12 April festivals in NJ that are not to be missed

🌷 Spring is here in New Jersey

🌷 Check out these festivals happening in April

🌷 Everything from flowers to dogs, and beer to Legos

Spring has sprung in New Jersey. Soon it will be time for egg hunts, flower planting, spring cleaning, and so much more.

There’s so much to do this spring in the Garden State. Here are 12 of some of the best and most exciting festivals and events happening in April 2025.

Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival

April 5-13

Branch Brook Park, Newark

Times: Vary

Celebrate the blooming of over 5,300 cherry blossom trees in the 360-acre park that runs through Belleville and Newark. There will be a ton of events to celebrate the cherry blossoms including a bike race, a 10K run, and family-friendly activities.

Tulip Festival

April 5 – tentative opening date

Dalton Farms, 660 Oak Grove Rd., Swedesboro

Times: Vary

Join Dalton Farms as it hosts its tri-state Tulip Festival. During this tulip season, guests can pick your own tulips and daffodils. Enjoy live music, food vendors, a farmers market, a beer garden, and wine vendors on weekends. New this year is the Kingdom Adventure Playground for the kids. Tickets are on sale now.

Daffodil Day Festival

April 13

Reeves-Reed Arboretum, 165 Hobart Ave, Summit

Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tickets: $15 (non-member), free (children under 3)

In a decades-old tradition, visitors have an opportunity to enjoy one of the largest daffodil collections in New Jersey. There are over 50,000 bulbs in bloom in the arboretum’s “glacially-carved Daffodil Bowl.”

Activities include spring-themed games and crafts, a story trail, music, food, market vendors, their current art exhibit, and the Green Goats will be there too. Tickets are available for slot times.

Renaissance Faire

April 12 and 13

Historic Smithville, 615 Moss Mill Rd, Galloway

Time: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days

Step back into the days of yore, as the Historic Village of Smithville is transformed into the Shire of Smithville in the heart of the English Renaissance.

The Duke of Northumberland has decreed merriment for all. Fun for the whole family includes comedy, tragedy, sword fighting, dance, song, knights, jesters, and so much more. Stroll amongst the wares of local vendors and traveling merchants sporting historical gifts and other crafted items.

The 3rd Annual Fur Baby Food and Music Fest

April 19

Burlington County Fairgrounds, 1900 Jacksonville Jobstown Rd., Columbus

Time: 12 to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets: $4.85 in advance, $7 at the door, free (kids 10 and under)

Get ready for the biggest, pet-friendly, food/music and adoption festival of the year.
At Fur Baby Fest 3, enjoy food vendors, live music, face painting, doggie agility course, a pet costume contest, vendors for pets and humans, and games of all ages. Sip on beverages, and check out the animals available for adoption. Bring lawn chairs and blankets, if you choose.

All proceeds benefit Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter to help find homes for dogs, cats, and other small animals.

Bunny Trail Spring Festival

April 19 and 20

Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, Princeton

Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets: Packages vary

Hop along the Bunny Trail at Terhune Orchards—a non-competitive event perfect for springtime family fun. Follow hand-drawn clues around the farm in a self-guided treasure hunt. At the end of the hunt, everyone gets a prize, and kids can choose to take part in bunny-themed craft activities.

Enjoy the barnyard animals, take a hop in the hippity hop corral, race the ducks in the duckie race, play children’s games, or take a pony ride. NJ Bubble Parties will put on a fun, interactive show full of bubbles of all kinds (giant bubbles, bubble snow, bubble foam, and more).

Visit the farm food pavilion for snacks and lunch. Enjoy fresh homemade goodies like apple cider donuts, pies, cookies, fresh-pressed apple cider, soup, chili, and more.
The vineyard and winery will be open. Tasting flights are available to toast spring’s arrival with the orchard’s award-winning white, red, and fruit-based wines.

There are four ticket packages to choose from to make the day special for everyone.

The Original NJ Empanada Festival

April 26

Rustic Mall, Main Street, Manville

Time: 12 to 7 p.m.

Price: $4.85 in advance; $7 at the door

This is the ultimate Latin Food Fest in Somerset County. All past winners from the Empanada Festival come out to battle for the belt. There will be tons of empanada trucks for you to explore a variety of cuisines including American and Mexican. Enjoy live music, beer, wine, a kids' ATV course, face painting, tattoos, sand art, and a bounce house. Feel free to shop around and find unique treasures from local artisans, too. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Manville PBA #236.

Rock & Roll Steampunk Fair

April 26

Veterans Park, 44 E. Washington Ave., Washington

Time: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tickets: Free

The 5th annual Rock & Roll Steampunk Fair features an array of street performers and entertainers. It’s a full day of live music, artisan vendors, costumes, and steampunk shenanigans. Musical lineup includes This Way to the Egress, Dust Bowl Faeries, Durty Rotten Parrots, Puppy Grease, and an afterparty with A Halo Called Fred.

Street performers and entertainers include Professional Monstrosity Sideshow, Phonofiddler Keith Engle, The Museum of Interesting Things, and more.

There will be a free steampunk photo booth and other activities and specials throughout the downtown.

Craft Beer and Food Truck Festival

April 26 (Rain date is May 3)

Veteran’s Bicentennial Park, 100 Engleside Ave., Beach Haven

Time: 1 to 6 p.m.

Cost: $25

More than 10 breweries will be on hand with over 20 different craft beers to sample. Your admission will get you a reusable beer cup, and 4 drink tickets. Additional drink tickets may be purchased.

Enjoy food trucks, craft vendors, live music and a 50/50 raffle.

Brick Fest Live New Jersey 2025

April 26-27

NJ Convention and Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Ave, Edison

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Saturday) and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sunday)

Tickets: $16.99 to $34.99

Lego lovers, rejoice! The Brick Fest Live features over one million bricks on display and ready for play. See the most life-size models, engage with the hands-on attractions, build a record-setting mosaic, shop for hard-to-find LEGO merchandise, and other activities meant to inspire, educate, and entertain.

Lambertville’s Shadfest

April 26-27

Various locations through downtown Lambertville

Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days

2025 marks 42 years of art, fish, food and fun in Lambertville. The annual rain or shine event celebrates the return of the shad swimming up the Delaware with tons of food, music, vendors, and more.

The American Shad is the largest fish in the herring family. Every spring, shad migrate from salt water to freshwater to reproduce. Fishermen call this the “annual spring shad run.”

Shadfest started in 1981 as a showcase for the local art scene. But since then, it has evolved into a nationally recognized award-winning event. Local residents can be found fishing for shad on Lewis Island, the only shad fishery left on the Delaware River.

Hoboken Mutzfest

April 27

400 14th Street, Hoboken

Time: 1 to 5 p.m.

Welcome to the 13th Annual Mutzfest—celebrating all things mozzarella or “mutz.”
Enjoy a family-friendly day with activities for all including a Cannoli Eating Contest (be the fastest one to finish a box of mini cannolis and win a prize), a Sinatra Singalong (enjoy singing along to the classic tunes of Hoboken’s own Ole Blue Eyes), and The Mutz Stick Eating Contest (be the fastest one to finish a box of mini mozzarella sticks and win a prize).

There will also be a beer and wine garden to compliment your “mutz” creations.

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