They Call Him Mr. Boombastic: Shaggy To Perform At Carteret's Annual 'Ethnic Day' Fest

CARTERET, NJ — Get ready, New Jersey: Carteret will hold its 45th annual Ethnic Day festival from Sept. 15-19 this year, and Grammy-award winning rapper Shaggy has just been confirmed as the headlining performer.

Carteret has held its "Ethnic Day" festival for the past 45 years, and every year this end-of-summer carnival is intended to celebrate the ethnic diversity of Carteret, Middlesex County and all of New Jersey.

Every year, thousands of people descend on Carteret Park on the Arthur Kill waterfront for carnival rides, vendors, food trucks from around the world and live music.

Nearly every year, Ethnic Fest features big-name musical acts and in past years SmashMouth, Kelly Pickler, Sister Hazel, the Spin Doctors and Taylor Hicks have performed.

Shaggy will perform Sept. 18; he is scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m. His performance is entirely free to attend, although Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman warns people to get there early in the day, as the park gets very crowded

“We are very excited to welcome U.S Marine and international recording superstar Shaggy to Carteret for a free, family-friendly concert,” said Reiman Tuesday. “Shaggy’s hits are timeless and recognized the world over from the radio, to television commercials, music videos, and movies. His sound is unmistakable and he is guaranteed to get everyone up and dancing after months of being cooped up from the pandemic.”

Shaggy won Grammy awards twice for his songs including “Angel," “It Wasn’t Me," “Boombastic" and “In the Summertime.”

“This year’s events are bigger and better than ever,” said Reiman. “We are excited for a week filled with live music, rides, games, food, and a celebration."

This year, the Ethnic Day festival will go from Sept. 15 -19 in Carteret Park. Attendance is free to walk around the festival, but you have to pay for rides, food, etc. All the money is collected by the town for

Here is the schedule for all four days:

Sept. 15: The Charity Carnival kicks off at 6 p.m. Wednesday with Bracelet Night, where families may purchase bracelets for unlimited rides all night. The evening will feature a jazz theme, with live jazz music from Richard Baratta’s the 3B’s Plus 2 on the main stage, plus food, games and vendors.

Sept. 16: Thursday is the second and final Bracelet Night, with a country music theme, featuring dancing and live country music by Radio Nashville until 10 p.m.

Sept. 17: Friday is 80s and 90s freestyle night, featuring live performances by popular freestyle music artists Cynthia, plus Judy Torres, radio host of 103.5 KTU’s “Freestyle Free for All," and Soave, whose hits include “Crying Over You," “Don’t Look Back” and “If You Want Me.”

Sept. 18: Saturday is the official annual Ethnic Day, featuring live fireworks when it gets dark, rides, games, food, vendors plus Shaggy's performance at night. Time TBD.

Sept. 19: The festival wraps up Sunday with the first-ever Carteret “Battle of the Bands” featuring dozens of local bands competing for prizes and bragging rights, and of course rides, games, food and family fun.

All money raised from ride tickets and games goes directly to Mayor Dan Reiman’s Charity Trust Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides Carteret’s children with a monetary resource for education, athletics and health. This year, the money will also go to victims of the July Bristol Station apartment fire and flooding victims.

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