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Beginner Backgammon at Montclair Public Library
April 22 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Join the Montclair Public Library, located at 50 South Fullerton Avenue, to learn Backgammon, a game that has been played and enjoyed for thousands of years, on April 22nd from 2PM to 4PM. Students in this class will learn the rules of play, basic strategies, and nuances of backgammon.
27 Annual Events Every Montclair Resident Should Know About
No matter the time of year, Montclair boasts all sorts of community gatherings. From a film festival to an art walk to a pride parade, there's an event for every current or soon-to-be resident to enjoy. To keep you in the loop, The Montclair Girl has created a seasonal guide to Montclair's most anticipated events and festivals. Read on for a list of annual Montclair events all residents should know about.
Fall Events
Montclair Art Walk
Residents can explore the town's art scene at the annual Montclair Art Walk, which typically happens in the fall. All kinds of local galleries and businesses are usually in attendance, and the event features talks, performances, classes, live mural paintings, and more. The 2025 dates and details have yet to be announced.
Read More: 42 Spring Festivals in Montclair + Northern New Jersey for 2025
Montclair Film Festival
The beloved Montclair Film typically hosts the annual Montclair Film Festival, a multi-day event showcasing special screenings, panels, and notable events, in the fall. The upcoming 2025 festival — its 14th edition — has yet to be announced. Screenings typically take place at The Wellmont Theater (5 Seymour Street) and The Clairidge (486 Bloomfield Avenue).
Scarecrows + Pumpkin Friends in the Gardens at Van Vleck
Scarecrows + Pumpkin Friends in the Garden is a community exhibit and contest presented by Van Vleck House and Gardens, typically running from October to November. In 2024, locals entered their scarecrow designs in the following categories: family, scouts, local businesses, nonprofits, and schools/classes. One winner was selected from each group, and each winner chose a nonprofit organization to receive a donation from The Montclair Foundation. Details regarding the sixth annual Scarecrows + Pumpkin Friends in the Garden have yet to be announced.
Upper Montclair Sidewalk Sale
Locals can shop and support small businesses at the Upper Montclair Sidewalk Sale, which has been hosted annually for 47 seasons. Hosted by Upper Montclair Business Association, last year's event took place in September and featured 35 different businesses selling clothing, food, accessories, art, and more.
Zombie Walk
The Zombie Walk is an annual tradition where Montclair residents dress in their best zombie attire and parade around the town. The 2024 Zombie Walk was hosted by East Side Mags in partnership with Indie Arts Montclair, Fresco Artistry, and Out Montclair. Participants also had the option to get their spooky makeup done by professional makeup artists. Details about this year's event has yet to be posted.
Holiday Events
Essex County Holiday House Tour
Every year, Essex County opens up its most historical homes, sites, and structures for public tours. The Essex County Holiday House Tour, hosted by the Essex County Division of Cultural + Historic Affairs and Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., is a family-friendly event and typically runs during one weekend throughout the county in December. Last year's tour featured 12 properties in Montclair, Cedar Grove, Nutley, Bloomfield, Verona, Upper Montclair, Livingston, West Orange, Caldwell, Newark, and South Orange. Details for this year's event have yet to be announced.
Holiday Tree Lightings
The Township of Montclair hosts multiple tree lighting ceremonies throughout different neighborhoods each holiday season. For 2024, locals saw the Montclair light up in festive colors in the Upper Montclair Business District, the town's beloved Edgemont Park, and the South End. The lightings typically feature goodies like treats, raffle baskets, carolers, performances, kids' activities, and, occasionally, visits from Ol’ Saint Nick himself. Dates for the 2025 holiday tree lighting ceremonies have not been announced yet.
Montclair’s Winter Wonderland
Photo Credit: Montclair Center
The Winter Wonderland, located at Wellmont Plaza, is an annual event where Montclair locals can enjoy a day of shopping, live music, kids' crafts, character appearances, and more. It usually occurs sometime in November and happens on a Small Business Saturday. Last year's event included a Gift Guide Map, featuring over 70 local businesses providing special holiday deals. The details for the 2025 Winter Wonderland have yet to be announced.
