The festival only New Jersey can handle, North To Shore, has returned for its fourth consecutive year. This year’s festival runs through June 28, with the this last week culminating in some of its biggest shows. The annual festival marks the start of summer in the Garden State and features a plethora of performances in all three regions of the state: Newark representing North Jersey and, alongside the Jersey Shore, Asbury Park representing Central Jersey and Atlantic City representing South Jersey.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is a premiere venue for the festival, featuring hot-ticket performers such as Janelle Monáe just last week, plus Yellowcard, and viral comedians like Eric D’Alessandro.
On June 25, there will be an eclectic mix of live music shows as the festival will host Jimmy Eat World at Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park and Jesse & Joy at NJPAC. That same night, comedian David Cross will also be performing at House of Independents in Asbury Park.
June 26 will be a night to remember at NJPAC with Jessica Kirson hosting a comedy show while Alison Krauss & Union Station perform a powerhouse concert. Simultaneously, Streetlight Manifesto will be performing at Stone Pony Summer Stage, and The Head And The Heart will be performing at ParkStage in Freehold Township. Clearly, there is something for everyone with a lineup as diverse as this year’s.
June 27 is a night for laughs in Newark because both Lucas Zelnick (7 p.m. at Victoria Theater) and Iliza Shlesinger (8 p.m. at Prudential Hall) will be performing at NJPAC. Asbury Park will host New Jersey-born band The Bouncing Souls with its Stoked for the Summer show at Stone Pony Summer Stage. This is expected to be a high-energy concert spanning four decades of music. Atlantic City will host James Taylor and His All-Star Band, set to celebrate decades of timeless hits.
The festival goes out with a bang on June 28. With five Grammy nominations and a record-breaking 29 No. 1 albums on the Billboard Blues charts, Joe Bonamassa will be performing at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall, while breakout Netflix comic Jordan Jensen will bring the laughs to a climax at NJPAC’s Victoria Theater. The Church will be closing out The Stone Pony with a highly anticipated performance.
If you don’t have money to spend on tickets to the aforesaid shows, North To Shore also offers free events which provide a strong sense of community that remind everyone what New Jersey is all about at its core. On June 26, the Soul-O series returns to Express Newark Programs with two raw, powerful one-person plays by Black women. The night will include a live music pre-show, talkback and reception thereafter.
Asbury Underground turns downtown Asbury Park into the ultimate playground on June 27. From dancing to poetry, on this date art galleries, bookshops and hidden gems transform into stages for talented artists.
Information on headlining artists, performers, locations and more can be found on NorthToShore.com or by downloading the North To Shore Festival app.
