More than beaches: South Jersey summer festivals provide fun for tourists, dollars for small town economies

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South Jersey beaches have long been a  destination for millions of tourists over multiple generations. In recent times, the plethora of festivals and fairs over the summer and fall are also drawing crowds.

Whether it is June’s Blueberry Festival in Hammonton, the Haddonfield Crafts and Fine Arts Festival in July or the upcoming Atlantic City Latino Festival on Sept. 6, visitors are flocking to these events as one-time excursions or annual visits.

“I’m 62 years old and I’ve been coming here since I was 14,” said Sherry Daniels Thomson, of Blackwood, while she was recently attending July’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival in Hammonton. “My family’s from here and it just seems to get bigger every year. I’m coming for the sausage and pepper [sandwiches] myself.”

New Jersey attracted more than 123 million tourists in 2024, according to the latest report from the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. The American Coastal Coalition said that South Jersey’s Atlantic and Cape May counties alone provided for nearly one-third of that record-setting economic tourism punch.

Jane Bokunewicz, faculty director of Stockton University’s Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality & Tourism, said that while the figures are not broken down into how many tourists hit the beaches or visited festivals, it was safe to say that festivals made a significant tourism impact.

South Jersey festivals are about ‘tradition and spirit’

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival bills itself as the oldest Italian American Festival in the country. The July festival celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. For one week, the empty lot at St. Joseph’s Church was turned into a bustling carnival midway with rides, a large beer garden, musical stage and enough food variety that would make any town’s Restaurant Week jealous.

Ron Virgilio’s tie to the festival dates to his great-grandfather.

“My great-grandfather, grandfather and father were members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society,” which puts on the annual festival, Virgilio said in front of a huge grill that churned out smells of polish sausage, chicken and beef. “My son will join when he’s old enough. This is definitely a family here.”

Beer garden Chairman Mark Krason, who made sure all the kegs kept serving as his wife navigated their 11-month-old granddaughter in a stroller around the festival grounds, said people visit for different reasons.

“Look around you. Everybody’s got a smile on their face and that’s how it is every year,” said Krason, who has been part of the society for 40 years. “Some come for the sandwiches, some for the variety of cannolis and some come just to see people who they haven’t seen since the festival last year.”

Bokunewicz said it is that tradition and spirit that makes many South Jersey festivals a draw. For many towns and counties, the festivals mean more than tourism.

“They build a sense of pride in the community,” he said. “The authentic stories posted on social media generated by people enjoying the festivals create a positive image of the city where people may want to live there, or invest and open a business there. These festivals tend to have a lot more benefits.”

Each festival is unique

The Salem County Fair, which ran the first week of August, did not have a single amusement park ride or big musical act. Organizers say it’s the last New Jersey fair that is purely agricultural.

A tractor-pull for children was the closest thing to a thrill ride. There were plenty of sheep, goats, cows and a variety of other animals on display courtesy of the Salem County 4-H. The home economics building brimmed with handmade crafts and display and for purchase.

Its midway included a variety of food vendors. Mike Baker, one of the organizers, smiled widely as he argued that their fair was proof you don’t need carnival rides to draw a crowd – just tradition and a great atmosphere.

“It gives me chills just thinking about it,” he said as he rode around the Salem County Fairgrounds in his golf cart. “We’re old school and we’re true to our roots. As long as there’s no rain or it is not crazy hot, we pack this place, as you can see. We take a lot of pride in this being 100% agricultural.”

Mary and John Combs met at the Salem County Fair through the 4-H club, when they were in seventh grade. Now adults, they returned to the fair with their daughter, Joy, 7, and dog Willow.

“You can’t walk 10 feet without seeing someone you know,” Mary Combs said as the family relaxed on a bench near the steer exhibit. “It’s just an easy night out with the family. I think they keep it like this for a reason, and everyone seems to love it. A lot of the things here are free and that’s nice for a family.”

There were only a handful of rides, all for small children, at the Puerto Rican Festival in Vineland at the end of July, but the food and music energized the large crowd throughout Landis Park. An afternoon parade on the final day of the festival was a magnet for attendees who soaked up the Caribbean vibes and the musical bands.

There was a parade of cars lined outside the perimeter of the park awash with red, white and blue flags representing Puerto Rico while traditional music from the island reverberated from the park.

“This festival brings back culture and pride to many of the people who are here,” said Merilee Nigron, the daughter of Vineland Puerto Rico Festival President Leonides Nigron. “I grew up with the festival. For visitors, they get a sense of our passion and why we are so proud to call Puerto Rico home.”

Vineland native Janette Velazquez said she makes the trip from her home in Kissimmee, Florida, to Cumberland County for the festival each year so she can see family and operate a booth at the festival.

On the final day of the festival, lines for Velazquez’s grilled shish kebabs stretched in two different directions and attendees waited up to 30 minutes to buy the mix of chicken and vegetables on a stick.

“This is a way to give back to the community and to see family,” she said, taking a brief break from her bustling vendor’s tent. “We sold out of everything yesterday. It’s like this every year. People here are so supportive. Why wouldn’t I do this every year?”

It’s more than just a social outlet

Bokunewicz said the different festivals provide communities an opportunity to show off their personalities, but for some, it’s an economic lifeline.

She cited the Atlantic City Air Show, which had been a popular summer attraction until it was canceled in 2024.

The air show returned to the resort town in July, rebranded as the Visit Atlantic City Soar & Shore Festival.

“We can see the impact of that festival because the year it was canceled, there was a notable decrease in visitation,” Bokunewicz said. “The hotel operators would normally get a boost in their average rate during the air show. In the year it was canceled, they had a reduction in their average daily rate.”

When the air show was restored in 2025, Visit Atlantic City estimates that there were 150,000 attendees with an economic impact of $15 million. In 2026, the airshow is scheduled to be held the weekend after Memorial Day as a way to kick off the summer season, extending the boost they would normally get on the holiday.

Bokunewicz said that many South Jersey communities want to extend the festival season into the fall in hopes to stretch their busy season and capture residents who don’t want to quite let go of summer yet.

Smithville Village’s Oktoberfest on Oct. 4-5 in Atlantic County, Medford’s Apple Festival on Oct. 11, the Chatsworth Cranberry Festival on Oct. 18-19 and the Batso Village County Living Fair on Oct. 19 are some of the annual big South Jersey festival draws still to come.

“In South Jersey, the beaches are the main tourist attraction, but in the Northeast, you can only enjoy them in the summertime,” Bokunewicz said. “Festivals have always been a great way to attract people during the off-season and maybe even mid-week.”

WHYY News is partnering with independent journalists across New Jersey to spotlight the people, communities, cultures and distinctive places that shape the Garden State. This work is made possible with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.