From a walking tour of artwork to a jazz and blues music fest to a street fair, there’s lots of free fun to be had in September as the school year starts. Here are some of our favorite free finds this month:

Half Mile of Horses Artwork Downtown Freehold Borough There are 12 painted horse sculptures decorating Main Street. The display honors the equine heritage of Freehold Borough, home of the oldest half-mile horse racing track in the country. Stroll through downtown and vote for your favorite!

Firemen’s Fair Fair Haven Fire Department, Fair Haven There will be lots of seafood and chowder at this festival, plus rides, games, mini golf, raffles, and of course time well spent with local firemen and first responders.

Seward Johnson Sculptures New Brunswick Introduce your kids to 3D art and the legacy of the Seward Johnson family, which is featured at the nearby Grounds for Sculpture park. You may bump into these sculptures lining George Street and say “excuse me” thinking they are real people because they look so life-like!

Car Show and Food Truck Festival Rowan Boulevard, Glassboro Head to the downtown area to see 300 vehicles while listening to live music, hearing from DJ Pepper Paul 92.1, and enjoying great food trucks and cold craft beer.

Sip Shop Eat Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall, Paramus Friday – Saturday This two-day event features 50+ vendors, a curated selection of small, local businesses, immersive photo-ops, free beverages, a nail bar and more!

Bubble Show Pier Village, Long Branch This family-friendly interactive bubble show is right by the ocean! Look out for foam bubbles, smoke bubbles, bubble nets, giant bubbles and much more during 45 minutes of awesomeness.

BBQ & Touch-a-Truck McAfee Fire Department, McAfee Kids can try on firefighting gear and check out the trucks while the adults get some grub at the Bearded Baby Que food truck.

Labor Day Concert & Fireworks Main Street, Manasquan Head to the shore for a concert by Deep Six followed by fireworks sponsored by Osprey.

Tomato Festival West Cape May Celebrate one of New Jersey’s beloved fruits with lots of activities and food.

Rock the Block Roosevelt School, New Brunswick The first 500 students will get a free backpack. Plus, there will be free haircuts, face painting, games and more activities for kids.

Street Fair & Craft Show Downtown Nutley If you’re looking for something to do on the last unofficial Sunday of the summer, head out for artists, crafters, vendors, rides, games, live music and more.

Labor Day Live Music Broadwalk, Red Bank Tim McLoone will perform with Mountain Station as this weekend of live music keeps growing.

Check out these great Labor Day parades!

Nassau Street Sampler Princeton Stop by Dillon Gym for food and drink from local Princeton eateries, art-making activities, raffles and prizes, and musical performances by student groups. The fun continues with more art and activities at Princeton’s two downtown galleries, Art on Hulfish and Art@Bainbridge!

Moonlit Market Cream Ridge Grab a bite and stroll the market for some shopping. Dogs are welcome, too.

Dancing Under the Stars Hinds Plaza, Princeton Members of Central Jersey Dance will demonstrate basic steps and lead others in an evening of dancing to recorded music of all kinds.

Central Jersey Jazz Festival Flemington, New Brunswick, Metuchen + Somerville Acclaimed jazz musicians will perform throughout Central New Jersey in a series of concerts.

House Music Festival Weequahic Park, Newark Spend the day listening to a star-studded lineup of festive Caribbean soca music during the largest house music festival in New Jersey! The lineup includes DJ Punch, DJ T-Wise, Kevin Lyttle, Evelyn “Champagne” King, CeCe Rogers, DJ Hippie Torrales, DJ Dan Dan, The Basement Boys, Crystal Waters (of “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” fame), DJ Martin Gee and Joe Claussell. Enjoy food and craft vendors as well as rides for the kids at this family-friendly event.

Back to School Carnival The Learning Experience, Rivervale Join a morning full of fun activities: carnival games and prizes, spin-art, cotton candy, snow cones and other treats for the kids.

Ocean County Irish Festival Manahawkin Lake Park, Manahawkin Celebrate Irish heritage with step dancing, food, fun, games, craft vendors, Irish music and the Ocean County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums Band.

Rutgers Boardwalk Scarlet Way, Piscataway Before each Rutgers University Football home game, grab a bite at the food trucks, go on rides, win prizes and take in live entertainment. Kids can visit the balloon artist, photo booth, get an airbrush tattoo and play games. The cannon crew, the Scarlet Knight and his horse Excalibur, plus Sir Henry, will be on the boardwalk. The Miller Lite Beer Garden for fans 21 and older will take place at Athlete’s Glen across from SHI Stadium. There will be a parade and pep rally three hours before the game.

