Top Ten New Jersey Events for Thanksgiving Weekend 2021
Gobble Gobble! Once you’re done enjoying turkey (or tofurkey!) grab your family and friends for an amazing weekend in New Jersey.
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Top Ten New Jersey Events for Thanksgiving Weekend 2021:
Smithville Holiday Light Show
November 25 – 28, 5:30PM – 8:30PM
Watch in wonderment as over 100 Christmas trees magically float on their very own Lake Meone and light up to the music around you. It is an orchestrated show of lights and music played out across the lake. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 5:30 – 8:30 pm. Historic Smithville offers 60 Shoppes, 7 eateries, carousel rides, train rides, on-site lodging at the Colonial Inn, and over 26 free weekend events!
615 East Moss Mill Road Galloway, NJ
Winter WonderLights Opening Weekend
November 26 – January 2, 2022, 5:30PM – 10PM
Over 1.5 million lights are animated to some of your favorite holiday tunes. Guests are welcome to bundle up in their car, bring their snacks/beverages, and tune their radio to enjoy the show to give you an incredible experience.
655 Cranbury Rd East Brunswick, NJ
Cost: $28 per car, $100 season pass
Winter Village at the Red Mill Museum
November 26 – 28, 10AM – 6PM
Marketspace Vendor Events joins The Red Mill Museum Village’s 12th annual Festival of Trees 2021 and Dicken’s Days to bring you the Winter Village at The Red Mill. This three-day outdoor, tented and heated, winter craft market in the heart of Clinton, New Jersey features over 40 local craft artisans, activities, and food trucks each day. The Red Mill Museum Village’s annual Festival of Trees is comprised of a decorated tree and wreath silent auction fundraiser benefiting the museum’s preservation. Guests are invited to tour 12 historic buildings on the beautifully decorated grounds of the museum while enjoying performances by Clinton’s ‘Dickens Days’ theatrical carolers.
The Red Mill, 56 Main St. Clinton, NJ
Cost: $10
GSWGA’s Holiday Wine Trail Weekend
November 26 – 28
Beginning on Black Friday and continuing through the weekend, shoppers will have a few cozy and enjoyable stops to make before rushing home with their treasures. Winery tasting rooms from Sussex to Cape May will invite patrons to travel the New Jersey Wine Trail, with special tastings, entertainment, food pairings, discounts and sales. The Garden State Wine Growers Association’s annual Holiday Wine Trail Weekend is held at over 45 participating New Jersey wineries and vineyards statewide.
Participating Wineries and Vineyards
Cost: Varies Per Location
Red Bank Holiday Happenings
November 26 – November 29
November 26: Gobble, Wobble, Shop!
From 1-6pm enjoy free refreshments, live music, photo ops and Black Friday deals across town.
November 26: Annual Town Lighting and Holiday Express Concert
Festivities begin at 5:30pm at the Red Bank Train station with a special holiday dance performance. Santa and Mrs. Claus board the Red Bank Fire Engine at 6:45pm for their parade down Monmouth to Broad for a 7pm concert from Holiday Express. At 8pm it’s 3…2…1… LIGHTS ON!
November 26-December 24: Red Bank Elf Scavenger Hunt
Spot the Red Bank Elf at participating businesses to win a prize!
November 27: Small Business Saturday
Make a BIG impact by shopping small and local. Red Bank RiverCenter is proud to be an official American Express neighborhood champion.
November 27-December 19: Holiday Harmonies
From 12-3pm on Saturdays and Sundays, enjoy live music from local performers throughout downtown Red Bank to get you into the spirit as you shop.
November 28: Barbizon Holiday Mannequins
From 1-4pm, see some of your favorite shop windows come to life as live models dress as holiday mannequin displays!
November 29: Menorah Lighting
Join Rabbi Marc Kline in Riverside Gardens Park at 6:30 pm for the annual town menorah lighting.
Downtown Red Bank, NJ
Collingswood Holiday Parade
November 27, 10AM
Named Best Main Street Experience by South Jersey Magazine, the parade features lively seasonal entertainment, including marching bands, dancers, holiday characters, giants on stilts, floats, mummers, sports mascots and live music. The parade will begin at Zane Avenue at 10 am and continue to West Linden Avenue, through the heart of historic Collingswood.
Haddon Avenue, Downtown Collingswood NJ
The Holiday Parade on Spring Street
November 27, 10AM
The Newton Holiday parade has been being held for over 50 years and has participants from all over Sussex county. The parade begins promptly at 10:00 AM. The theme for this year’s parade will be children’s “Dreams & Fantasies”. Participants can use their pure imagination to bring your floats/groups to life. Awards will be given for the floats and/or group who best depict their imagination
71 Spring St, Newton, NJ
Annual Swedesboro Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting
November 27, Parade at 1PM. Lighting at 6PM
Kings Highway will be alive with Christmas cheer as Swedesboro celebrates the start of the holiday season with its annual Christmas Parade at 1pm. The parade will take place on Kings Highway at Walter Hill School and will continue all the way through downtown where it will end at Church Street. The Parade will be concluded with an appearance by Santa. Immediately following the parade, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting with children in the Woolwich Fire House until 4pm. The day’s events will wrap up at 6pm, with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and caroling at Borough Hall.
Swedesboro Borough Hall, 1500 Kings Highway, Swedesboro, NJ
Holiday Dickens Fest
November 27 & 28
Riddlesbrood Touring Theatre Company will bring the Spirit of Christmas back to Historic Smithville, when they return to present their two-day outdoor “Dickens Fest” featuring an original, musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”, Charles Dickens’ heartwarming, classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.
615 East Moss Mill Road Galloway, NJ
Laurita Veteran’s Final Fall Food Truck Fair
November 27 & 28 | Saturday 11AM – 9PM and Sunday 11AM – 7PM
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: 20 and under Free, $12 in advance, $14 at the door
More Ideas of Things You Can Do This Fall:
- New Jersey Day Trip Ideas (for all year round!)
- All the Fall Things! Download NJIB’s NJ Fall Check List for 2021
- Foodie, Beer, and Wine Events for November 2021
- 25 Free NJ Events for November 2021
- NJ Autumn Farmers Markets
- 30+ Awesome Places to Get Apple Cider Donuts in NJ
- NJIB’s Guide to New Jersey State Parks
- 14 Arboretums and Botanical Gardens in NJ
- 14 Adorable Alpaca Farms in NJ
- The Best Places in New Jersey for a Grilled Cheese
- 43 of the Best Empanadas in NJ
- New Jersey Flea Markets to Explore
- New Jersey Lighthouses
- Zoos, Aquariums and Planetariums
- 100+ New Jersey Breweries and Brew Pubs
- 20+ NJ Distilleries to Taste and Tour
- 45+ NJ Vineyards and Wineries (perfect for dates, girls trips, etc!)
- New Jersey Arcades and Nerdy Museums
- Arts and Culture: Art Museums and Galleries and Theaters + Concert Venues
- A Full List of EVERY New Jersey Diner