Your Jersey Shore Local Calendar

Whether you’re in Monmouth County, Ocean County, or Atlantic County, this weekend packs a punch. It’s time to get ready as the official first day of spring is literally this weekend!

Spruce up your home with the best Jersey Shore builders, your bird watching skills in LBI, or and your brain at New Jersey’s Maker’s Day in Middletown.

If you’re a foodie, don’t worry. There’s a chocolate lovers weekend where you don’t have to make an excuse to skip right to dessert and even a restaurant tour of one of Jersey Shore’s favorite beach towns.

The music doesn’t stop with concerts that will fit the bill whether you’re a fan of classical music, Irish jigs, or even local talent.

Oh and if you recently said “I do” to the big question, we’ve got the event of the season that will help you plan what should be one of the best days of your life!

So get ready to welcome spring by cleaning out the cobwebs and getting outside!

Monmouth County Events 

Spring Home Show
Location: Asbury Park Convention Hall
Date: March 20th – 22nd
Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Description:
The weather is getting warmer which means that all those home projects that you’ve been thinking of can get started. Take a trip to the Asbury Park Spring Home Show at Convention Hall to say goodbye to the dull drums of winter and hello to spring remodeling (just like spring cleaning but more expensive!) Meet the area’s leading contractors to learn all about repair, construction, and remodeling. They’ll also be exhibits with doors and windows, kitchen design, sunrooms, landscaping, pools and patios, and more. Extend the brainstorming session with some friends at Brando’s Citi Cucina where you can talk about your favorite kitchen design over a glass of wine and some classic Italian appetizers like Mozzarella Caprese and Zuppa di Clams.

Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival
Location: Brookdale Community College Center for the Visual Arts, Newman Springs Rd./ Rt. 520, Lincroft
Date: Friday, March 20th 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Description:
Celebrate the artistic talents of Monmouth County teens who will be presenting over 500 works of art at the Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival at Brookdale Community College. This annual celebration of young local artits has attracted nearly 2,000 teens each year. Teens can experience all disciplines of arts while they participate in workshops, performances, exhibits, and critiques. Over 30 artists and teachers will present workshops and master classes in areas including musical theater, drama, film making, music, creative writing, dance, and instrumental music.

Spring Equinox Walk at Sandy Hook
Location: Sandy Hook, Guardian Park (behind Fort Hancock sign next to the missiles on the lawn)
Date: Friday, March 20th 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Cost: Free

Description:
Yes, we keep saying that spring has sprung, but now it really has as we celebrate the actual first day of spring on our calendars. On Friday, take a Spring Equinox walk with The American Littoral Society in Sandy Hook for their annual evening walk as they welcome one of two days in the year when daylight and darkness share the 24hours. They’ll even play some MythBusters with you as they attempt to balance a raw egg on its end. (We’re not sure if that works, but we’ll be there to find out!) Take advantage of the sun and moon after the walk with a dinner at On the Deck in the Atlantic Highlands or enjoy some classic pub fare at The Chubby Pickle and cheers your way to spring!

Chocolate Lover’s Weekend
Location: Ocean Grove
Date: Saturday, March 21st 11:00am – 4:00pm
Cost: Free Admission

Description:
Chocolate. The beach. Victorian houses. Spring. It sounds like a dream doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. It’s Ocean Grove’s Chocolate Lover’s Weekend. A weekend where you can express your love for chocolate with passion! As you make your way through this beautiful seaside town you’ll sample chocolate treats from cookies to cocktails at some of Ocean Grove’s finest restaurants and bakeries. After indulging in all that chocolate, get some dinner in another beautiful seaside town, Belmar where Matisse will be the savory to your sweet.

New Jersey Maker Day 2015
Location: Middletown Township Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Rd., Middletown
Date: Saturday, March 21st, Starts at 10:00 AM
Cost: Free

Description:
How about being Einstein for the day? Sounds pretty good right? On Saturday, the Middletown Township Public Library will be taking part in a statewide initiative that celebrates, promotes and introduces attendees to the “maker culture” during the New Jersey Maker Day 2015. You’ll learn the values associated with making, tinkering, and STEM basked learning. They’ll be science experiments, book binding, a pottery wheel, paper crafting and more. You can even see a 3D printer in action! (Yea the same kind of printer that printed out a car a while back!) Keep the fun coming by taking a trip to The Gravity Vault down the street where you can use your intelligent self (now that you worked on all these projects) to climb some rock walls! Who said using your brain isn’t fun!

Red Bank Wedding Walk 2015
Location: Oyster Point Hotel, 146 Bodman Place, Red Bank
Date: Sunday, March 22nd 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: Free

Description:
Attention brides, grooms, mother of the brides, maid of honors! Get ready for a day packed with everything you need to jumpstart your wedding planning. On Saturday, the Red Bank Wedding Walk takes over as over 40 premier Jersey Shore wedding businesses, from florists, formalwear, hotels, jewelers, photographers restaurants and salons will be on hand to answer all of your burning questions. The Oyster Point Hotel will be your place for one stop planning, making this your second best day so far (we’re sure your engagement was your first!)