Insect Festival Mercer Educational Gardens, Hopewell Twp. “Bugs Need Homes, Too!” There will be educational activities for visitors of all ages, including the popular scavenger hunt and metamorphosis game. Other highlights include “Bugs in Water,” “Insect Hunt in the Meadow,” and Q&A with the Mercer County Horticulturist. Local environmental agencies and experts will offer displays and information. View the six demonstration gardens on-site and learn how different plants provide safe habitats for a wide variety of insects.

Giant Fall Flea Market Ocean Grove Put your walking shoes on, because there will be dozens of vendors lined up from the Great Auditorium to the ocean.

Hand Lettering Workshop METC Education Annex, Madison The Museum of Early Trades & Crafts is partnering with The Book Arts Roundtable to offer a hand lettering workshop. The session will include instruction on design and hand lettering of a small (4-inch by 6-inch) art project that can be framed.

Car Show & Blessing of the Autos Freehold Have you ever had your vehicle blessed? Enjoy music and activities all day, plus tons of raffle prizes.

“New Year’s” Parade Olde New Jersey Avenue, North Wildwood The top Mummers String Bands from the New Year’s Day Parade in Philadelphia will parade along Olde New Jersey Avenue, where you can get up-close views of the beautiful costumes and intricate dance steps. Come join in the fun and learn the famous Mummers Strut!

Chinese Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival Bridgewater Commons, Bridgewater Celebrate Chinese culture as 20 illuminated, handmade Chinese lanterns up to 10 feet high will hang throughout the mall on the first two levels. There will also be live dance performances in Center Court and lantern-making workshops at Community Hub on Main Level that will round out the week-long happenings.

Art All Day Downtown Somerville Coinciding with the Central Jersey Jazz Fest, local artists will be creating and selling original works and art activities for children will be presented. The Artisan Market will offer jewelry, paintings, drawings, photographs, ceramics, woodwork, art clothing, and a variety of other unique artworks.

Hot Rods for Heroes Classic Car Show Huddy Park, Highlands Bring the kids to check out antique, classic and custom hot rod cars. There will be food, crafters and vendor shopping around the park.

You can also attend a ceremony to mark the 21st anniversary of 9/11.

Mushrooms & Molds Virtual, courtesy of Hunterdon County Division of Parks & Recreation Did you know that a mushroom is more closely related to an animal than a plant? The Fungi kingdom contains over 144,000 species, including poisonous and edible mushrooms, molds that are made into medicine and molds that ruin wood structures, and yeast that is necessary for baking and brewing. This slideshow will introduce you to fungi and their interactions with plants, animals and humans.

New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention Wildwoods Convention Center, Wildwood Friday – Saturday The convention attracts thousands of firefighters and their families throughout New Jersey for equipment displays, meetings, seminars, vendors and a parade. Firetrucks and fire apparatus from around the state will be displayed in the Wildwoods Convention Center parking lots.

Bergen County’s Fall Harvest Festival Van Saun County Park, Paramus Friday – Sunday Over the course of three days, stop by for a midway, rides, food, a craft fair, exhibits, entertainment and live music.

New Jersey State Firemen’s Parade Wildwood Join firemen from around New Jersey for their annual parade, which starts at 2 pm at NJ Avenue and Cresse Road. Stay all day and watch fireworks on the beach at Pine Avenue at 9 pm.

Comfort Food Festival Toms River The street will be filled with food, vendors, handcrafters, kids’ activities, live entertainment and a beer and wine garden provided by Toms River Volunteer Fire Co. No 1. Local businesses, restaurants, breweries and distilleries will all be there.

YWCA Princeton Block Party YM/YWCA Princeton, Princeton Celebrate 100 years of the YWCA Princeton with a block party celebration. There will be family-friendly activities, local vendors and live music.

Open Space Pace Parade of Horses Main Street, Freehold Borough The parade kicks off the horse racing season at the Freehold Raceway. The day continues with harness horse racing, vendors, food trucks and tons of activities.

Arts After Dark Historic Smithville Park, Eastampton Join fellow art lovers for a mix of art, music, performances and more. Try an art activity, the artist and artisan Night Market, live entertainment, food and see current exhibitions all in one evening.

Flea Market RWJUH Hamilton, Hamilton Twp. Shop for new and used items during this giant annual flea market and rummage sale.

Latino Fest Freehold Borough Enjoy Latin food, music, games and entertainment.

