Downtown New Brunswick is preparing for one of its most beloved annual celebrations, as the New Brunswick Heart Festival returns Saturday, August 8, from 2 to 6 p.m. for a completely free, all ages outdoor festival celebrating the vibrant arts, culture, and local history of New Brunswick and Middlesex County. Set at Monument Square in front of the State Theatre New Jersey and the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center at 2 Livingston Avenue, the festival gives residents and visitors alike a genuinely full afternoon of live performance, hands on art activities, and community connection, all without a single ticket required.
Live music and dance anchor the day’s programming, headlined by party band The B-Side Band, which will close out the festival performing hits from Bruno Mars, Aretha Franklin, Sugar Hill Gang, Motown, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and a broader mix of 1990s and 2000s favorites. Earlier in the afternoon, local five piece New Brunswick band Warehouse Collective takes the stage with a lineup built around piano, drums, bass, vocals, and saxophone and flute, delivering R&B, soul, and funk hits from artists including Stevie Wonder, Rose Royce, and Earth, Wind and Fire. Dance Warz brings a genuinely different kind of energy to the festival, showcasing the ultimate street dance experience through jaw dropping performances and full scale dance battles. Founded in 2006 by dancer and choreographer Anthony Solo Harris, Dance Warz has built its reputation around spotlighting local iconic hip hop dancers alongside rising stars, giving festival goers a genuinely electric, competitive performance element among the day’s lineup.
The performance schedule extends well beyond those headline acts as well. Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia brings traditional folkloric dance to the stage, while the New Brunswick Brass Band adds its own distinct musical voice to the afternoon. State Theatre New Jersey’s 2026 Jersey Talent winner, tap dancer John Boudouvas, is set to perform as well, giving festival attendees a chance to see homegrown talent recognized by the theater itself take center stage. The New Brunswick High School Cheerleaders round out the performance lineup, adding genuine hometown spirit to an already packed schedule of live entertainment.
Beyond the main stage, the festival offers a genuinely extensive array of hands on activities built specifically for families. A Visual Art Market showcases work from some of New Jersey’s most talented artists, while a full lineup of craft vendors sells everything from jewelry and clothing to crocheted items, soaps, candles, and stickers. Food vendors round out the sensory experience with tacos, churros, lemonade, ice cream, s’mores, burgers, fried chicken, Indian food, and acai bowls, giving attendees a genuinely diverse range of options to snack on throughout the afternoon.
Younger festival goers have plenty built specifically for them as well, including free dance classes led by instructors from Princeton Ballet School, free face painting from artists Jazzy J, Eshee White, and Cristina Hoyos, henna application from Kavi’s Henna, balloon animals, and caricature drawing by Matthew Many. The festival’s interactive craft offerings go even further, featuring a collaborative three dimensional heart display created in partnership with the Zimmerli Art Museum, along with a ghost puppet craft activity run by Milloweentown, giving kids genuinely creative, hands on projects to take part in throughout the day. Adults looking for their own moment of relaxation can visit the festival’s dedicated health and wellness area, featuring massage chairs and yoga sessions led by Garden of Healing.
The New Brunswick Heart Festival is presented jointly by State Theatre New Jersey and the New Brunswick Cultural Center, with additional support from NJ101.5 and 94.5 WPST, and funding provided in part through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s A.R.T. Phase II Grant Program, reflecting the genuinely broad institutional backing behind this now well established community tradition.
For anyone looking to extend the celebration into the evening, the festival’s location right in front of State Theatre New Jersey sets up a genuinely fitting nightcap. Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy takes the State Theatre stage that same night at 8 p.m., giving festival goers the option to transition seamlessly from an afternoon of free family friendly fun straight into an evening with one of blues music’s true living legends, all within the same downtown New Brunswick block.
