New Jersey Events October 20 – 22, 2023
Hello Fall! It’s time for cooler weather, apple cider donuts, pumpkin picking and so much more. New Jersey has a lot of great festivals and events this weekend including Oktoberfests, restaurant weeks, free activities, and much more. Check out our list of the top New Jersey events from October 20 -22, 2023.
Always check the weather and the event links before you attend in case of cancellations and rescheduling.
For more New Jersey events throughout the year, check out our Event Guide.
For more New Jersey adventures and New Jersey Events, be sure to follow along on Instagram, @newjerseyisntboring, and Insta Stories! Don’t forget to tag your own NJ fun with #NJisntBoring.
New Jersey Events October 20 – 22:
Featured Events!!
Boo at the Boardwalk
October 21, 22, 28 & 29, 12 pm – 4 pm
There will be crafts, face painting, beach maze, underwater pumpkin carving, limited kiddie rides & more!
Jenkinson’s Boardwalk, 300 Ocean Ave, Point Pleasant, NJ
Jersey City Beer Fest
October 21, 2 sessions
The highly anticipated Jersey City Craft Beer Fest is back on October 21st, promising an unforgettable celebration of craft beer, camaraderie, and delectable fare. Attendees will have the chance to explore an impressive array of brews from local craft breweries and international beer-makers.. New Jersey Isn’t Boring readers can receive 40% off with code NJIB. This beer lover’s paradise is your passport to a world of flavors. With over 100 different samples available, visitors can embark on a delightful journey of discovery, engage with brewery representatives, and savor everything from cherished local brews to international delights. All of this unfolds against the stunning backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
Harborside Atrium, 210 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
Cost: $70, $15 DD. Save 40% with code NJIB.
Happy Day Farm’s Fall Festival
Now – October 29
This popular fall event features over 35 family activities including tractor rides, a sunflower maze, pig races, a kid-friendly feeding zoo, a fun slide for thrill-seekers, and more!
Happy Day Farm, 106 Iron Ore Rd, Manalapan Township, NJ
Cost: Tickets are required to enter all areas of the farm, Fri – Sun ($27 per person, includes NJ sales tax).
Skylands Stadium Jack O’Lantern Experience
Now – November 5
This 30-day event guarantees thrills and chills for the whole family! Enjoy seasonal food and drinks, carnival rides, pumpkin picking/painting, and a stroll through over 6,000 hand-carved Jack-O-Lanterns in the crisp fall air with family and friends.
Skylands Stadium, 94 Championship Pl. Augusta, NJ
Cost: $19 – $24
Great Adventure’s Fright Fest/Kids Boo Fest
Select Dates now – October 31
This year Six Flags Great Adventure theme park will be celebrating 30 years of Fright Fest. The notorious event returns with 30 nights of a thrilling experience from eight heart-racing haunted houses, six terrifying scare zones and four ghoulishly entertaining shows. And there’s something for the whole family. Kids Boo Fest is open on the weekends starting Sept. 16 through Oct. 29. Six Flags theme park will be decorated in its fall finest with mums, pumpkins, cornstalks and hay bales. Attractions include trick-or-treating in Cornstalk National Park, the Hunt for Boo, fun-filled wagon rides, and a live show called Witch’s Brew.
Six Flags Great Adventure, 1 Six Flags Boulevard Jackson, NJ
Cost: Varies
Addams Fest
Now – October 31
The town-wide celebration of Charles Addams, the creator of the Addams Family, is returning with old favorites and new surprises. The event includes art galleries, window displays, tours, an ale garden, a masquerade ball and so much more.
Westfield, NJ
Cost: Varies
Halloween Light Show at Demarest Farms
October 19 – 31
See the largest light show in NJ on a guided drive-through tour of brilliant Halloween light displays. Stop by the farm to enjoy goodies from the market and warm up by the fire pits with make-your-own s’mores and hot cocoa.
244 Wierimus Road, Hillsdale, NJ
Cost: $35 per car
Gardens Aglow Presby Memorial Iris
October 20, 6 pm – 9 pm
View the gardens at dusk as they come to life with artfully carved jack-o-lanterns supplied by local high school art departments. Enjoy a glass of cider at sunset while watching the gardens glow! Activities, entertainment, a mad science show and refreshments will be on-going throughout the event.
