NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The New Brunswick Heart Festival will be this Saturday, August 8.
Now in its seventh year, the festival is held every August and is presented by State Theatre New Jersey and the New Brunswick Cultural Center.
The festival will be held from 2-6 p.m. in downtown New Brunswick on Livingston Avenue (Monument Square, 2 Livingston Ave). It's a free family festival that celebrates the vibrant arts and history of New Brunswick and Middlesex County, featuring live music and dance performances; free dance classes for kids; food, craft and art vendors; arts & crafts for kids; free face painting, henna, caricatures, balloon animals and more.
Dance Discovery Classes with Princeton Ballet School at 60 Bayard Streeet:
2:30pm–3pm | Ages 3–4
3:15pm–3:45pm | Ages 5–7
4:15pm–4:45pm | Ages 8–12
5pm–5:30pm | Ages 13 & Up
New to the festival this year is Dance Warz. bringing the ultimate street dance experience to the stage. Founded in 2006 by dancer/choreographer Anthony "Solo" Harris, Dance Warz showcases local iconic hip-hop dancers and rising stars in jaw-dropping performances and epic battles.
There's also live music: On the outdoor stage on Livingston Avenue there will be party band The B-Side Band, performing songs from Bruno Mars, Aretha Franklin, Sugar Hill Gang, Motown, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, hits from the 90s and 2000s and more. Another band in the lineup is 5-piece local band, Warehouse Collective, performing R&B/soul and funk hits by Stevie Wonder, Rose Royce and Earth, Wind, & Fire.
Other live performances include New Brunswick Brass Band; Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia; State Theatre New Jersey's 2026 Jersey Talent winner, tap dancer John Boudouvas; New Brunswick High School cheerleaders and music by DJ IZM.
A performance will take place at 8 p.m. on the State Theatre New Jersey mainstage featuring legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy. Guy, who just turned 90, celebrates his birthday with a special concert event. Tickets are available at STNJ.org.
FREE face painting, balloon animals, henna and caricature.
Food vendors, craft vendors and local artist booths
Health & Wellness area by Garden of Healing
History area with a historical Revolutionary War interpreter with the Arts Institute of Middlesex County's East Jersey Old Town Village and memorial clay bricks with Lost Souls Public Memorial Project, which tells the story of African-American men, women and children from New Jersey who were sold as slaves.
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