiple performances including:

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
@ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
Union, NJ

References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot is an Obie Award-winning surrealist play by José Rivera that follows Gabriela, a lonely housewife in Barstow, California, awaiting her soldier-husband Benito’s return from the Gulf War in 1991. In the poetic fantasy world she creates as she drifts through her days in the Mojave desert, her housecat and a local coyote strike up a romance, while the celestial man-in-the-moon and her very real teenage neighbor Martín vie for her affection.

CLICK HERE to view all remaining performances.

Snow

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – United European Ballet Company

Thursday, October 15, 2026
@ 7:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
Rahway, NJ

Classical Arts Entertainment presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a stunning Broadway-style ballet production performed by the United European Ballet Company.

This enchanting show brings one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales to life with beautiful choreography, expressive storytelling, hand-painted scenic designs, and bright, detailed costumes created by European designers.

Vitamin

Vitamin String Quartet & Girl Named Tom: The Crazy Ordinary World Tour

Thursday, October 15, 2026
@ 8:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center
Morristown, NJ

The world-renowned ensemble Vitamin String Quartet joins forces with the captivating harmonies of acclaimed vocal trio Girl Named Tom to bring their genre-defying arrangements to stages across the U.S. Known for transforming pop and rock anthems into virtuosic instrumentals, and fresh off Season 4 in Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton, VSQ will team up with Girl Named Tom, whose breathtaking harmonies and heartfelt songwriting won The Voice in 2021 and have solidified their status as one of the leading lights in new American Folk Music. Enjoy music-making at its highest level, with reimagined classics and modern hits, stunning performances, and unforgettable collaborative moments.

ADVANCED EVENTS

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EVENT PREVIEWS

Ritz Theatre Company presents CABARET SERIES: Aged Out! on October 14th

Ritz Theatre Company presents CABARET SERIES: Aged Out! on October 14th

(HADDON TOWNSHIP, NJ) -- As part of their 40th Anniversary Season, Ritz Theatre Company is thrilled to unveil a brand-new way to experience the Ritz: an intimate, star-studded Cabaret Series celebrating voices, stories, and songs you love.

Avenel PAC presents Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill

Avenel PAC presents Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill

(AVENEL, NJ) -- Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill will perform at the Avenel Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 7:30pm.

Shakespeare 70 presents If You Speak Love - an affair with Shakespeare

Shakespeare 70 presents If You Speak Love - an affair with Shakespeare

(EWING, NJ) -- Shakespeare 70 presents If You Speak Love - an affair with Shakespeare in the Don Evans Black Box Theater at The College of New Jersey from October 14-18, 2026. This is a lively, romantic exploration of some of the Bard's most memorable and iconic moments.

South Jersey Jazz Society presents 2026 Jazz@ThePoint Festival in October

South Jersey Jazz Society presents 2026 Jazz@ThePoint Festival in October

(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- The South Jersey Jazz Society will present its annual Jazz@ThePoint festival from October 15–17, 2026, bringing three days of world-class jazz, history and celebration to Somers Point. This year's festival, themed "Red, White & Louis," honors the 250th anniversary of the U.S.A. while celebrating the music and legacy of one of America's most influential and beloved musical artists Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, the internationally famous jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World," "Hello, Dolly!," "Star Dust," and "La Vie En Rose."

State Theatre New Jersey presents their annual Classical Season Celebration on October 15th

State Theatre New Jersey presents their annual Classical Season Celebration on October 15th

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey celebrates the power of classical performance with the annual Classical Season Celebration on Thursday, October 15, 2026. This year's event will take place in STNJ's intimate Studio space with a performance featuring internationally acclaimed violinist Christina Bouey and award-winning pianist Yoon Lee entirely lit by candlelight.

Premiere Stages presents "Effa Loves Baseball"

Premiere Stages presents "Effa Loves Baseball"

(HILLSIDE, NJ) -- Premiere Stages presents Effa Loves Baseball across two weekends from October 15-25, 2026 at Enlow Recital Hall. In this Liberty Live Commsion play, Effa Manley manages the Newark Eagles, a team she wants to take all the way to the Negro League World Series.

Cumberland Players presents "A Year with Frog and Toad" Kids Version

Cumberland Players presents "A Year with Frog and Toad" Kids Version

(VINELAND, NJ) -- Cumberland Players presents A Year with Frog and Toad Kids Version from October 15-18, 2026. The treasured characters from the children’s books and the beautiful Broadway musical hop from page to stage in this story of friendship and adventure.

The West Milford Players presents "The Women"

The West Milford Players presents "The Women"

(WEST MILFORD, NJ) -- The West Milford Players presents The Women - their first show of the 2026-2027 season - from October 15-18, 2026 at the West Milford Presbyterian Church. The production is directed by Debbie Quinlan.

Premiere Stages presents the World Premiere of "Effa Loves Baseball"

Premiere Stages presents the World Premiere of "Effa Loves Baseball"

(HILLSIDE NJ) -- Premiere Stages at Kean University presents the premiere production of Effa Loves Baseball by Pia Wilson, the recipient of the 2025/26 Liberty Live Commission, October 15-25, 2026 in Kean University's Enlow Recital Hall. Directed by marcus d. harvey, Effa Loves Baseball features Justin Walter Cook, Grant Kennedy Lewis, DeShawn Harold Mitchell, David Andrew Morton, Greg Alverez Reid, and Kerry Warren as Effa Manley.

Classic American Tales to present final "Tales at the Dormer House" for 2026

Classic American Tales to present final "Tales at the Dormer House" for 2026

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Classic American Tales (CAT) is having its final Tales at the Dormer House in Cape May for 2026, on Thursday, October 15 at 4:00pm. It features seasoned storytellers Frank Smith, Stephanie Garrett, Gayle Stahlhuth, and newcomer Liberty Ero presenting some of their favorite short stories and monologues by well-known American writers.

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