474 Upper Mountain Ave., Upper Montclair, NJ
Cost: Free
Annual Ghoul Spring Village
October 20 & 21, 5:30 pm
This event is a family-friendly haunted walk-thru for young and old alike. Proceeds benefit HCSV Foundation, a non-profit living history museum. Join in as they pierce the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
Historic Cold Spring Village, 720 US 9, Cape May, NJ
Cost: $5 for children and adults. $3 for hayride
Fear In The Forest
October 20 & 21 (Open at dark, closes at 10 pm)
This family-owned and operated Haunted Attraction is Hidden Deep in the woods of Pemberton Township, NJ. As you turn off of NJ State Route 70 and go through creepy dark cranberry bog roads, keep a look out for the Jersey Devil, and More! This DARK DARK ride through the bogs and into the woods will give you goosebumps, but keep an eye on the road one WRONG TURN will lead you into the middle of nowhere with no way out. Be sure to follow the bones to the CABIN IN THE WOODS where the Frights and Fears will begin. The Ghosts and Ghouls of this Family Blueberry farm will come out of nowhere, so make sure you watch your back, you never know what’s about to attack. If you make it from your car to the ticket booth make sure you look out for RELLIK and CHAOS there is no holding them back. Once your group leaves with the tour guide there is NO TURNING BACK. As you walk even further in the woods watch you step and don’t leave your group or you may never see them again. If you survive the walk through be sure to gather at the Cabin for Music and Food.
182 City Line Road, Pemberton, NJ
Cost: $20
Night of Frights
October 20 & 21
Enjoy the village grounds and historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries…visit with our ghosts, ghouls, and monsters. Storytelling at the Chapel; a special night out at the Blacksmith Shop; the Manager’s House with fortune-telling for your entertainment; Mr. Allaire’s Macabre House; the Carriage House with legendary spirits; the towering four-story shadows of the General Store stocked with seasonal goods; and don’t forget treats at the Bakery plus our very own Haunted Food Truck! In the dark of the night, from woods to historic homes, the Historic Village at Allaire takes on a twist for the Halloween season. Costumed ghouls, Glow In The Dark Bubble Witch Show, & Fire Juggler. All with varied activities we welcome children, families, and adults of all ages
Historic Village at Allaire, 4263 Atlantic Avenue, Wall Township, NJ
Cost: Adult $18, Child $12
Brookdale Haunted Theater
October 20 – 22
Brookdale’s annual Haunted Theater – designed, built and run by current and former students – is a delightfully scary, tormented trip through evil creatures, ghouls and ghosts, bloody body parts, and more. The popular Haunted Theater redefines “stage fright” for its many visitors during the walking tour of a maze of blood-chilling rooms.
Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center, 765 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft, NJ
Cost: $20
Annual Sussex County Harvest Honey and Garlic Festival
October 21, 10 am – 4 pm
This family festival is a celebration of agritourism, ecotourism and arts & heritage tourism. The Festival will include local artisans, crafters and vendors plus displays highlighting northern New Jersey’s great open spaces and natural history. For kids there’ll be a hay ride, pumpkin painting, face painting and crafts.
Sussex County Fairgrounds, 37 Plains Road, Branchville, NJ
Cost: Free
Stomp the Monster Spooktacular Almost 4 Mile Run Run & Walk
October 21, 11 am
100% of the proceeds will go to patients battling cancer. This unique, SPOOKTACULAR ALMOST 4-Mile Course starts on the north end of the Manasquan boardwalk, known by locals as “Sea Watch” named for the historic lifeguard station at the corner of 1st and Ocean Avenues. After a full mile of ocean views along the boardwalk, runners will find themselves hugging the historic Manasquan Inlet with full views of the river. finishing at historic Leggett’s, a Manasquan staple since 1935. If 4 miles is just too much, they will have a 2-mile walk course (start and finish are the same as the run course).! And as always the after-party continued at Leggetts Sand Bar with the endless buffet, raffles & costume prizes
Leggett’s Sand Bar, 217 1st Ave, Manasquan, NJ
Cost: $30, Register in advance
BOO Brew by the Bay
October 21, 12 pm – 5 pm
The Seafarer, 1 Atlantic Ave., Highlands, will host the 2023 BOO Brew by the Bay on Saturday, October 21st, from 12-5PM. (Rain date 22nd) The tasting takes place on the picturesque waterfront; tickets are $40.00 and include seven 4oz. tastings and a pint of craft beer and a commemorative pilsner cup for the first 250 participants. Additional tastings can be purchased at the event for $3. Participating breweries include, Artis Brewing, Belford Brewing Co., Birdsmouth Beer, Carton Brewing, Grin Brewing, Jersey Cyclone Brewing Co., Last Wave Brewing, Ross Brewing, Twin Lights Brewery, Wild Air Beerworks and Yale Terrace Brewery. Each brewery will be serving 2 beers to sample. Live music, fire pits and delicious cuisine from Local Smoke BBQ. Tickets available online at https://highlandsnj.wufoo.com/forms/m140add1lp2t1p/, or at the door the day of the event.