Bradley Beach Restaurant Tour
Location: Bradley Beach
Date: Sunday, March 22nd 11:30am – 3:00pm
Cost: $20

Description:
What better way to spend a Sunday, strolling along Main Street in beautiful Bradley Beach, stopping in some of the towns best restaurants including Pagano’s Uva Restaurant for a taste of their favorite dishes? We really can’t think of a better one, well maybe if there’s some wine involved! Luckily for you, the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring its annual Restaurant Tour this Sunday. It’s the perfect way to get a taste of a town that filled with culinary creations!

Meet the Easter Bunny at Sickles Market
Location: Sickles Market, 1 Harrison Ave. (off Rumson Rd.), Little Silver
Date: Sunday, March 22nd 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Cost: Free

Description:
Shop for some spring flowers at Sickles Market while taking the team to meet the Easter Bunny. Authors Jennifer Diehl, Shauna Murray and Lisa Rettino will be reading The Bunny with the Basket and the Golden Egg, with the Easter Bunny himself! It’s a great way to get the kids excited for spring while also taking the time to pick up some groceries and maybe even grabbing a snack at Zoe Bistro where you can hear all about how the Easter Bunny is the coolest because he brings chocolates.

Monmouth Symphony Orchestra Spring Concert
Location: Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank
Date: Sunday, March 22nd 3:00 PM
Cost: $35 (seniors $30, students and kids $5)

Description:
Celebrating 50 years of Red Bank’s Monmouth Conservatory of Music, the Count Basie Theater welcomes exceptional students who will be performing classic pieces including a symphony by Gilman Collier and a performance of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto by executive director Vladislav Kovalsky. Remenisce about the enchanting sounds of this golden evening over dinner at some of Red Bank’s classic restaurants like The Bistro, Front Street Trattoria and Danny’s Steakhouse. Just like Tschaikovsky, they never go out of style.

Ocean County Events 

Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival 10th Anniversary
Location: Atlantic City Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Way, Atlantic City
Date: March 20th, 2015 – March 21st, 2015
Cost:$40

Description:
For the past 10 years, beer and music fans have been heading to Atlantic City to sample the best that brewmasters and bands have to offer at the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival. Now, over 150 breweries from every corner of the country will be there to share their craft, all while you get a chance to drink and listen to some great music. It’s an opportunity to find your new favorite brewery, whether you’re really over IPAs or not, and taste “limited release” editions. Whether you’re a beer aficionado, lover, or just a casual drinker, it’s a great way to learn more about your favorite libation while listening to the sounds of Taking Back Sunday, Lucero, and Everclear.

6th Annual Wings over LBI
Location: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Date: Saturday, March 21st 10am to 4pm

Description:
Join the Southern Ocean Birding Group for a Wings Over Long Beach Island Day where you’ll learn that Barnegat Inlet is one of the best places to spot some of your favorite Jersey Shore birds. Families can learn about the different species of birds in the area, where to get the greatest view and how bird watching, or birding as insiders like to say, may become your new hobby.

Behind the Scenes at Jenkinson’s Aquarium
Location: Jenkinson’s Aquarium:
Date: Sunday, March 22nd, 9:30 to 11:00am
Cost: Ages 5 and up only. $15 Adults. $10 Children.

Description:
Have you ever wondered what exactly goes on behind the scenes at Jenkinson’s Aquarium? How do they feed those sharks? What happens when the seals get frisky? This is your chance, as Jenkinson’s Aquarium brings you behind the scenes, letting you tour the building from top to bottom. Maybe you’ll even learn the secret handshake…but we’re not promising anything.

Above the Fall at The Strand
Location: Strand Center for the Arts, 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood
Date: Saturday, March 21st at 7:00 pm
Cost: $10

Description:
New Jersey’s very own, Above the Fall, will be performing live at The Strand Center for the Arts as they celebrate the release of their new CD. Mike McCarrick will be joining as their special guest performance while they shoot their very own music video. Now’s your chance to be a part of music history!

Irish Night at Albert Music Hall
Location: Albert Music Hall, 131 Wells Mill Rd, Waretown
Date: Saturday, March 21st 6:00 – 11:00pm

Description:
Just because St. Patrick’s Day is behind us doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to celebrate. Enjoy a night of Irish tunes at Albert Music Hall with Ballyhaunis “Irish” Step Dancer, Caelachas, Church Street Revival, J&E Company, and The River Drivers “Irish” Band. Come at 6:00pm for food and drinks and still till close!