NORTH TO SHORE FESTIVAL Set to Return Summer 2026

The North to Shore Festival will return for a fourth year in June 2026, marking the start of the summer season in New Jersey with two full weeks of music and comedy performances in the state's most vibrant cities.

Now the Garden State's largest arts and music festival, the annual event is produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in collaboration with a cohort of production partners, sponsors and community organizations.

From June 13 through June 28, North to Shore will light up Newark and Asbury Park with performances by world-class artists at venues including Prudential Arena, NJPAC's Prudential Hall, Victoria Theater and Chambers Plaza, Stone Pony Summer Stage, Wonder Bar and more spaces in Asbury Park's boardwalk district.

In Newark, the festival will partner with the Newark Arts Council, Newark Alliance, and the City of Newark's Arts and Education District, which will administer regranting funds directly to community organizations who will highlight local Newark creatives. In Asbury Park, the festival will collaborate with AsburyFest, Asbury Underground, Carousel Art House, and Georgie's Bar to present events showcasing local artists. Additional arts and cultural programming will take place throughout Asbury, from the West Side to the waterfront. As in previous years, all community events in both Newark and Asbury will be free or affordably priced for all attendees.

“Artists who have made their homes in New Jersey, who've built careers in New Jersey's clubs, concert halls and galleries — they've always been a major feature of North to Shore. We can't wait to turn a spotlight on them again this summer,” said Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield, NJPAC's Senior Vice President, Social Impact.

In Atlantic City, the festival launched a full year of community arts programming in May 2025. Dozens of North to Shore Festival concerts, parties and workshops have welcomed Atlantic City residents and visitors alike every month, with more events scheduled through July 1, 2026.

Once again this year, the festival will focus its social outreach efforts on combating food insecurity through the Growing Healthy Pantries initiative, a partnership between Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and numerous Garden State food distribution centers, including the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, FoodBank of South Jersey, Fulfill, Mercer Street Friends, Norwescap and Feeding America. The project addresses food security statewide and enhances access to healthy choices at food banks.