As part of the North 2 Shore Music Festival earlier this year the Smithereens performed their classic hits to a sold-out crowd at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park.
After a successful first year, which saw hundreds of thousands take part in the inaugural North to Shore Arts and Ideas Festival in June 2023, the event will return next year to kick off summer 2024 with another three-city, three-weekend celebration of the arts and innovation across New Jersey.
Conceived by Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy, the North to Shore Festival was designed to spotlight New Jersey’s culture, diversity, and spirit of innovation.
In 2024, the festival will launch in Asbury Park from June 10 to June 16, swing down the Shore to Atlantic City June 17 through June 23 and conclude in Newark from June 24 through June 30.
Once again, both global headliners and artists who make their homes in each festival city will take the stage in front of an audience drawn from across the state and around the region. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will again produce the festival, in partnership with a cohort of other live entertainment presenters and producing partners.
Alongside the first season’s headliners — which included Jersey-born pop diva Halsey, hip hop legends Eric B. & Rakim, classic rocker Santana, Brazilian superstar Marisa Monte and R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and one of America’s first new wave bands, The B52’s — the inaugural festival presented scores of concerts, film screenings, art exhibits and expert panel discussions on innovation in technology, climate-change, healthcare and business, as well as scores of performances and events, many of them free, featuring artists who make their creative home in New Jersey.
“What makes the North to Shore so exciting is that — even if you only spend one day at the festival — there’s so much to hear, to see, to learn and to do. It’s a perfect introduction to New Jersey’s incredible arts scene,” said John Schreiber, President and CEO of NJPAC.
The festival, in its first year, drew an audience of nearly 250,000 to more than 300 shows in more than 100 venues in three of New Jersey’s most arts-rich cities.
While most festival events were free to the public, ticketed events brought in $7.6 million in ticket sales.
In addition, 56 artists based in Atlantic City, Asbury Park and Newark were awarded North to Shore grants.
