JCRegister

On May 16, 2009, Jersey City will celebrate the 2nd Annual Everything Jersey City Festival on Central Avenue from 11AM – 6PM. I was at the event last year, and it was fun: you’ll see JC residents of different ages, and local businesses you probably have never heard before.

Everything Jersey City Festival 2008

There were activities for kids, dancing on the streets, and entertainment for everyone. Don’t judge the festival by looking at the picture above, view more “Everything JC Festival 2008″ photos here.

2nd Annual Everything Jersey City Festival
Description: Festival, Entertainment, Exhibits, Local businesses, etc.
When: May 16, 2009 11AM – 6PM
Where: Central Avenue, Jersey City (Heights)
Web: JCHeights.com | click HERE for full info of the event

(The following is a partial copy from the official site)

Everything Jersey City Festival 2009

The Central Avenue S.I.D. Management Corporation (CASID) is pleased to announce that the second annual Everything Jersey City Festival will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2009! We’ll be building on the momentum of the successful first festival in 2008, with plans to bring you:

• a fresh entertainment lineup featuring “Queen of Freestyle” Judy Torres and many more artists from Jersey City and beyond
• hundreds of exhibitor booths featuring festival food, arts, crafts, novelties and local businesses and community organizations
• more kid’s rides and attractions
• …and another big dose of the positive community spirit that makes our city great!!

Headlining this year’s festival will be “Queen of Freestyle” Judy Torres, host of the Sunday night “Freestyle Free for All” on 103.5 KTU!

Also in this year’s entertainment lineup (click the name to see the band’s website and the description to see a video):

• CHOICE – The Bad Boys of Acapella!
• Wayne Gorbea’s Salsa Picante – Salsa Dura y Buena!
• Celtic Cross – Irish Tunes with a Pop Flare!
• Blue Number Nine – Jersey City’s Groovy Funk and Soul Sensation!
• Angels Caribbean Band – Chutney, Soca, Calypso and More!
• Xol Azul – Rock en Español!
• The Doughboys – Sixties Garage Rock Revival!
• Cantigas Women’s Choir
• Actors Shakespeare Company

And demonstrations by:

• Family Fitness Martial Arts

Artists interested in performing at future festivals are encouraged to send their press kit, including an audio and/or video sample of their work, to the CASID for consideration. Scroll down for our mailing address, or email us. If you’re not a performer but know of a good one we should consider, tell us!

Family Fun

Rides and Amuesments for the the kids:

• Rock Climbing Wall
• Moonwalk
• Super Slide
• Clowns & Magicians

More to come. Check back for updates.

Other special activities will include:

• Heights Historical Landmarks Tour
  Meet in front of Capital One Bank (Central Ave. and Bowers St.)
  Offered by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy as part of National Historic Preservation Month
• Jersey City Reservior Tours
  Meeting place and times TBA
  Offered by the Jersey City Reservior Preservation Alliance

Getting to the Festival

Festival attendees are highly encouraged to take advantage of Jersey City’s extensive mass transit system to get to Central Avenue on May 16th:

• Coach USA bus routes: 10 and 99s to Central and Manhattan and detour along Summit
  
• NJ Transit bus routes: 87 to Central and Manhattan, 83 to Summit and Bowers, 85 to Central and Congress
  
• Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to the 9th Street-Congress Street station – take the elevator to Congress Street and take the FREE shuttle to Central Avenue
  
• PATH to Journal Square – take 10/99s towards New York or 87 bus towards Hoboken
  
• Park and Ride: A shuttle will be available for festival goers who park in the Hudson County lot at Central Avenue and Hoboken Avenue. Limited parking will be available in municipal lots near Central Avenue (see map).

Visit www.CoachUsa.com and www.NJTransit.com for schedules and fares. For driving directions to Central Avenue, click here.

Community Advisories

ATTENTION HEIGHTS RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES:

• Central Avenue will be closed to traffic between Hutton Street and Congress Street from 6 am to 8pm on May 16th to allow for setup and cleanup. Side streets adjacent to Central Avenue between Hutton Street and Congress Street will be closed to all traffic. Police officers will be posted at each closed intersection to assist residents of the closed streets in accessing their homes.
• Parking will be prohibited on Central Avenue and short portions of some side streets during the street closure. Municipal lots will be open to the public. Every effort is being made to encourage festival visitors to take public transportation to the festival to ease the strain on parking near Central Avenue.
• Coach USA bus routes 10 and 99s will be rerouted around the closed portion of Central Avenue during the street closure.
• Central Avenue businesses will be open during the festival, but due to festival traffic, you are highly encouraged to run your weekly errands before May 16th.

The one-day inconvenience of the street closure will be offset by the many positive impacts of the festival, including the many family-friendly attractions that will be brought to Central Avenue, the opportunity for local non-profit and civic organizations to fundraise, and the boost for local businesses who participate as exhibitors.

The CASID appreciates the interest of the Jersey City community in bringing a memorable festival to Central Avenue. We thank you in advance for your patience and contribution to the festival. Check back again soon for more news and updates as we plan for May 16th!