15 can't-miss food and wine fests at the Shore
Feeling sad about summer coming to an end?
Lift your spirits with thoughts of food and wine festivals, which are just getting started.
There will be plenty of fall events these next few months, from food truck fests serving comfort food to a weekend of barbecue and beer at the racetrack.
Here are the details on the season's biggest events, happening at parks, wineries, breweries and downtowns.
BBQ & Craft Beer Festival, Oceanport
A dozen food trucks will roll into Monmouth Park Racetrack for this three-day festival, including Five Sisters Food Truck, NC Ribs on Wheels, DoBees Backyard BBQ, Good Food=Good Mood, Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats and Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House.
Admission costs $6, beer samplings cost $15 for 10 2-ounce samples, and food prices vary by vendor.
Go: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, Sunday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 2; 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport; 732-222-5100, monmouthpark.com.
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Fall Brew by the Bay, Highlands
Nearly a dozen New Jersey breweries will offer beers for sampling at this waterfront craft beer fest, taking place at The Seafarer.
Tickets cost $40 and include seven 4-ounce tastings from breweries like Carton Brewing, Bradley Brew Project, Tall Oaks Farm & Brewery and Birdsmouth Beer, among others. The first 100 participants will receive a pint of beer and a commemorative pilsner cup.
Additional tastings will be available for $3 each.
Go: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; 1 Atlantic Ave., Highlands; highlandsnj.com.
Food Trucktemberfest, Oceanport
Monmouth Park Racetrack's final food truck festival of the season will feature everything from ice cream sandwiches and sausage sandwiches to gourmet egg rolls and Filipino cuisine.
Food Trucktemberfest's participating trucks include The Baked Bear, Latin Bites, Mozzarepas, Rescue Rolls and Twelve Truck, among others.
The day also includes horse racing and live music. Admission costs $6 and food prices vary by vendor.
Go: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7; 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport; 732-222-5100, monmouthpark.com.
Wine on the Beach, Seaside Heights
This two-day oceanfront festival, a celebration of New Jersey wine, will feature wineries like Valenzano, DiMatteo, Tomasello, Coda Roassa, Villari and Salem Oak.
Tickets costs $20 in advance and $25 at the festival. The cost includes a souvenir wine glass and wine samples. There is no charge for attendees who will not be sampling wine or for those younger than 21. The festival also will feature craft vendors and live music.
Go: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8; Grant Avenue beach, Seaside Heights; newjerseywineevents.com.
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Taste of Atlantic Highlands
Hop on a trolley and take a tour of Atlantic Highlands, eating and drinking along the way. This festival will feature more than 25 borough businesses offering samples of food, drinks and cocktails.
Tickets cost $45 for general admission, $40 for those 70 and older and members of the military, and $15 for children.
Go: Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8. Ticketholders must stop at Veterans Park on First Avenue before starting the tour; ahchamber.org.
Comfort Food Festival, Toms River
Downtown Toms River is home to restaurants serving everything from pizza and pasta to sushi and tacos, and all are taking part in this food-focused festival.
Festivalgoers can stroll up and down Washington Street, visiting restaurants such as A Thyme for All Seasons, Oi Sushi and Capone's Gourmet Pizza & Pasta. Shop the various craft vendors, check out participating food trucks and enjoy live music and dance performances.
Go: Noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21; Washington Street, Toms River; 732-341-8738, downtowntomsriver.com.
Festival of the Sea, Point Pleasant Beach
Downtown Point Pleasant Beach is home to many great restaurants: Spano's Ristorante Italiano, Jersey Shore BBQ, The Poached Pear and Pop's Corner, to name a few.
Stop by during Festival of the Sea, which will highlight local restaurants and feature a beer and wine garden, live music, games, family activities and more than 200 craft vendors.
Go: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21; Arnold and Bay avenues, Point Pleasant Beach; 732-899-2424, pointpleasantbeachchamber.com. Shuttle service is available at Point Pleasant Boro High School, 830 Laura Herbert Drive; at Arnold and Ocean avenues and at Central and Ocean avenues.
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Red Bank Oktoberfest
Head to Edmund Wilson Plaza for this New Jersey take on the famous German festival.
Red Bank's Oktoberfest will feature beer and spirits brewed and distilled in Monmouth County, plus food, live music, a vendors market and a kids zone.
There is no charge for admission. An unlimited tastings package for those 21 and older costs $45 in advance or $55 the day of the festival. A dozen samples cost $25 in advance or $35 the day of the event.
Go: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21; 1 Bridge Ave.; 732-842-4244, redbank.org.
