An exciting new year ahead with a wide variety of activities and events for everyone! Invite your friends, shop in local businesses, connect with your neighbors, support your local non-profit organizations and dine in your local eateries!
January 12th: Three-Kings Day Parade
When did you last see 3 Kings and Camels in downtown Montclair? Save the date because you will not want to miss it this year! Three Kings Day, also known as the Epiphany, is at the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It celebrates the Biblical story in the Gospel of Matthew of the three kings (also known as the three wise men), Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, who traveled for 12 days to Bethlehem to greet Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
This is the second annual event brought to you by Immaculate Conception Church. At 1:00 PM, Father Benny will welcome the Kings Casper, Melchior and Balthazar at Immaculate Conception Church. At 2:00 PM, the parade begins, starting at 30 N Fullerton, up Church St., right on S. Park St, across to Park St. At 2:45 PM, you can take photos with the Kings and camels in the Immaculate Conception parking lot on Munn St. Join us for an afternoon of amazement and joy!
January 25th: Lunar New Year
April 27th: Montclair’s Earth Fest 2025
Scheduled for Sunday, April 27th, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM at South Street Park between Bloomfield Ave. and Church St.
Sponsored by: Montclair Center BID, Drive Electric, Sierra Club, and Montclair Climate Action
June 7th: Montclair African American Heritage Foundation Parade 2025
The MAAHF parade will pass through Maple Ave ->Elm Street -> Orange Road -> Cedar -> High St -> Into Nishuane Park, ending at High Street & Cedar Avenue, Montclair, NJ for our annual Festival. Click here for more information.
June 14th: Montclair Pride Festival 2025
Join us Saturday, June 14th for what Visit NJ ranked among the top suburban Pride events in the nation; Montclair Pride. This sprawling daylong festival, presented by our special sponsors in the heart of downtown Montclair and is just steps from NJ Transit. The epic festivities will run from 12pm to 6pm.
A jam-packed lineup of 6+ hours of entertainment stages including a Beer Garden stocked with beer, wine, bubbly and cocktails to keep the party going. A diverse array of food trucks and vendors offering sweet and savory options to fuel the festivities. The Family Zone, is a kid-friendly oasis with games, activities, and local talent performing. We invite all families to come play, create, make friends and make memories!
There will be a Street Dance Party after the festival from 6pm to 8pm with a live DJ Let’s make this year’s festivities even grander than last year! We are proud of delivering upon our commitment to creating a safe, affirming space which amplifies LGBTQ+ voices and stories. With a stellar lineup celebrating diverse identities and backgrounds, we’ll spotlight the vibrancy and resilience of our community.
Parking and Transit: Bloomfield Avenue traffic from Park Street to Lackawanna Plaza, Church Street, and Park Street from Church Street to Portland Place will be closed to traffic to accommodate the festivities. For those coming from out of town, NJ Transit runs trains from NYC and Newark to Bay Street Station. Montclair has over 1,500 public parking spots Including: Bay Street Deck, The Crescent Deck, Valley Road Deck, Midtown Parking Deck, and surface lots at Lackawanna Plaza, South Willow and South Fullerton.
Summer Sunday Sidewalk Sale & Outdoor Film 2025: Date TBA
Pet friendly! Family friendly!
Get ready for a day filled with excitement and fun as Montclair Center kicks off the long-awaited summer season with Summer Sunday! Businesses will open their doors and spill out onto the sidewalks for a day of shopping, dining, and exploring all that downtown has to offer!
And the fun continues for everyone in the family! There will be buskers throughout the district to enhance that summer energy! Plus, children’s community murals will be placed in several locations, providing an excellent opportunity for kids to get creative and contribute to a collaborative art project.
Join us for a free outdoor movie—the perfect way to end the day! Brought to you by Montclair Film, a free movie screening will take place on Lackawanna Plaza beginning at sunset. Attendees are encouraged to come early with lawn chairs. Grab a bite to eat at Minia’s and grab a drink on the patio of Pineapple Express.
July 4th: Montclair’s Fourth of July Celebration- Parade and Picnic
Get ready for an amazing Montclair’s Annual July 4th Parade and Picnic! The festivities are back, and everyone is invited to join in the fun.
