Memorial Day is also the unofficial beginning of summer in New Jersey with the Jersey Shore beach communities coming alive with activities.
Many of these activities include music festivals, ethnic festivals, fireworks, auto racing events and special events geared to the celebration of summer. Here are some of the events and parades this weekend:
Allentown May 27, 10:30 am
Bloomingdale and Butler May 27, 9 am
Freehold May 27, 9:45 am
Glassboro May 27, 10 am
Glen Ridge May 27, 11 am
Hawthorne May 27, 12 pm service, 1:30 parade
Hightstown-East Windsor May 27, 9 am
Hillsborough May 25, 10 am
Ho-Ho-Kus May 27, 10:30 am
Lakehurst May 27, 7-11 am
Lawrence Township May 25, 10 am
Maplewood May 27, 10 am
Middlesex Borough May 27, 10 am
Millburn Twp. May 27, 11 am
Morris Plains May 25, 9 am
Neptune May 27, 10 am
New Providence May 27, 10 am
Newton May 27, 10 am
Oakland May 26, 1 pm
Old Tappan May 27, 9 am
Roselle Park May 27, 10 am
Summit May 27, 10 am
Union May 27, 10 am
Vineland May 27, 9am
Wayne May 27, 10 am
Woodland Park May 27, 11 am
Wyckoff May 27, 11:30 am
Ocean County
5/26 Barnegat Lighthouse Night Climb
7pm – 9pm
Join the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse for their Night Climb. Space is limited! Arrive early.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Barnegat Light
609-494-2016
5/26 Salute to Our Veterans
40 Modifieds, Crate Modifieds, Street Stocks, 4-Cylinders, Rookie Sportsman, & GSVSCC
New Egypt Speedway
609-758-1900
Sail On, the Beach Boys Tribute
5/26: 5pm & 8pm
5/27: 8pm
The band focuses on performing songs by America’s Band, The Beach Boys, to sheer perfection. Members of Sail On have performed with musicians from Brian Wilson’s band, The Zombies, Earth Wind and Fire, Cheap Trick, Mark Lindsay and produced recordings for Micky Dolenz.
Surflight Theatre, Beach Haven
609-492-9477
5/26 – 5/27 Jersey Shore Pirate Adventures
Memorial Day Weekend Special
Sail with Jersey Shore Pirates on the Metedeconk River as they bring the most unique form of family entertainment to the NJ Shore area. Once on board, the mates will participate in an interactive treasure hunt on the high seas. They will learn the rules of the Sea Gypsy pirate ship, read a treasure map, discover a secret message in a bottle, and work as a team to defeat the enemy pirate who has stolen the keys to their treasure. 732-899-6100
5/27 Garden State Comic Fest: Great Adventure Edition
10:30am – 6pm
Garden State Comic Fest has teamed up with Six Flags Great Adventure again to bring you a fun-filled mini-con. Kick off with Super Hero Summer with comics, collectibles, artists and some of the best DC Comics cosplay around, all set with the backdrop of DC Comics themed roller coasters. Special Guest Appearance: Dean Cain