The Best Central Jersey Family Festivals and Events

These popular Central Jersey family festivals and events occur at venues in all corners of Central NJ and have wide appeal with families with kids.

The Central Jersey family festivals feature festivals and events with special themes and are known for having good music, food, entertainment, skilled artisans and performers, fun activities, crafts, and more!

Note: This information is provided by event sponsors as a free service to our viewers. Sometimes conditions require cancellations or changes of dates, times and location which are not reflected in the original schedule. Before planning a trip to visit one of the listed events, it is suggested that you call the event sponsor to confirm the event schedule or for additional information on the event.

Multi-date 2019 Central Jersey Christmas Events

Holiday in the Park
Runs weekends and select days now through January 1, 2020
Six Flags
1 Six Flags Blvd.
Jackson, NJ 08527
Website & Tickets
This event features a holiday season with stunning light shows, illuminated, towering trees, the iconic smell of fresh pine and crisp peppermint filling the air and festive street vendors offer sweet and savory treats providing a multi-sensory journey of winter delights. Kids can join Santa in his workshop for a fun photo opportunity. Regardless of the weather forecast, a touch of magic ensures that snowflakes fall gently every evening.

Magic of Lights at PNC Bank Arts Center
Now thru January 4, 2020; Sunday - Thursday: Dusk to 10pm & Friday & Saturday: Dusk to 11pm
PNC Bank Arts Center
Exit 116
Garden State Parkway
Holmdel, NJ
Website/Tickets
Cost: $20-$30, standard vehicle
This popular Holiday event features more than a mile of festival and vibrant light displays celebrating the joy of the holidays. Experience the drive-through from the comfort of your car! At every turn, and in every direction, the magical route is overflowing with spectacular light displays and animations. Multiple holiday themes come to life with hundreds of sparking lights.

Polar Express
Trips run December 1,6,7,8,13,14,15,20,21,22; Friday 6 & 8 pm, Saturday 2,4,6,& 8 pm, Sunday 2,4,6 pm
Lehigh Junction
99 Elizabeth St.
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
877-872-4674
Website
Cost: Child $32.00 ( ages 2 to 12), Adult $42.00
Train Ride departs from Lehigh Junction located in the Historic Main Street area of Phillipsburg. On the train you will re-live the experience of the little boy in The Polar Express. The story focuses on a little boy who has been told by his friends that there is no Santa Claus. Unwilling to believe this, he lies awake in his bed on Christmas Eve, waiting for the sound of Santa's sleigh. Instead, he hears the hissing steam and squeaking metal of the Polar Express as it stops outside his window, ready to take him and other children to the North Pole. During your ride you will listen to this wonderful story, every child will be served hot chocolate and cookies Families are encouraged to wear their pajamas for the ride and join in on the magic of Christmas.

Jenkinson's Aquarium Sea of Lights Holiday Festival
December 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, and 27, 28, 2019: from 6-9pm.
Jenkinson's Aquarium
300 Ocean Ave.
Point Pleasant, NJ
732-892-0600
Website
This annual Holiday festival features the Aquarium done up with the holiday spirit with hundreds festive lights and decorations, plus make and take crafts, face painting, even a scuba diving Santa and other special guests from the coolest new animated movie.

December 2019 Central New Jersey Family Festivals And Events

Anamnesis - a suite of dance, story, poetry, & song
December 15, 2019; 1pm - 4pm
Grounds For Sculpture
80 Sculptors Way
Hamilton NJ, NJ 08619
Web Site
Contact: Rena Perrone, 609-586-0616, : info@groundsforsculpture.org
Event Cost: Free with park admission.
Join The Duniya Collective for anamnesis: a suite of movement work, poetry, community story, music, and gathered gestures in conversation with the exhibition, Interference Fringe | TALLUR L.N. In this perambulatory experience, audience members migrate with the performers throughout the gallery as they consider the works featured in Ground For Sculpture's Domestic Arts Building through the complicated lens of memory.
This performance is the culmination of donia salem harhoor's residency, which explored the mechanics and mysteries of recollection through research and embodied investigation. Personal, collective, cultural, and historical memory are considered, along with erasure and disremembering. Individual artworks in the exhibition, along with the relationships between the pieces, are examined in this light. The Duniya Collective is: Rani Angel, Madhusmita Bora, donia salem harhoor, Tanmayee Hazarika, Kaveri Kalawar, Kakoli Ghosh-Mukherjee, Yamini Pathak, Sansthita Pattanaik, & Roshni Thakur.

Patriots Week
December 25 - 31, 2019
101 Barrack St.
Trenton, NJ 08608
Website
609-393-8998
This family event commemorates and recognizes Trenton's unique and pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. A role that has shaped some of the very streets and buildings that can still be seen standing today as they were in 1776. The festival is anchored by the historically-accurate re-enactments of the Battles of Trenton on the very streets where they took place, as well as lectures by historians and topic experts, immersive demonstrations, tours, educational activities for children, reenactments, or musical entertainment. This year use your holiday break for a fun & history-filled family staycation! With over 70 events taking place during the six-day period it's easy for families and history aficionados to spend a few days in Central New Jersey this December.

