New Brunswick Heart Festival

Free Outdoor Festival
Sat, August 8, 2026 from 2pm-6pm

This annual FREE outdoor family-friendly festival celebrates the vibrant arts, culture, and local history of New Brunswick and Middlesex County.

The festival features live music and dance including a performance by 5-piece local New Brunswick band, Warehouse Collective (piano, drums, bass, vocalist, sax/flute), performing R&B/Soul and Funk hits by Stevie Wonder, Rose Royce, Earth, Wind, & Fire, & more! Dance Warz is bringing the ultimate street dance experience to the stage! Founded in 2006 by dancer/choreographer Anthony “Solo” Harris, Dance Warz showcases local iconic hip-hop dancers and rising stars in jaw-dropping performances and epic battles! Headlining the festival is party band The B-Side Band, performing songs from Bruno Mars, Aretha Franklin, Sugar Hill Gang, Motown, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, hits from the 90s and 2000s, and more.  

Other live performances include New Brunswick Brass Band; Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia; State Theatre New Jersey's 2026 Jersey Talent winner, tap dancer John Boudouvas; and New Brunswick High School Cheerleaders.

The festival also features:

• Visual Art Market
• Craft vendors (jewelry, clothes, crocheted items, soaps, candles, stickers)
• Food vendors (tacos, churros, lemonade, ice cream, s'mores, burgers, fried chicken, Indian food, acai bowls)
• Free dance classes for kids with Princeton Ballet School
• Free face painting (Jazzy J, Eshee White, Cristina Hoyos), Henna (Kavi's Henna), balloon animals, and caricature by Matthew Many
• Health & wellness area by Garden of Healing;
• Free interactive craft activities, including a 3-D collaborative heart display by Zimmerli Art Museum, a ghost puppet craft with Milloweentown

New Brunswick Heart Festival is presented by State Theatre New Jersey and New Brunswick Cultural Center.

Supported by funding through the NJEDA’s A.R.T.—Phase II Grant Program.