We are very pleased to announce our rescheduled date, new location, and updated schedule of events for the Golden Anniversary of the New Jersey Folk Festival!
New Jersey Folk Festival
NEW JERSEY FOLK FESTIVAL GOLDEN ANNIVERSARYA Signature Event of the Middlesex County 2025 FolkLIVE Series
Live Music, Folklorists, Crafters, Park & Garden Tours, Folklife Demonstrations, Children’s Activities, Tractor Rides, Food Trucks, & More
PROUDLY CELEBRATING OUR 50th ANNIVERSARY
(1975-2025)
NEW DATE: SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2025 – 10AM-4PM
Inclement Weather Date: Sunday, August 24, 2025 – 10AM-4PM
Note: The inclement weather date will only be utilized if dangerous weather conditions are predicted. Announcements will be made on this website and social channels by Wednesday, August 20th.
2025 LOCATION: DAVIDSON’S MILL POND PARK – NORTH & SOUTH BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIPS – MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ
Connect with the Festival! #njff50
Share Your NJFF Experience! #NJFF50
2025 STAGE SCHEDULES
Click the Schedules for Additional Performance Information
Festival Activities
We're Looking for Volunteers
We are currently seeking additional festival volunteers! We need volunteers for many tasks throughout the day, including providing guest directions, distributing festival maps, assisting with set-up/break-down and more. We rely on volunteers to help the festival run smoothly! Volunteers are needed for shifts from 6:30AM through 6:00PM. Volunteers will recieve a complimentary NJFF t-shirt and a meal. All are welcome and invited to be part of our volunteer team.
Our Sponsors
We want to thank our generous sponsors for making this event possible, and for showing their commitment to the community and the NJFF.
Sponsor Application
Donations
Due to increased costs associated with our April date postponement, we are still actively seeking donations to the New Jersey Folk Festival Inc, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered with the State of New Jersey. We are incredibly grateful for contributions of any size. All donations are tax deductible, in accordance with all Federal and State regulations and limitations.
Donations
NJFF Mission
The mission of the New Jersey Folk Festival is to preserve and protect the music, culture, and arts of New Jersey. Therefore, the main focus of this festival is the traditional music, crafts, and foods of the diverse ethnic and cultural communities within the state and its surrounding region.
NJFF HISTORY
Established in 1975 by Rutgers University Professor of American Studies Dr. Angus K. Gillespie, the New Jersey Folk Festival is the oldest continuously run folk festival in the State of New Jersey.
Historically, the NJFF occurred on the last Saturday of each April coinciding with the annual Rutgers Cook College Agricultural Field Day, which partnered with the annual Rutgers Day event in the mid-2000s. Traditionally, it was located on the Great Lawn at the Woodlawn mansion, home to the Eagleton Institute of Politics. In 2024, it moved to the grass field in the vicinity of Passion Puddle and Lipman Hall. The 50th Anniversary Festival planned to take place on this date and location but was postponed due to dangerous weather conditions and was rescheduled to August 2025 and relocated to Davidson’s Mill Pond Park in Middlesex County. The festival attracts over 15,000 people and is one of the Middlesex County & the City of New Brunswick’s largest regularly scheduled events.
While originally run by student members of the Rutgers American Studies “Festival Management” course, the NJFF is now managed by a small team of non-profit staff members and volunteers.
Typically, the event features three to four stages of music, dance, and workshops, a juried craft market, a children’s activities area, a delicious array of food choices, a folk marketplace, and a heritage area which offers a close-up look at each year’s cultural or geographical theme or other appropriate exhibits.
Read more about the festival history and past festival themes on our Wikipedia page.
The New Jersey Folk Festival, Inc. is also a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the State of New Jersey exempt from federal taxation.
Our mailing address of record is: 3010 NJ 27 – Unit 6 #285 – Kendall Park, NJ 08824
DIRECTIONS, PARKING INFORMATION, & FESTIVAL MAP
Directions
The 2025 NJFF will be located at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park (link: https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/97/), a 499 acre Middlesex County Park located in North Brunswick and South Brunswick Townships. The closest address to the entrance for GPS would be: 42 Riva Avenue – North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902. You can also search for the Middlesex County E.A.R.T.H. Center (link: https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/government/departments/department-of-economic-development/middlesex-county-cooperative-extension-service-with-rutgers/agriculture-and-natural-resource-management/e-a-r-t-h-center-educational-tours) in your GPS. Note: Upon entering the park, one part of the entry road is a single-land bridge. Please drive with caution and care.
Driving Directions
From Route 287
- Take Exit for Rt. 1 South
- Follow directions for Rt.1
From Route 1
- Take Rt. 130 at Rt. 1 & 130 circle
- At light after Middlesex County Offices & Correctional Center, make left (Davidson Mill Rd.)
- Make first right onto Riva Ave.
- Park is on the left
From Route 18
- Take Cranbury Rd. (Rt. 535) in East Brunswick
- Follow to Davidson Mill Rd. (Make a right)
- Go over bridge
- Make left onto Riva Ave. (Last left before bridge)
- Park is on the left
From Route 9 North
- Take Rt. 18 North
- Follow directions for Rt. 18
From Garden State Parkway South
- Take Exit 130 (Rt.1)
- Follow Rt.1 South
- Follow directions for Rt.1
From Garden State Parkway North
- Take Exit for 287
- Take Exit for Rt. 1 South
- Follow directions for Rt.1
From NJ Turnpike
- Take Exit 8A
- Follow signs for Rt. 32 West
- Take Rt. 130 North (New Brunswick)
- Make right onto Davidson Mill Rd.
- Make first right onto Riva Ave.
- Park is on the left
Parking Information
Parking at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park (link: https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/97/) is FREE. Upon arrival, you will be directed to the parking area by a volunteer or member of the Middlesex County Parks Ranger team. Most parking will be in designated areas of a grassy-field with a limited number of ADA spaces reserved in small paved lots. After parking, guests will be directed to walk toward the Festival Grounds. Note: Non-emergency vehicular traffic is PROHIBITED on the Festival Grounds on the day of the festival.
Festival & Park Map
Complimentary Festival maps will be available at the New Jersey Folk Festival Central tent on the day of the event.
