4th of July Events at the Jersey Shore in 2012

There’s so much to do on the holiday weekend at the Jersey Shore. No matter where you are, you can find a festival, parade or fireworks display that you can enjoy. So take a break from the barbeques and check out some of the events happening over the entire 4th of July week:

HOLIDAY WEEK KICK-OFF

To kick things off, Saturday June 30 the Tuckerton Seaport hosts the 10th Annual Red Wine & Blues between 3pm-8pm: An afternoon of wine tasting from New Jersey’s finest wineries plus live blues music, crafters, vendors, food, boat rides and lots of fun. All visitors will get a complimentary Seaport wine glass.

This weekend runs the Asbury Park Jazz Festival in Bradley Park. Schedule is Saturday June 30 Noon-10pm and Sunday July 1 Noon-8m. It’s the longest running Jazzfest in the area! (24 years) Featuring: Jazz on Saturday, Blues on Sunday, Beer and Wine garden, 20+ Local food vendors, crafts, art and specialty gifts, children activities and it’s all FREE.

EARLY FIREWORKS:

Sunday July 1: Lavallette at Centennial Gardens and Gazebo (Bay Blvd & Philadelphia Ave), 9pm.
Tuesday July 3: Manasquan at Main St & 1st Ave. Rain date July 7th.

4TH OF JULY EVENTS

The marquee event of Independence Day is probably Oceanfest, a fantastic family celebration of the 4th of July held on the Promenade in Long Branch! This full day festival is held along the beach, stretching from the Ocean Place Resort & Spa to Seven Presidents Park. It features a large variety of food, live musical entertainment, children’s entertainment, vendors, arts & crafts and more. The finale is a spectacular fireworks displays that is one of the largest at the Jersey Shore.

Morning Parades:

Ocean Grove Fourth of July Parade from 10:30am
North Wildwood Independence Day Parade. Parade begins at 9:00am at 15th & Atlantic Ave and proceeds north to 1st Ave. Prized awarded for best decorated bikes, strollers and wagons in Red-White-Blue theme

Evening Fun and Fireworks:

Stone Harbor Fireworks and Band Concert. Starting 9am with a Sand Sculpture Contest, Hoy’s Candy Scramble, foot races, slow bike race, and much more! The celebration continues in the evening beginning at 6pm with live music, food and fireworks at 9:30
Ocean City Fourth of July Celebration. Kite flying competition at 5pm followed by entertainment. A spectacular fireworks display off 9th Street beach tops off the evening
Point Pleasant Beach 4th of July Fireworks at dusk on Jenkinson’s Boardwalk
Wildwood Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on the Beach at Pine Avenue, 10pm
Seaside Heights Fourth of July Fireworks Extravaganza: Spectacular fireworks display on the beach at 9:30pm
Keansburg Amusement Park has spectacular free fireworks both Tuesday and Wednesday

MORE FIREWORKS

Thursday July 5: Brick at Windward Beach Park at 9pm
Friday July 6: Atlantic Highlands Harbor Fireworks at 9:30pm

WRAPPING THINGS UP

To end the holiday week, there’s even more great events at the Jersey Shore:

Saturday July 7 it’s the Middletown Jazz & Blues Festival, a free day of music and festivities. The fun starts at 11 am and runs through the day, til 8 pm. There will be continuous music on the main stage, alternating jazz and blues, by some of our most energetic and engaging local bands.

Saturday and Sunday it’s the Wildwood Crest Fourth of July FREEdom Festival at the Gazebo at Rambler Rd & Ocean Ave, 9am-5pm, with crafters of all kinds, food, live entertainment, children’s activities. FREE concerts will take place at Centennial Park, 7:30-9:30pm

Also Saturday and Sunday it’s the Wildwood Maritime Festival with a display of various Maritime Museums and organizations at the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse. There will be vendors, food, music, children’s activities and guided tours.

Finally, over the July 7-8 weekend, Margate hosts Beachstock 2012, The Planet’s Biggest Beach Party. Take tunes and tides, throw in some sun, sand and surf, then mix in more than music, family-friendly activities and fabulous food and spread it all out for 12 hours. Live bands, food and beer garden, Water Balloon Toss, Hula Hoop Contest, Potato Sack Races, Sand Sculpting, Face Painting, Surfing Classes, Bocce and more. Runs 10:30am-10pm.

If you’re looking to rent a house at the shore, check out ShoreVacations.com, Jersey Shore’s biggest vacation rentals resource. It lists hundreds of rental homes and condos from Sandy Hook all the way down to Cape May (including Belmar, Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, Ocean City, Long Beach Island, Atlantic City or the Wildwoods). It’s a one-stop website for planning your Jersey Shore vacation, featuring beach information, weather updates and more! And of course, it has a full list of all the Jersey Shore events this year.