North to Shore Festival's Community Arts Programming Set for Spring and Summer 2026

Emerging New Jersey artists and creatives who live, work and play in Atlantic City will have a chance to shine during the spring and summer seasons of the North to Shore Festival's Community Arts programming in Atlantic City.

The North to Shore Festival, produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), is now the largest music and arts festival in New Jersey.

The festival launched a full year of community arts programming in Atlantic City in May 2025. Dozens of North to Shore Festival concerts, parties and workshops — including a Dias de los Muertos celebration, the pop-up art gallery ARTeriors and the third annual Bash at Back Sov, a celebration of punk music and skateboarding  — have welcomed Atlantic City residents and visitors alike every month since.

This spring, dozens of young artists from across Central and Southern New Jersey will be highlighted by the festival's ongoing Garden State Live! showcase concerts at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. AC Jamming!, a concert and open mic series at Gin Rickey's Live Music Bar at the Tropicana Casino Hotel, will bring both veteran and new performers center stage.

And city teens will have a platform to share their words and experiences at free monthly Dodge Poetry Workshopsheld at Stockton University's Noyes Arts Garage; the series' finale will be a Youth Showcase at which the city's young poets can read for friends, family and the community.

All the festival's Community Arts events are free or reasonably priced, to ensure events are easily accessible to both Atlantic City residents and visitors.

“For more than six months, we've been thrilled to work with so many community and arts organizations to present performances and events that demonstrate the range of talent and creativity to be found in Atlantic City and across Central and Southern New Jersey,” said Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield, NJPAC's Senior Vice President, Social Impact. “We look forward to continuing to showcase the tremendous talent of Garden State artists this spring.”

North to Shore Festival Community Arts programming this spring and summer includes:
●      The Garden State Live! concert series featuring young and emerging artists from Central and South Jersey. Every month, the concerts at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City feature three incredible Jersey acts; each performance focuses on a different musical genre. Tickets are $10, so everyone can hear the next great Jersey musical sensation. Upcoming performances include:

A celebration of reggae at 7 PM, February 27, 2026, featuring LNJ Sessions, P-Funk North and Cheezy & The Crackers;
A night of rock ‘n' roll at 7 PM, March 20, 2026, with the Gab Cinque Band, The Brothers Union and Anthony Krizan Band;
An evening of soul and R&B at 7 PM, April 17, 2026, spotlighting 120 (aka Village Bridge), Show Tyme Brookes and Da Traffic, and Lem Turner;
And the series grand finale will be a showcase of Jersey shore indie rock at 7 PM May 8, 2026, with CJ Sooy Band, Molly Ringworm and Surfing for Daisy.
 

The FREE AC Jamming! concert and open mic series at Gin Rickey's Live Music Bar at the Tropicana Casino Hotel, curated by local musician and longtime Atlantic City High School teacher Derek Cason, includes a set by a featured performer, then offers all attendees a chance to take the stage and jam with The Cason Express Show Band during the evening's open mic. Events include:
Jazz and blues singer Gina Roché performs at 6 PM on March 12, 2026;
R&B singer Valorie Newman takes the stage at 6 PM April 16, 2026;
To close out the season, The Jazzmen — a crew of funk, jazz and soul musicians hailing from Atlantic City, Philly and Las Vegas — appear at 6 PM May 7, 2026.

The FREE Dodge Poetry series will offer writing workshops for Atlantic City teens at Stockton University's Noyes Arts Garage, at 2200 Fairmount Avenue, once a month on Monday afternoons. Young people are invited to join teens from across Atlantic City to showcase their words and ideas in verse, and then (if they choose) speak them aloud at the open mic that ends every session. Snacks and notebooks will be provided. Workshops are scheduled for:
4:30 PM March 16, 2026
4:30 PM April 13, 2026
4:30 PM May 18, 2026
To celebrate the work of the teen poets, a Youth Poetry Showcase will be held at 1 PM on Sunday, June 14, 2026, where friends and family can hear the young writers share their work.

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