Experience the Best 2025 Free Summer Concerts and Music Festivals in Central New Jersey

Discover the Rhythm of Central New Jersey's 2025
Outdoor Summer Music Festivals

Central New Jersey boasts a vibrant music scene, particularly in the summer, featuring numerous outdoor music festivals and free concerts.

These outdoor summer concerts vary widely, from affordable events in local community parks showcasing local performers to pricier larger venues hosting top international acts.

Attending these events offers the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of music genres and talents while exploring different areas of New Jersey.

Here’s a glimpse at some notable outdoor summer concerts in Central Jersey:

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Central NJ Summer Outdoor Concerts @ local community and Jersey Shore venues

New Jersey Folk Festival
Saturday, April 26, 2025; 10 am - 4pm (rain or shine)
Passion Puddle on Cook Campus.
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ
This Family friendly Folk Festival feaures Live Local Musicians, Crafters, Folklorists, Folklife Demonstrations, Children's Activities, Jam Tent & Food! The activities are part of Rutgers Day. It includes harvest songs and dances, community gardening organizations, seed saving, and more

Spring for the Arts - Art and Music Festival
Saturday April 26, 2025: 12 PM until 4PM (rain date April 27th)
Surrounding Main Street Area
Lawrenceville, NJ
This family event will transform the neighborhood into a bustling festival featuring over 150 talented artists, crafters, and vendors showcasing their unique creations. Bring the whole family - kids will love our free Kids Zone. Throughout the day, enjoy dozens of live performances from local musicians creating the perfect festival atmosphere.. Pack a blanket for the concert, and come shop, eat and socialize your way through Lawrenceville!

FBAC PorchFest
Sunday, May 18, 2025: 12:00 PM 6:00 PM
The Gazebo
Main Street
Downtown, Freehold, NJ
Free Event
This event features a fun filled day of music on the porches of downtown Freehold homes. Attendees wiill get to enjoy, music, performers, artists, & vendors.
Maps will be provided,

Spring Shedfest Raritan Headwaters Music Festival
Sunday, June 1st, 2025; 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve
2121 Larger Cross Road
Bedminster, NJ
Shedfest is an outdoor music festival and fundraiser for Raritan Headwaters held at Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve in Bedminster, NJ. Bring your family and friends and enjoy a fun afternoon listening to great local bands, eating delicious food, and enjoying the outdoors at our beautiful wildlife preserve.

The Princeton Festival
June 6th until 21st, 2025
Morven Museum & Garden
55 Stockton St
Princeton, NJ
The Princeton Festival is a beautiful music, opera, and more tented pavilion on the grounds of beautiful Morven Museum & Garden. With opportunities for picnicking, socializing, and exploring the Museum's main building and superb garden before events.

The North To Shore Jersey festival
June 14-29, 2025
Asbury Lanes, Count Basie Center for the Arts,The Stone Pony, House of Independents, and The Wonder Bar
Asbury Park, & Red Bank, NJ
This month-long New Jersey festival features all the talent, diversity and creativity this great state has to offer. The Festival is set to bring an exciting mix of music, comedy, film, and technology to New Jersey this summer from June 14th to the 29th. Taking place across four cities — Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Newark, and red Bank — at Asbury Lanes, Chambers Plaza, Count Basie Center for the Arts, Lincoln Park, Newark Symphony Hall, NJPAC, Prudential Center, The Stone Pony and the Stone Pony Summer Stage, House of Independents, and The Wonder Bar.
Top performeres inclclude: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Jon Stewart, John Mulaney, Pete Davidson, Bleachers, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Gregory Porter, Jack's Mannequin, Josh Johnson, Natalia Lafourcade, Slightly Stoopid, Streetlight Manifesto, The String Cheese Incident, rock bands Stone Temple Pilots and Third Eye Blind, and many more.

Sound.Wav Music And Arts Festival
Saturday, July 12, 2025; 1pm - 10pm ( rain or shine)
Pat's 30 Acres
4103 W Hurley Pond Rd
Wall Township, NJ
This community music festival for 18+ ages features a showcasing of the tri-states electronic dance music performers on two Stages with a vendor village featuring art, clothing, and more.

The Somerset Folk Harp Festival
July 17-20, 2025
The Westin Princeton
at Forrestal Village
Princeton, NJ
This event features a celebrationof the diversity of music, talent and experience of the folk harp world. The festival with offers over 100 workshops and over 28 presenters, and inspirational daily concerts.

Sourland Mountain Festival
Saturday, August 16, 2025; 3pm - 8:30pm (rain or shine)
Unionville Yards
9 Rocktown Road
Ringoes, NJ
This annual family event features the communities of the Central New Jersey region coming together to present the best in musical talent, local food and drink, family fun, with a spectacular view. Festival-goers get to enjoy several hours of music, food, wine, spirits, craft beer, vendors, family activities, history, critters and wildlife education.

Long Branch Jazz and Blues Festival
Saturday, August 23, 2025; from 1 PM - 9:30 PM (Rain or Shine)
The Great Lawn on the Long Branch Promenade
Boardwalk at 10 Ocean Blvd
Long Branch, NJ
Free Event
This family music festival features a mix of strong national and local musicians performing live Jazz and blues on stage. There will be food trucks, crafters, kids activities, and fireworks at dusk.

Sea.Hear.Now Festival
September 13, 14, 2025
North Beach and Bradley Park
Asbury Park, NJ
Buy Tickets: TicketNetwork
The event features a music, surf culture, and arts festival with over 25 performances over two days on three stages, all on the gorgeous Asbury Park Waterfront.

Asbury Park PorchFest
Saturday, September 27, 2025
This family-friendly, free event features more than 600 performances by an amazing group of local bands ranging from Americana to Rap, from blues to Broadway. The Porchfest is a 501c3 charity to support local under-served families.
Bring your own folding chair, water, and an umbrella just in case we get sprinkles or to block the sun. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!

Annual Rock the Farm Festival
September 27th, 2025: Noon - 10pm (rain or shine)
Grant Avenue
Seaside Heights, NJ
Rock the Farm is a premier family friendly music festival, featuring 10 hours of world class music across two stages, with a family-friendly kid-zone, Beer & wine garden, craft vendors, food trucks, games, and the infamous foam dance party.

Central NJ Summer Outdoor Concerts
@ larger venues hosting top international acts.

Sessanta V 2.0: Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle
Saturday, May 17, 2025: 8:00 PM
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, NJ

Keith Urban: High and Alive World Tour
Friday, June 13, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, NJ

The Driver Era
Friday June 13, 2025
Stone Pony Summer Stage
Asbury Park, NJ

Thomas Rhett: Better In Boots Tour 2025
Thursday, July10, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center,
Holmdel, NJ

Styx, Kevin Cronin & Don Felder
Sunday July 20, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdel, NJ

Toto, Christopher Cross, & Men at Work
Friday July 25, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdei, NJ

Nelly, Ja Rule & Eve
Saturday Jul 26, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdei, NJ

Goo Goo Dolls & Dashboard Confessional
Friday Aug 1, 2025
PNC Bank Arts Center
Holmdei, NJ

Cody Jinks
Thursday Aug 7, 2025
Stone Pony Summer Stage
Asbury Park, NJ

Tickets to Popular NJ Entertainment Events

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More New Jersey Outdoor Music Festivals

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