New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

NJ Clearwater Festival Rolls Into Labor Day Weekend In Asbury Park Celebrating Music and Mother Earth

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.




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



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.




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Indigenous

Indigenous

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

Straight

Straight No Chaser - SUMMER: The 90's Part 2

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Bria

Bria Skonberg

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

KC

KC and the Sunshine Band

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

The

The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

City

City Winery NYC presents Sly and the Vine: A Funkadelic Tasting Experience with Vernon Reid of Living Colour

(NEW YORK, NY) -- City Winery NYC presents Sly and the Vine: A Funkadelic Tasting Experience with Vernon Reid of Living Colour on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 7:00pm. Join them for an immersive 8-glass wine tasting perfectly paired with the revolutionary sounds of Sly & The Family Stone—featuring special guest Vernon Reid, legendary guitarist and founder of Living Colour. Get ready for a one-of-a-kind night where rhythm meets the vine.



Blue

Blue Curtain presents Fabiola Méndez and Her Band on July 19th

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Blue Curtain's free summer concert series continues on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 8:00pm with a performance by trailblazing Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, and Emmy-nominated composer Fabiola Méndez at the Pettoranello Gardens Amphitheater in Princeton.



bergenPAC

bergenPAC presents Hanson

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) presents Hanson on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:00pm. Over their first 28 years as the band Hanson, brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson have made a significant mark in music.



A

A Brother's Revival: Celebrating the Legendary Sound of the Allman Brothers Band Live at Drew University

(MADISON, NJ) -- Get ready to experience the timeless legacy of the Allman Brothers Band like never before, as A Brother's Revival takes the stage at Drew University Concert Hall on Thursday, September 19, 2025 at 8:00pm. This high-caliber tribute band honors the spirit and soul of one of America's most iconic rock groups with a performance brimming with power, precision, and heart.



Lizzie

Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House

(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 7:30pm. Griffin is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller. Touring and making records for over 20 years, House has a discography that includes over 13 albums.