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Weekend Fun: Dino Day, Sesame Street Live, Earth Day Festivals

Head to the Morris Museum on Saturday for Dino Day! Photo courtesy of the museum
Head to the Morris Museum on Saturday for Dino Day! Photo courtesy of the museum
4/23/19 - By Laurie Rein

On your mark, get set for one of the busiest weekends this year to date! April's final weekend is jam-packed with Earth Day celebrations, festivals, street fairs, concerts, and more. 

Party for our planet at Earth Day festivals in Jersey City, Tenafly, Mountainside, and throughout Monmouth County. Learn about healthy habits while having fun at both Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA and Fairview Lake YMCA Healthy Kids Day events.

Spring festival season is well underway this weekend with bustling festivities like Rutgers Day, Smithville's Renaissance Faire, Morris County Park Palooza, and the Cranford Street Fair. And kick back to live music at Rockin' for Autism and the Laurita Bacon Festival. 

Find even more weekend options in our Spring Guide, including where to see Baby Animals and More at Family-Friendly NJ Farms. And look to our April GoList and event calendar for a complete listing of happenings this weekend and beyond.

 

 

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic comes to New Brunswick this weekend. Photo courtesy of the production
Sesame Street Live! Make Your Magic comes to New Brunswick this weekend. Photo courtesy of the production

All Weekend

Sesame Street Live: Make Your Magic

New Brunswick
Experience the magic of Sesame Street Live. When magician extraordinaire Justin visits Sesame Street to put on a magic show for the whole neighborhood, Elmo wants to be part of the big event. But there’s one problem…Elmo doesn’t know how to do magic. READ MORE

Laurita Bacon Festival

New Egypt
Immerse yourself in everything bacon at this festival that includes live bands, face painting, fire pits, gourmet food trucks, and all kinds of bacon concoctions.  READ MORE

Cape May Spring Festival

Cape May
The beachside town of Cape May hosts four days of family-friendly activities, from trolley tours to boat rides to indoor activities.  READ MORE
Rutgers Day features free fun at all three of the university's campuses. Photo by Laurie Rein
Rutgers Day features free fun at all three of the university's campuses. Photo by Laurie Rein

Saturday, April 27

Rutgers Day- CANCELED

New Brunswick – FREE
Rutgers Day is the university’s annual welcome and show-and-tell for New Jersey residents of all ages. The event, which celebrates its 12th anniversary this year, offers more than 600 free demonstrations, interactive activities and performances. READ MORE

Jersey City Earth Day Celebration

Jersey City – FREE
Liberty State Park is the place to be this weekend for food, a 5K fun run, crafts, health-screenings, Kid's Kingdom and a family-friendly fair.   READ MORE

The Velveteen Rabbit at Paper Mill Playhouse

Millburn
Paper Mill Playhouse presents this classic story of a young boy’s love and a little nursery magic that help transform the Velveteen Rabbit from a favorite plaything into a real rabbit. READ MORE

Dino Day at the Morris Museum- CANCELED

Morristown
This weekend, travel back in time to when dinosaurs roamed New Jersey. Kids can handle real fossils, meet a dinosaur expert, participate in a hunt for fossils in the Museum's dig pit, and make dinosaur-related crafts in the museum's galleries. READ MORE

Renaissance Faire at Historic Smithville

Smithville – FREE
Players with the New Jersey Renaissance Faire transform the Village into the Shire of Smithville in the heart of the English Renaissance, where the good Duke of Northumberland has decreed a weekend of merriment for all his guests. READ MORE

Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Scotch Plains – FREE
Stop by the YMCA and enjoy free games, food, bounce houses, STEM projects, open swim, activities and demos that promote healthy learning and practices for the entire family.  READ MORE

Northern Valley Earth Fair

Tenafly – FREE
Come discover all things green and sustainable at the 6th Annual Northern Valley Earth Fair. This Earth Day event will feature green exhibitors, electric vehicles, live music, children’s activities, educational presentations, live animals, food trucks, Tenafly Nature Center shows, bee demonstrations by MEVO, organic foods, animal education/rescue, environmental preservation and more.  READ MORE

Morris County Park Palooza

Morristown
Enjoy a day outdoors with 20+ food trucks, a biergarten, live music, free face painting and games for kids, fun activities for adults provided by Jersey Club Sports, and more. READ MORE

Arbor Day "Tree Jamboree" Celebration

Bridgewater – FREE
Bridgewater's Arbor Day Celebration marks the town's achievement as a Tree City USA community for the 23rd consecutive year. Honor the day with family-friendly festivities, including live performance, refreshments, stories, crafts and more.  READ MORE

Earth Day Celebration

Various Locations – FREE
Join Monmouth County Park System staff as they celebrate Earth Day at several parks throughout the county: Earth Day is one of the best times of the year to get back outside and into nature either by yourself or with family and friends.  READ MORE

Sunday, April 28

Wild Earth Fest

Mountainside
The Trailside Nature and Science Center hosts a full day of environmental festivities including live animals, music, face painting, crafts, giveaways, vendors, a Touch-a-Truck event, wildlife photography contest and Environmental Hero Awards.  READ MORE

New Jersey Ballet's Cinderella

Englewood
The classic fairy tale comes to life on the Bergen PAC stage with lavish sets, costumes and performers from New Jersey Ballet. READ MORE

Touch-A-Truck

Mountainside
Climb aboard a variety of public safety vehicles at the Watchung Reservation Lower Loop parking lot.  READ MORE

Rockin' for Autism- CANCELED

Fanwood – FREE
Rock out to live music from local bands, a DJ and dance performances at this 5th annual festival. The event raises money for autism research. Bruce Springsteen tribute band, The BStreetBand, will headline 12 musical acts for a full day of great music, food and fun. READ MORE

Healthy Kids Day

Newton – FREE
Come to Fairview Lake and celebrate health and well-being. The day will be filled with fun, active programs as well as many local vendors that promote healthy living. READ MORE

Cranford Street Fair

Cranford – FREE
Delicious food, handcrafted items, live music, and so much more make for a memorable  festival at this walkable celebration in downtown Cranford.  READ MORE

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