The 1.6-mile route parade starts at 11 a.m., traveling west on Bloomfield Avenue, north on Midland Avenue, then continuing to Watchung Avenue, west to Valley Road, and concluding at Edgemont Park, where the town picnic will take place from 1pm to 4pm. The family picnic will have food trucks, music, and games for everyone to enjoy.
MedievalFest: Date TBA
MAM invites you to embrace the pageantry of the past at MedievalFest, hosted by Montclair Early Music (MEM).
Spend the day watching armored knights spar, playing Viking lawn games, dancing a merry jig, and getting styled with fairy hair at this family-friendly fair.
Take a break from the action and stroll through the village marketplace where you will find handcrafted keepsakes from an array of period artisans. Savory meat pies and other refreshments, including cold brews and fruit ices will be available for purchase.
Throughout the festivities, enjoy live music from the Montclair Early Music vocal and instrumental ensembles and the children’s recorder group Dragon Bards, as they bring you music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.
You are welcome to join us in donning period garb to help channel your inner lord, lady, jester, peasant, pirate, or fairy and immerse yourself in the revelry of a bygone era. Huzzah!
Click here to purchase tickets
September 13th: The Montclair Jazz Festival Downtown Jamboree
8 hours of music. Over 150 vendors. Five stages.
The MONTCLAIR JAZZ FESTIVAL Downtown Jamboree will transform the vibrant, arts-rich, New York City urban suburb of Montclair, NJ into a musical mecca. The 16th Annual, this is the fourth year that the festival takes to the streets of downtown Montclair to support the vibrant main business district. Get ready for 5 downtown stages and 150 food and artisan vendors on a ½ miles stretch of Bloomfield Avenue and expanded Family Jazz Discovery Zone!
No tickets required. Beach and lawn chairs welcome. Please note pop-up tents and beach umbrellas are prohibited
For more information, go to the Montclair Jazz Festival website, IG, and Facebook pages.
If you are interested in being a vendor, click here for more information.
Oct. 17th-26th: Montclair Film Festival 2025
The fourteenth annual Montclair Film Festival will entertain film lovers and professionals from across the region and country with ten days of compelling independent films, comedies, documentaries, panels, family events, and work by emerging artists. The festival will provide a platform for talented filmmakers from around the world and give special recognition to New Jersey artists.
VENUES
Cinema505
505 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, NJ
The Clairidge / Main Box Office
486 Bloomfield Avenue
Montclair, NJ
Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA)
Upper School Campus
6 Lloyd Road
Montclair, NJ
The Wellmont Theater
5 Seymour Street
Montclair, NJ
Montclair, NJVisit Montclair Film’s website, IG, and Facebook pages for more information.
Light Up Montclair 2025: Date TBA
The 14th annual Montclair Film Festival will entertain film lovers and professionals from across the region and country with ten days of compelling independent films, comedies, documentaries, panels, family events, and work by emerging artists. The festival will provide a platform for talented filmmakers from around the world and give special recognition to New Jersey artists.
Our dazzling, inclusive celebration of Diwali/Deepavali returns to the Montclair Art Museum for a day of community performances, family-friendly activities, artisans, delicious food, and more.
Visit AAPI’s event page for more information.
October 31st: Halloween Stops
Children are invited to show off their costumes in Montclair Center! Downtown businesses displaying a Halloween Stop Trick-or-Treat poster in their window will be waiting to hand out treats. Over 70 businesses participating.
November 29th: Winter Wonderland (Small Business Saturday) 2025
Montclair Center BID is partnering with The Wellmont Plaza and Pharmacie Bar+Kitchen to celebrate shopping small all season long. Many special guests will be hanging out throughout the day…rumor has it, we might even get a visit from Santa himself!
Free activities include ornament making, greeting cards, Hanukkah and Kwanza art projects, and gnome making to name a few. Music and performances by local artists! Pick up your holiday gift guide map with specials from over 70 local businesses. The festivities start at 12pm and end with the Wellmont Plaza tree lighting.