Polar Bear Races, Asbury Park, NJ
December 28, 2019; 9am - Noon
Asbury Park Boardwalk
1300 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, New Jersey 07712
Web Site
Contact: Erin O'Neill, Email: erinoneill1111@gmail.com
Event Cost: $10 - $ 30
This event featgures a celebration of the 56th Anniversary of the Asbury Park Polar Bear Races! The event includes a 10-mile racewalk, a 1-mile kids run, and a 5k race.
SCHEDULE
8:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Registration and Bib Pick Up
9:00 AM: 10 Mile Race Walk and 5 Mile Heart Walk
10:30 AM: 1 Mile Kids Run
11:00 AM: 5K Run
12:00 PM: Awards
AWARDS
All runners get a complimentary race t-shirt 1st Place Male and Female finishers get a POLAR GLOBAL Watch Top 3 Male and Female finishers Age group winners

Hogmanay Bonfire
December 31, 2019, 6 pm to 8 pm
Great Meadow behind the Brearley House
100 Meadow Road
Lawrenceville, NJ
609-895-1728
Website
Celebrate the coming New Year with this Scottish tradition. Toss all of last year's bad memories into the fire symbolizing a clean break with all that went wrong in the old year. A bagpiper will be onsite to entertain the crowd and the house will be open. Paper and pencils will also be available for you to write down all the bad things from the previous year that you wish to toss into the fire. You are also invited to prepare a list in advance and bring it to the fire.
Parking Information!!! Parking will be offsite at the Prism complex on Lenox Drive. Visitors are asked to enter the lot at the light on Princeton Pike and Lenox Drive. Follow the road to one of the rear lots, where you can either walk a lighted trail to Brearley House or board a shuttle bus

January 2020 Central New Jersey Family Festivals And Events

Annual Sons of Ireland Polar Bear Plunge
January 1, 2020
Convention Hall
1300 Ocean Avenue
Asbury Park, NJ 07712
732.897.881
Website
Looking for an unusual way to begin the New Year with a splash? Event features the plunge into the ocean, a Bagpipe March to Beach, Food and Entertainment. Proceeds from this event support local charities.
Every year, 2 Local charites are chosen to be the sole beneficiaries of every penny raised.

New Jersey RV & Camping Show
January 17, 18, 19, 2020
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center
97 Sunfield Ave.
Edison, NJ 08837
804-243-8847
Website
This show features the latest makes and models of recreational vehicles from all the nation's top manufacturers. Special factory rebates, financing, and on the spot loan approval makes this show a cannot miss for the serious RV enthusiasts!
The show will feature all kinds of industry vendors, along with campgrounds, tow vehicles, seminars, and everything you may need for your next RV vacation.

Lambertville New Hope Winter Festival
January 18 - 26, 2020
Downtown Lambertviille, NJ
Website
This popular winter event features activities and events that provide a healthy, invigorating cold-weather experience in the river town communities of Lambertville and New Hope to demonstrate that that these communities are alive and well in the winter months with exciting and diverse activities raise funds and awareness for local non-profit organizations. These family events are held at a variety on venues in the two communities and includes live music, hikes & tours, ice sculptures, snow folk art and a parade.

Evil Expo
January 24, 25, 26, 2020
Radisson of Piscataway
21 Kingsbridge Rd.
Piscataway Township, NJ 08854
Website
732-980-0400
All ages are welcome
This event features a celebration of joyous villainy! Enter the world of rogues, miscreants, ne'er do wells, and other glorious scoundrels. as Darth Vader points out, it's never too early to learn the Dark Side.

February 2020 Central New Jersey Family Festivals And Events

Champions of Magic
February 2, 2020: 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Union County Performing Arts Center
1601 Irving St.
Rahway, NJ 07065
732-499-8226
Website / Tickets
The five world-class illusionists that make up this mind-bending theatrical production are back on tour in 2019, following sell-out shows across the globe, rave reviews and a run in London's West End. With more than 30 million online views between them, this cast of top magicians includes international award-winners presenting incredible mind reading, stunning close-up magic and daring large-scale illusions. Their skills have been seen on screen around the world with appearances on The CW's 'Penn & Teller: Fool Us', NBC's 'Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon', 'The Today Show' & 'Access Hollywood Live'.

Super Pet Expo
February 7, 8, 9, 2020; (Feb 7: 3:00pm — 8:00pm, Feb 8: 10:00am — 7:00pm &Feb 9: 10:00am — 5:00pm)
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center
97 Sunfield Ave.
Edison, NJ 08837
Website / Tickets
Tickets: One Day Adult (12+) $13.00. One Day Child (4-11) $8.00. Weekend Pass (Adult) $20.00. Weekend Pass (Child) $10.00. Kids 3 & Under Free (one per adult). Pets are welcome.
The Super Pet Expo is the largest pet shopping extravaganza on the east coast. The show features 2,000 dogs, cats and an occasional pig, pony, parrot or iguana with over 20,000 pet lovers in attendence. In addition to luring courses, rabbit agility, dog training sessions, a best dressed pet competition and Repticon, visitors will enjoy the expertise of 200 exhibitors addressing pet adoption, pet care and health, grooming, food, and daycare. An exceptional array of creative pet gifts, treats, fashion, grooming accessories and toys will be for sale.

Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge
February 22, 2020; @ 1pm
50 Blaine Ave.
Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
Website / Registration
Each year, the Polar Bear Plunge at Seaside challenges thousands of brave jumpers from around the state. It's a great way for everyone--individuals, teams, organizations and businesses--to get involved supporting Special Olympics New Jersey. All funds raised go towards programming and events for more than 26,000 athletes statewide.

Annual Highlands Chili Cook-Off
February 23, 2020; 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Bahrs Landing Restaurant
2 Bay Ave.
Highlands, NJ 07732
732-291-4713
Website
Tickets: $30
Enjoy sampling of a variety of chilis, two beer tickets and two voting ballots. Proceeds benefit the 2020 St. Patrick's Day Parade. Performances by Daly's Irish Dancers and Pipe bands.