Military Appreciation Ceremony Elmwood Cemetery, North Brunswick Support veterans by attending the “Never Forget” plaque dedication ceremony. The families of veterans and active military personnel are especially invited to gather in honor of their brave service. Ice cream will be served after the ceremony.

Community Day Bridgewater Commons, Bridgewater This free Community Day celebration will include music, touch-a-truck, food trucks, inflatables, artisans and tons of fun for the whole family.

Family Woodland Hike New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood If you’re looking for an easy, child-friendly hike, then stop by the garden’s woodlands where you’ll learn about the plants and animals around you in a hike designed to fit the group.

Audubon Autumn Nature Walk New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood Take your family for a walk through the gardens and fields looking for and identifying the migrating birds and butterflies that visit the garden. Learn about the many important trees, shrubs and plants that provide much-needed food and cover during migration.

Hispanic Heritage Month Woodbridge Main Library, Woodbridge Explore the African Diaspora in the Hispanic Caribbean with a focus on the music, food and language in a fun event celebrating Hispanic heritage.

AsburyFest Bradley Park, Asbury Park Come for festival food, music and more at AsburyFest, a three-day culinary event featuring live music, entertainment and children’s activities. Friday night’s admission is free, but Saturday’s and Sunday’s events are $3 per person.

Dancing Under the Stars Hinds Plaza, Princeton Members of Central Jersey Dance will demonstrate basic steps and lead others in an evening of dancing to recorded music of all kinds.

Woofstock Voorhees Voorhees Animal Orphanage presents its 26th annual Woofstock Festival, its largest annual fundraiser. There will be vendors, food trucks, dog demonstrations, music, animal rescue groups, a humongous raffle basket pavilion and more!

Touch-a-Truck with Author/Firefighter Superdome Sports, Fair Lawn Local author and Fair Lawn volunteer firefighter Berlando Drake will celebrate the release of her new children’s picture book “Gurty the Goose Leads the Flock” with a special book reading, Touch-a-Truck, face painting and fun fall activities.

PorchFest Newark This free family-friendly event will feature professional and amateur performing and visual artists, as well as food trucks serving a variety of refreshments, in the Historic Forest Hill neighborhood. Enjoy a full afternoon of entertainment, food and fun that kicks off with a special children’s hour. Neighbors make their beautiful porches available to serve as community stages showcasing an extraordinary range of talented artists.

Seafarers Celebration Sunset Lake and Centennial Park, Wildwood Enjoy a massive street festival during the day, featuring craft and food vendors, children’s entertainment, live music and more. At night the event moves to Centennial Park for live music and a fireworks show.

Jazz & Roots Music Festival Kean University, Union The community is invited to enjoy a free evening of professional jazz, blues and reggae in a beautiful outdoor setting. The festival will include the Kean University Jazz Ensemble; five-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves (the headliner); Blues People; Don Braden and Karl Latham – Big Fun(k); and Judah Tribe with Josh David The struggle of the Children of the African diaspora is expressed through the music of the soul-reggae band.

Arts Festival Chestnut Street and Grant Avenue, Roselle Park Included in the day and evening are dance performances, street artists creating their art live, and a juried Art Walk with dozens of artists and artisan crafters exhibiting and selling their work. ​Plus, enjoy musical performances throughout the day, hands-on activities for children and adults alike, including crafts, chalk drawing, painting, string art and much, much more. Food trucks and vendors will be on hand to offer a bit of culinary art.

Boating in Bridgewater Bridgewater Commons, Bridgewater Kids ages 5 – 18 can take the challenge of constructing a boat out of paper with the goal of it floating in a tub of water for 30 seconds. Boats must also support additional mass from one side of the tub to the other.

Boonton Day Boonton Come on down for a day of food, entertainment and fun! Meet local businesses and organizations while seeing all Boonton has to offer. There will be food trucks, vendors and inflatables.

Central Jersey Kids Expo Children and parents alike will have fun at the Central Jersey Kids Expo. There will be children’s activities, entertainment and shopping specials. Hosted by Central Jersey Newspapers.

Fall Family Street Fest Midland Avenue, Garfield The street will be closed to vehicle traffic during the event and will be transformed into a giant block party. There will be quality exhibitors selling a selection of assorted items, a special arts and crafts section, live entertainment, kiddie rides and games, great festival foods and food trucks, and so much more.

Old Time Italian Festival Fox Park, Wildwood Experience an “Olde World” family festival, including a procession of the saints, delicious Italian food favorites, merchandise vendors, games and continuous free live entertainment. A spaghetti-eating contest will take place as well. Friday night live entertainment features Vito Picone & The Elegants (“Little Star”).

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