Montclair Flea Holiday Market
The Montclair Flea Holiday Market is a festive shopping extravaganza every winter season at Lackawanna Station, located at 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair. Come the end of November or early December, residents can look forward to locally-owned micro-businesses and merchants, featuring a mix of food + drinks, music, art, and shopping. The dates for the 2025 season have yet to be announced.
Spring + Summer Events
AAPI Color Run
With a mission to uplift the experiences of AAPI people and promote awareness and education about AAPI culture and history, AAPI New Jersey hosts all kinds of events throughout the year, including its annual Color Run. This 5K race and a 1-mile Fun Run is a celebration of spring festivals and events in the AAPI community, including Holi and Songkran. The 2025 event will take place on Sunday, April 27th, in a closed course at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield from 8:30AM-11:30AM. The 5K starts at 8:30AM, and the Fun Run kicks off at 10AM.
AAPI Lantern Festival
Also hosted by the nonprofit organization AAPI New Jersey is the AAPI Lantern Festival, a community event where locals can create and dedicate lanterns in honor of important people in their lives. The fifth annual Lantern Festival returns for the 2025 season on May 17th from 6PM to 10PM at Edgemont Memorial Park on Valley Road in Montclair. This year's event, which encompasses the theme is Justice and Unity, will feature art installations, food trucks, children’s activities, and live music "inspired by Asian American and other song traditions of liberation and resistance," as per AAPI New Jersey.
African-American Heritage Parade + Festival
The Montclair African-American History + Culture Parade and Festival, first established in 1990, is an annual event that honors the town's African-American heritage and historical contributions. Each year, the festival begins with a town-wide parade, and two prominent Montclair locals are appointed as Grand Marshals. After the parade, the festival continues in Nishuane Park, located at 48 High Street, featuring live performances, art exhibitions, food vendors, and family-friendly activities. For 2025, the festival will take place on June 7th. More details to come.
Montclair Earth Fest
With a goal of encouraging environmentally conscious practices, Montclair hosted its Earth Fest celebration for the first time last year. The event has returned for 2025 and will take place on Sunday, April 27th, from 12PM to 4PM at South Street Park, between Bloomfield Avenue and Church Street. Attendees can expect to see booths from eco-friendly local businesses + nonprofits and demos showcasing electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more.
Montclair Film Summer Series: Movie Night Under the Stars
Montclair Film hosts Movie Night Under the Stars, as part of its Summer Series, every year throughout July and August in various Essex County parks. The 16th annual event has yet to be announced, but last year's featured outdoor screenings of hit films like Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Richard Jared Hess's Napoleon Dynamite.
Montclair Flea Markets
Photo Credit: Montclair Flea
Montclair Flea is a local flea market operating in the spring and summer months at Lackawanna Station, located at 1 Lackawanna Plaza, Montclair. This year, the market will run every Saturday and Sunday from May 11th to July 20th between 11AM and 6PM, except for Memorial Day weekend and the weekend of July 4th. Each market will have a theme, from Mother’s Day to Vintage Vibes, to A Father's Day ExtravaDADza.
Montclair Jazz Festival
The Montclair Jazz Festival, hosted by Jazz House Kids, features several jazz-themed events and live music performances throughout the summer. In years past, this festival included a Sound Check series, an Uptown Showcase at Montclair State, and an Outdoor Concert Series at The Wellmont Arts Plaza. The festival always ends with its Downtown Jamboree, a grand finale celebration. The 2025 dates have yet to be announced.
Montclair July 4th Parade
Every July 4th, the Montclair Township hosts a July 4th parade featuring marching bands, floats, antique cars, bubble dancers, and more. Following the parade, there's typically a community picnic where attendees can enjoy food trucks, music, games, and activities at Edgemont Park. Specifics regarding the 2025 parade have not been announced yet.
