Kevin Hart, Matchbox Twenty, the B-52s, Barenaked Ladies, Frankie Valli and Stephen Colbert are among the featured acts for the second annual North to Shore Festival, which was announced Thursday at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
The event, designed to spotlight New Jersey’s culture, creativity and diversity, will again have three locations: Asbury Park (June 10-16), Atlantic City (June 17-23) and Newark (June 24-30).
The event will include numerous film screenings, live podcasts and panels, many of which will be announced at a future date, but it is best known for its live perfomances. Gary Clark Jr., Gabriel Iglesias, Bleachers, Jeezy, Scarface, Lake Street Dive, Prince Royce & Wisin, Keyshia Cole and Trey Songz are among the additional artists who were announced Thursday.
Ticket information can be found here.
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is producing this three-weekend extravaganza in collaboration with its partners, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, NJM Insurance Group, New Jersey Travel & Tourism, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Outfront Media, RWJBarnabas Health and United Airlines. Prudential Financial is this year’s title sponsor.
In its inaugural year, North to Shore was designed to be an economic engine for the state. Organizers’ goals were far exceeded, as the newborn festival drew an audience of nearly 250,000 to experience more than 300 artists in more than 100 venues in three of New Jersey’s most arts-rich cities. While most festival events were free to the public, ticketed events brought in $7.6 million in ticket sales.
Gov. Phil Murphy felt it was just such an engine.
“Our inaugural North to Shore Festival was the beginning of a proud, new annual tradition that brings some of the biggest stars to New Jersey to bolster our tourism industry and boost demand for our local businesses,” he said.
“I’m thrilled to announce this year’s lineup features a number of world-renowned acts who will hit the stages in Newark, Asbury Park and Atlantic City this June. This year’s festival will be even bigger and better than ever before, and we look forward to welcoming those from near and far to experience our unique state this summer.”
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority also will support the event.
“Last year’s inaugural North to Shore Festival proved to be a tremendous success for New Jersey’s communities, cities and economy,” EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said. “As part of Gov. Murphy’s vision to make New Jersey the best place to live, work and raise a family, this three-week festival celebrates and showcases the strength of our state’s talent and diversity in innovation and arts.
“The NJEDA is proud to take part in this year’s North to Shore Festival, which will not only bring world-class talent back to New Jersey but will help boost the economy at the heart of the summer season by supporting local restaurants, hotels, venues and main streets.”
Producing partners this year include Montclair Film and Newark International Film Festival, which together will add a curated film component to the festival; TechUnited: New Jersey, which will join North to Shore by hosting more than 5,000 attendees at the Propelify Innovation Festival, showcasing tech leaders, emerging startups and cutting-edge technology; Stockton University, which will manage a series of e-sports competitions and soccer programming in Atlantic City; and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, which in collaboration with NJPAC and the NJEDA will host virtual discussions on maternal health, the arts as a catalyst to health, and food insecurity.
A portion of ticket sales to select events will support Growing Healthy Pantries — a partnership among Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Community FoodBank of New Jersey, FoodBank of South Jersey, Fulfill, Mercer Street Friends, Norwescap and Feeding America — which addresses food security statewide. Growing Healthy Pantries helps 900 food pantries in all 21 counties promote healthy food choices to improve the overall health of New Jerseyans.
NJPAC once again provided direct grants to artists, nonprofits, small businesses and art organizations based in each host city to self-produce performing and visual art events during the festival. The grants, which total $367,000 this year, support the creative economy of each city, and give a platform to artists and arts organizations that call New Jersey home. A full list of grant recipients is available here.
Additionally, for the first time, grants have been provided to artists interested in performing on the North to Shore Festival Community Showcase Stages, centrally located performance venues in each city, including the Audible Showcase Stage in Newark.
“We are thrilled to bring North to Shore back to the Garden State this summer to celebrate the vast diversity and top-notch talent that is quintessential New Jersey,” NJPAC CEO John Schreiber said. “In its inaugural year, North to Shore proved to be an economic driver for the businesses and downtown districts that serve our state’s residents day-in and day-out. I’m proud to bring that support back to three of our most iconic cities this summer.”
This year, festivalgoers can maximize the festival experience with the North to Shore app, where they can plan their schedule, explore artists, buy tickets, get access to exclusive content and giveaways, and more.