The Seafarer, 1 Atlantic Ave., Highlands, NJ
Cost: $40
New Jersey Oyster Festival
October 21, 12 pm – 6 pm
This event features local oyster purveyors featuring their oysters. Taste them all and vote for your favorite for the People’s Choice Award! If you’re more surf than turf, they will have local food trucks serving delicious choices for you. The activities and vendors include a Shucking Contest! Vendors! Brewing companies! Wine! Silent Auction! Special Speakers!
2800 High Street, Port Norris, NJ
Cost: $30 per person, including a commemorative wine or beer glass and a sampling of oysters.
Cranford’s Great Pumpkin Carve Out
October 21
Drop off your pumpkins from 10 am – 3 pm. Everyone is invited to come to Hanson Park from 6 pm-9 pm to stroll along the pumpkin-lit garden paths and see the carved pumpkins wonderfully displayed. Cash awards will be given for the funniest, scariest, and most original carved pumpkin grouped by ages; 4-8, 9-16, and 17 and up. This year will feature a family category so families can submit a group effort. Additionally, a big-screen outdoor showing of a surprise favorite movie will start at dark. Bring your blankets! The movie, stroll, and contest are all free. Hot cider and cookies will be available for purchase.
Hanson Park, 38 Springfield Avenue in Cranford, NJ
Cost: Free
Costume Pet Parade
October 21, 1 pm
Paw Dazzle will host the Annual Costume Pet Parade starting at 1:00 pm. This is, by far, Historic Smithville’s cutest event. Spectators can watch 100+ pets show off their unique Halloween costumes! To enter your pet, you must be pre-registered by calling Paw Dazzle at 609-748-7110. Historic Smithville offers 60 Shoppes, 7 eateries, a carousel ride, train ride, paddle boats and arcade, on site lodging at the Colonial Inn, and over 26 free weekend events!
615 East Moss Mill Road, Galloway, NJ
Dover Trunk-or-Treat and Halloween Parade
October 21, 1 pm, rain date October 28
The Town of Dover celebrates Halloween with its 13th annual trunk-or-treat and parade. The parade begins at 1pm and concludes with the trunk-or-treat at Crescent Field Parking Lot. Don’t miss the costume and trunk-decorating contests.
South Morris Street, Dover, NJ
HSOC “Howl-O-Ween” Parade
October 21, 3 pm
HSOC “Howl-O-Ween” Parade Hosted by the Humane Society of Ocean City. Contestants are encouraged to dress themselves and their pooch in zany, fun Halloween costumes in the spirit of the season. Registration begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Sports & Civic Center. The parade begins at 3:00 P.M. and the procession is from 6th to 14th Street on the Boardwalk.
Asbury Ave. from 6th – 11th Street, Ocean City, NJ
Rumson Halloween Parade
October 21, 3 pm
The Halloween Parade and Egg Hunt will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Riverside Park at 3 p.m. In addition to the parade and egg hunt, the PTO will be doing their table-or treat event.
Riverside Park, Rumson, NJ
Monroe Township Halloween Parade
October 21, 7 pm (Rain Date October 22)
Come join us for a fun, family evening at the annual Halloween Parade! Enjoy Halloween themed floats and much more.
Main St (Between CVS and Church St, Williamstown, NJ
The New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge
October 21 & 22
The New Jersey Lighthouses and select museums happily announce that they are again hosting New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge weekend. Visitors can enjoy an opportunity to tour the state and visit each lighthouse over the weekend and help raise needed funds for the continued preservation of our treasured landmarks. The challenge is to visit 10 land-based lighthouses, 3 lifesaving stations, 1 museum, 1 virtual site, and the Lighthouse Society of NJ site over the two-day weekend. The challenge route covers the Atlantic Coast from Sandy Hook to Cape May and the Delaware Bay and River Coast from Cape May to Paulsboro. A small registration fee enables you to collect a souvenir from each site.
