(ASBURY PARK, NJ.) — September not only marks the start of what Jersey Shore residents call “local summer,” but also a diverse music festival season. Each weekend of September is packed with music shows to attend —from the Clearwater Festival, Bond Street Block Party, Sea.Hear.Now, and Porchfest— giving locals and visitors an array of setlists to choose from.
Starting the month off is the 51st Annual New Jersey Clearwater Music and Environmental Festival on Saturday, September 5, at Sunset Park between Main St. and Bond St. According to the festival website, this free open-air music festival, founded in 1975, celebrates the spirit of people working and singing together to protect the environment. Bands include the Matt O'Ree Band, the Wag, the Black Ties, Poppa John Bug, the Experience, Sharleen Ceahey & Diane Doolittle, and Spook Handy.
Photo Credit: Instagram @Meseventservices
Presented by the New Jersey Friends of Clearwater and co-sponsored by Clean Ocean Action and MES Event Services, the festival is “inspired by the legacy of legendary folk musician and environmental advocate, Pete Seeger and the Hudson River Clearwater movement."
"My job is to show folks there’s a lot of good music in this world, and if used right, it may help to save the planet,” said Seeger, whose iconic American folk music championed both a vital heritage and a catalyst for social change, according to the Interaction Institute for Social Change.
New Jersey Friends of Clearwater encourages individuals and communities to become stewards of New Jersey's waterways and natural resources. Festival attendees can enjoy live music, food trucks, craft and merchandise vendors, pony rides, and a petting zoo, and environmental organizations and educational exhibits from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The festival will offer shade under the park's trees, along with remarks from Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN), Clean Water Action, Clean Ocean Action, and Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, according to Red Bank Councilman Ben Forest in a video posted from @benforest on Instagram.
Next up on the following weekend is the 12th annual Bond Street Block Party. On Saturday, September 12, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Bond Street Bar will have no cover and “all are welcome,” according to their website.
Photo Credit: Instagram post by @bondstreetbar_ap / Flyer designed by @poundcake.co
Presented by Joe Brown from Melting Trends, the block party features headliner musician, singer/songwriter Ron Gallo, New York punk band Snowmen, “Fuzzy-Wood-Garage Rock” band Preachers on the FM, NJ-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Chad Sabo, with Hot Wax spinning between sets.
The show, highly anticipated by locals, also includes indie and alternative rock bands Bristler, Blush, The Band Palm, Tango Machina, In the Pines, and Ov Love.
On Sat. Sept. 19 and Sun. 20, the long-awaited Sea.Hear.Now showcases a stacked lineup of world famous bands like Mumford and Sons, the Strokes, the Goo Goo Dolls, Ziggy Marley, All-American Rejects, and Shaggy to name a few. The grounds will have more than 20 vendors with various classic eats inspired by New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia with vegan and gluten options.
The festival attracts a large audience, taking over Fourth Ave. to Seventh Ave. with “more than 25 bands on three stages: two in the sand and one in the park, all on the iconic Asbury Park Waterfront.”
(Photo Credits: Sea.Hear.Now Festival Website)
The festival also includes a surf competition that showcases professional surfers including Sam Hammer, Rob Kelly, Pat Schmidt, Cassidy McClain, Cam Richards, Balaram Stack, and more.
“East Coast surf legends and emerging pros, both male and female, compete in a unique team surf contest held between the Surf and Sand stages Presented by Subourbon Life,” said the website. “Shaka!”
The two-day event is sold out, but resale tickets are available here.
Sea.Hear.Now also presents late night shows around town, featuring local artists including
Snacktime, Dentist, Ista, Scared Lawns, Teen Idle, and Tangiers Blue Band with the Ocean Ave Stompers:
Presented by Netflix: Kickoff on Cookman on Cookman Ave on Sept.18
The Offspring (SOLD OUT) at The Stone Pony on Sept. 18
There Goes The Neighborhood at Wonder Bar on Sept. 18
The Ocean Ave Stomp (SOLD OUT) at The Stone Pony on Sept. 19
Makua at Wonder Bar on Sept. 19th
On the last weekend of Sept. 26, the 10th annual Asbury Park Porchfest, stretches across neighborhood streets from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring more than 100 local musicians. The rain date is Sept. 27.
Photo Credit: AP Porch Fest Website
AP Porchfest is a 501c3 charity that has been putting on a free day of live music in Asbury Park since 2018.
According to the website, there have been more than 600 performances by amazing local bands ranging from Americana to Rap, and from blues to Broadway. They have also raised more than $50,000 for local charities, including Mercy Center and African American Music Project.
"All of us on the committee are volunteer and all the musicians and the porchers are volunteer," said Jordan Modell, founder of the porch festival, on the Asbury Park Vibes podcast.
The team will be selling t-shits to raise money and the porches will have donation jars, according to Modell.
The 2026 map and schedule is not updated yet, but to view the map and schedule in mid-September, click here.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please get in touch with me at angelica.n@lead4earth.org.
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