Montclair Literary Fest
The Montclair Literary Festival was first launched in 2016 by the Montclair-based nonprofit, Succeed2gether. The festival as a whole raises funds and awareness for the organization. Every year, over 90 local, national, and international authors take part in the series of events across Montclair. This year, the event will occur from April 26th to May 3rd. See the festival lineup and details here.
Montclair Porchfest
The first-ever Montclair Porchfest, an event where neighborhood porches turn into live music venues, will take place on Saturday, May 17th, from 12PM to 7PM. A few of the participating musicians include Vintage 135, Camino Sound, BREAKTIME, Jacqueline Ellis, and Jason Didner. From 7PM to 10PM, there will be a main stage with a final act on Bloomfield Avenue, featuring food + retail vendors and local businesses. The exact location has yet to be announced.
Montclair Pride Festival
The annual Montclair Pride festival, hosted by non-profit Out Montclair, will take place on Saturday, June 14th, 2025, from 12PM to 6PM in the Downtown area. This event will include three stages of live entertainment, a beer garden stocked with beer, wine, bubbly, and cocktails, food + drink vendors, food trucks, LGBTQ+ owned businesses, artisans, crafters, and community organizations, and a family zone featuring games, activities, and performances. There will also be a street dance party from 6PM-8PM with DJ Vito Fun, followed by an after-party starting at 9PM (location TBD).
Montclair Run
Photo Credit: YMCA of Montclair
The Montclair YMCA has hosted a family-friendly 10K grand prix run + 2-mile fun run/walk since 1983. The 42nd annual run + walk will take place on Sunday, June 1st, at 8AM and start at the YMCA of Montclair, located at 25 Park Street. For more details on this year's event, see here.
Walnut Street Fair
Montclair’s Walnut Street Fair is an annual town-wide event doubling as a fundraiser for the Junior League of Montclair-Newark. For 2025, it will take place on Walnut Street, from Grove Street to Forest Street, on May 4th from 11AM to 4PM. The highlights of this free fair consist of over 300 local food + drink and artisan vendors, including a wide variety of Montclair-based businesses, two stages of musical performances, a Family Fun Zone, and a beer garden.
Year-Round Events
Montclair Farmer’s Market
Throughout the year, locals can shop for produce, meats, poultry, fish, cheeses, baked goods, flowers, decor, and more at the Montclair Farmers' Market. This market can be found at Walnut Street Station, located at 86 Walnut Street, from June to November, between 8AM to 2PM, and from December to May, between 9AM to 1PM.
Bonus
2025 Home + Garden Tour
The Women's Club of Glen Ridge hosts an annual Home + Garden Tour each year. For 2025, attendees can tour five modern and historical homes and four luxurious gardens on May 4th from 1PM to 5:30PM. After the tour, the group will meet at the Women's Club of Glen Ridge's clubhouse for its traditional champagne reception, featuring sweets and boutique vendors. See details and get tickets here.
Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival
When the spring season rolls around, there's one particular event all locals look forward to. The Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival, which just came around for its 49th year, takes place typically in mid-April at Branch Brook Park in Newark. The festival features family-friendly events such as the Cherry Blossom Challenge Bike Race, Cherry Blossom 10K Run, Essex County One-Mile Fun Run, Essex County Family Day, and more. Stay tuned for the 2026 dates, which will be its 50th year running.
Maplewood Dickens Village
Every holiday season, Dickens Village comes to life in downtown Maplewood. Come December, Ricalton Square is transformed into a small village of homes depicting various scenes from the novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The month-long event also features seasonal festivities like photos with Santa, a menorah, tree lightings, a petting zoo, and wagon rides. The 2025 details have not been announced yet.
See More: 40 Annual Events That All Hoboken + Jersey City Residents Should Know About
Turtle Back Zoo Holiday Lights Spectacular
The Holiday Lights Spectacular at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange is an annual event happening through November and December. During the holiday season, Essex County locals can experience over 100,000 lights and a variety of holiday-themed activities. The 2025 dates and details have yet to be posted.