At Participating NJ Lighthouses
Great Food Expo
October 21 & 22
Shop. Sip. Sample. at the Premiere event for Cooking and Entertaining Enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels! Uncover the very best new emerging brands, experts, chefs, resources, and products designed to fulfill your love of cooking & eating! Indulge yourself with delicious foods, innovative snacks, mouth-watering desserts, refreshing beverages, zesty cocktails, and many more amazing creations. Shop & bring home the very best in emerging tasty products, and delicious specialty items, and share these new cooking techniques with the taste buds of your friends and family.
NJ Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave, Edison, NJ
Cost: $5 – $30
Storybook Land Trick or Treat Weekends
October 21 & 22
Dress up in your Halloween best and get ready to collect treats throughout the park. Littles will love hopping on the fun rides in their costumes and gathering goodies with special Trick or Treat bags (included with admission).
6415 Black Horse Pike (Routes 40/322), Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Cost: Price of Admission
Laurita OktoberFest
October 21 & 22
Food and wine lovers will converge at Laurita Winery in New Egypt for a Laurita Winery Gourmet Food Trucks and Fire Works weekend. Experience the trending Gourmet Food Truck offerings while sipping on wine and enjoying a seat to watch the fireworks! Live music and good friends will make this day special!
Laurita Winery; 85 Archertown Rd, New Egypt, NJ
Cost: $13
Annual Chatsworth Cranberry Festival
October 21 & 22
This family event features a juried craft show with over 150 vendors, 15 food vendors, and live music.
Downtown Chatsworth, NJ
Cost: Free
Sip in the Autumn Wine Festival
October 21 & 22
Come spend a festive fall afternoon enjoying a variety of New Jersey wines at the SIP IN AUTUMN WINE FESTIVAL taking place \ at Veterans Park in Bayville. Come wine down at this great event with some of New Jersey’s best wineries as they toast the fall season in style. Sip, savor, and celebrate autumn! Be part of this great event and make a trip to sample and purchase delicious New Jersey wines all in one place. Purchase your sampling ticket then grab a cozy lounge chair, gather friends and family, have your sampling glass ready, and let the Sippin start! Sample and purchase a wide array of New Jersey wines from seasonal favorites to traditional varietals to boutique offerings. The fun doesn’t stop there, spend the day listening to great live music, shop artisan crafters, and indulge in delicious eats and treats served by some of New Jersey’s favorite food trucks. So come celebrate some of the best things an autumn wine festival has to offer. They are worth stopping to smell the rosé for.
Veterans Park, Bayville, NJ
Cost: $20 Advance | $25 Gate Price (cash only). 21 and under are free
Doggy Day Paw-rade and Family Fun Day
October 22, 12 pm – 4 pm
There will be games, a doggy parade, a dog costume contest, face painting for people, food trucks, vendors and more.
City Hall, 210 Chestnut Street, Roselle, NJ
Linden Halloween Parade
October 22, 1 pm
Come out and join the Linden Halloween Parade Committee for the 7Oth Annual Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 22, 2023. The rain date will be Sunday, October 29, 2023. The parade line-up will begin at 1 p.m. on Wood Ave. and begin promptly at 2 p.m.
Wood Ave, Linden, NJ
Red Bank’s 75th Halloween Parade
October 22, 2 pm
The timeless tradition of Red Bank’s Halloween Parade is about to grace Broad Street for its 75th annual appearance. The lineup kicks off at 1 p.m. near Hudson Avenue and East Bergen Place, followed by the parade’s commencement at 2 p.m., winding its way through the heart of downtown before concluding at the White Street parking lot, where the first 250 children will receive delightful goodie bags. This festive gathering is set to offer a melodious backdrop with music and the much-anticipated costume awards to add to the excitement.
Red Bank, NJ
Cape May’s Annual Halloween Parade
October 22, 3 pm
Cape May’s Annual Halloween Parade is scheduled for Sunday, October 22, 2023, beginning at 3 PM. The parade route begins at Perry Street and Carpenters Lane, proceeds down Carpenters Lane to Ocean Street, travels down Washington Street and ends at the Emlen Physick Estate located at 1048 Washington Street. Parade registration is free and begins at 1:30 PM on the corner of Perry Street and the Washington Street Mall. Judging takes place at 2:30 PM.
Cape May, NJ
