The North to Shore Festival, presented by Prudential Financial, will return next June with shows celebrating the arts, entertainment and new ideas in numerous venues in Newark, Asbury Park and Atlantic City.
The acts will be announced at a future date.
Conceived by Gov. Phil Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy as a way to spotlight New Jersey’s role as a destination for the arts and entertainment and an incubator of new ideas and fresh talent, the event has brought in more than $25 million for ticketed events and has drawn a total audience of over 500,000 to more than 650 shows in approximately 250 venues.
The N.J. Performing Arts Center will again produce the festival, in partnership with a cohort of other live entertainment presenters and producing partners. Once again, both global headliners and artists who hail from cities along the festival route will take the stage in front of an audience drawn from across the region.
In addition, North to Shore Community Arts Awards will be given to artists, arts organizations, nonprofits, and small businesses to produce and present free festival events. Additionally, the festival will now include season-long community engagement events in Atlantic City.
Free events featuring artists from Newark, Asbury Park and Atlantic City will be presented alongside the festival’s headlining artists. During the festival’s first two seasons, headliners included New Jersey pop diva Halsey, hip hop legends Eric B. & Rakim, classic rocker Santana, New Jersey native Jack Antonoff’s The Bleachers, comedic powerhouse Kevin Hart, multi-platinum award-winning, singer/songwriter Prince Royce, four-time Grammy Award winner Gary Clark, Jr., and multiple Latin Grammy award winner Marisa Monte.
“What separates North to Shore from other festivals is the breadth of experiences it offers,” NJPAC CEO John Schreiber said. “Whether you want to see the biggest names in entertainment, discover the next big star, or listen to leading innovative voices, this festival has something for you.”
The festival will again collaborate with its local advisory groups in Atlantic City, Asbury Park and Newark to provide North to Shore Community Arts Awards of up to $10,000 each. The aim of the Community Arts Awards is to support New Jersey’s creative economy by providing a global platform that amplifies the voices of under-recognized artists and arts organizations.
Awards will be granted to independent producers, small businesses, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations in each city to self-produce performing and visual arts events during the festival. Additionally, awards ranging from $500 to $2,500 will be available for independent artists to perform as part of the festival on community stages in each city.
Events produced by recipients of the North to Shore Community Arts Awards, which will be known as N2S Official Selections, will be revealed at this year’s in-person festival press conference. Local artists and organizations seeking Community Arts Awards can apply now by visiting NorthtoShore.com.
“Like our home state of New Jersey, the strength of this festival is rooted in its incredible diversity and spirit of innovation,” NJPAC Executive Producer David Rodriguez said. “We’re excited to take what we’ve learned the past two years and produce something even bolder and even more Jersey.”