A Touch of Italy Food Truck Festival, Plumsted
More than a dozen food trucks will gather at Laurita Winery for this festival, including L'Acquario Seafood Italiano, La Rosa Chicken & Grill, Pasta Paradise, Ohana Food Truck, Star of the Sea Seafood and RED Pizza Express.
The festival also will feature Laurita's wines, live music and vineyard wagon tours.
Tickets cost $13 in advance or $15 the day of the festival. There is no charge for attendees younger than 21.
Go: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept., 22; 85 Archertown Road, New Egypt section of Plumsted; lauritawinery.com. The winery also will host a fall food truck festival Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6; an Oktoberfest food truck festival Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20; and a Halloween food truck festival Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27.
Greek Festival, Toms River
Now in its 51st year, this fest at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church is a celebration of all things Greek.
An outdoor food court offers gyros, moussaka, souvlaki, pastitsio, spanakopita and Greek salad, plus pastries like baklava. The festival also includes a beer truck and full bar, games, live music and dancing.
Go: Noon to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28 and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29; 2200 Church Road, Toms River; 732-255-5525, saintbarbaranj.org. Shuttle service is available from Ocean County College, 1 College Drive.
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Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off
Previously known as Chowderfest, an end-of-season event organized by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, this new take on Long Beach Island's decades-old festival has new organizers and a new name.
"Even though the event will be brand new this year, the Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off will be reminiscent of all loved components of former chowder events," reads a news release from the Hunger Foundation of Southern Ocean, which is presenting the event with the Beach Haven Chamber of Commerce. "Some highlights will include bringing back a two-day format with a merchant mart on Saturday and a ticketed Clam Chowder Cook-Off on Sunday, with many local restaurants competing for the best red and white chowders."
Restaurants participating in the cook-off include Panzone's, Wally's, Delaware Avenue Oyster House, Country Kettle Chowder, La Bamba, Mud City Crab House, Joe Pop's, Buckalew's, Lefty's, and The Chicken or the Egg.
There is no charge to attend the merchant mart, which will feature food, wine, shopping and live music. Tickets to the cook-off, which includes chowder samples from 10 local restaurants, cost $30.
Go: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6; Taylor and North Delaware avenues, Beach Haven; bhchowdercookoff.com.
JBJ Soul Kitchen Chili Cookoff, Toms River
JBJ Soul Kitchen, a nonprofit community restaurant and extension of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, invites chili fans to taste and vote for their favorite at this ninth annual event.
The chili will be prepared by local first responders, and the event also will feature dishes prepared by the restaurant's chefs. Admission costs $30 in advance or $40 the day of the cookoff. There is no charge for children 12 and younger.
Go: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; 1769 Hooper Ave.; 732-731-1414, jbjsoulkitchen.org.
Stafford Township Fall Harvest and Wine Festival, Stafford
Nine New Jersey wines, dozens of vendors and plenty of food trucks will be featured during this two-part, two-day festival in the township's Manahawkin section.
Sample and shop from Wagonhouse, Valenzano and Tomasello wineries, among others, during the wine festival at Stafford's Heritage Park, then enjoy craft and food vendors, live music, a Halloween parade, pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, scarecrow making and a costume contest at the fall fest across the street at Manahawkin Lake Park.
Wine festival admission for attendees who wish to sample costs $20 in advance or $25 at the gate. There is no charge for festivalgoers who won't be drinking wine. There is no charge for the fall festival.
Go: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 and Sunday, Oct. 13; Heritage Park, 49 W. Bay Ave., Manahawkin Lake Park, Route 9 and North Lakeshore Drive; 609-597-1000, ext. 8573, staffordnj.gov, newjerseywineevents.com.
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Fall Taste of Highlands
Get to know the borough of Highlands through this fall festival, which invites foodies to visit and sample food and cocktails from 18 local restaurants.
The tour starts at Huddy Park, where you'll pick up a map of participating restaurants. Tickets cost $45 and include food and drink samples and access to the Seastreak Courtesy Shuttle, which will take attendees from stop to stop.
Go: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; Huddy Park, Bay and Waterwitch avenues; highlandsnj.com.
Sip in Autumn Wine Festival, Berkeley Township
A dozen New Jersey wineries and food trucks will be waiting at this festival, including Villari Vineyards, The Vintner’s Wife, Station One Seafood and G’Day Gourmet. The fest also will feature craft vendors and live music.
Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 the day of the festival. There is no charge for attendees who will not be sampling wine or for those younger than 21.
Go: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3; Veterans Park, 489 Bill Zimmerman Jr Way in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township; newjerseywineevents.com.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Food, wine and beer festivals happening at the Shore this fall
