4 Ways To Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend In Ocean County

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — This weekend, Americans will be honoring those who gave their lives serving our country, and at the same time, celebrating the unofficial kickoff to summer.

Ocean County is a great place for Memorial Day Weekend, due to our large population of veterans and beaches to enjoy the sun.

Here are four ways to spend Memorial Day Weekend around the county.

Memorial Services

Several towns are hosting their own ceremonies, including Seaside Park, Ocean Gate, Barnegat, Stafford, Jackson and more. Find details for each municipality here.

Enjoy Live Music And Dance Parties

Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights and Barnegat have concerts going on this weekend. In Seaside Heights on May 26, it's a '70s and '80s Dance Party with DJ Duane Stasse of 100.1 WJRZ beginning at 4 p.m. in front of Spicy Cantina. Also on May 26, Point Beach has the Jumpstart to Summer with Z100, including live performances by Flo Rida and Jelly Roll. The event begins at 11 a.m. at Jenks Club at Jenkinson's Pavilion. The doors open at 10 a.m. Barnegat's summer concerts at the dock kick off with Joey D's Rockin Oldies Band on May 27 at 7 p.m.

Hit The Beach

Beaches are open for the season and lifeguards will be on duty. Island Beach State Park is free again (for now), but most other places will be requiring badges for the weekend. Check out Patch's beach guide for 2023 to find out more. And make sure you leave early - the descent of Bennies means that traffic will most certainly be crazy.

Toms River's Annual Memorial Day Parade (And More)

American Legion Post 129 has been organizing the parade for years, part of a nearly 160-year tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country. Its set to step off at 9:30 a.m. on Memorial Day and march down Main Street. Find more information here. Lacey, Barnegat, Brick, Beachwood and more also have their own parades - check out the information here.