Cape May Events Calendar Near the Beach

Exit Zero Jazz Festival

April & October / November: Cape May is home to the acclaimed Exit Zero Jazz Festival held twice a year. This music event brings national and international musicians to perform at a variety of venues in Cape May. The first celebration is in the spring, generally in April, with the fall edition in October or November. Exit Zero Jazz Festival has been delighting visitors since 2012 and doesn’t seem to show any signs of stopping the music anytime soon.

During the festival, you can hear jazz legends and award winners or hear an up-and-coming performer as the festival includes a wide variety of musicians and styles. Concerts are held in local clubs, theaters, and the Cape May Convention Hall. The easiest way to enjoy the music is to purchase one of the three passes the festival offers. You may buy individual performance tickets in advance for shows at the Cape May Convention Hall on the Exit Zero Jazz Festival website or at the box office of the convention hall.

Cape May Music Festival

Late May. Cape May has been a home and host of numerous arts and culture offerings for many years. One of the most notable events (which has taken place annually since 1989) is the Cape May Music Festival, which brings a new mix of music “from the classical to the classic” to the churches, convention halls, and outdoor bandstands of Cape May. The festival begins in late May and continues with individual concerts and performances every few days.

Movies at the Beach

July & August: Enjoy a fun night out and an evening’s entertainment at Cape May Movies on the Beach! This annual program brings about eight different films to a giant blow-up movie screen in July and August each year. All of them are family-friendly. Previous years have featured animated picks like Shrek and Happy Feet, along with Spider-Man, The Princess Diaries, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Perfect for its beachside location, the classic shark thriller Jaws always gets a showing, too.

Be sure to put this on the schedule for your next visit, as it’s one of the most fun things to do in Cape May. It all takes place near Cape May’s Convention Hall, just a 2-minute walk from Beauclaires, and near Henry’s on the Beach Restaurant. Check out the Cape May Movies on the Beach webpage for this year’s schedule and further details.

Cape May Food & Wine Celebration

September. Indulge in good food, fine wine, and all types of culinary delights and events during the 19th Cape May Food & Wine Celebration, presented by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). Tickle your taste buds while sampling the best of the best and find out why the New York Times has dubbed Cape May “the restaurant capital of New Jersey.” Visitors can enjoy winery tours and tastings, a beer tasting dinner, a Harvest Food & Wine Tasting, luncheons at some of Cape May’s best restaurants, Chefs’ Dine-Arounds, and more.

Most festival events cannot accommodate children. Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Humanities, responsible for many historical preservation's and tours in the town, also puts on a number of food-related events throughout the year! One of these is the Cape May Food and Wine Celebration, a special sure-to-satisfy lineup of culinary delights taking place from September.

Cape May Craft Beer & Crab Festival

Late September / Early October: Crabs and beer are two eats that simply go well together. They can taste even better at a seat by the beach, which is part of what has made the Cape May Craft Beer and Crab Festival one of the more popular events in Cape May, NJ. The festival’s highlights are definitely its food and drinks: you can enjoy boiled crab, pulled pork, hot dogs, hamburgers, and more, along with some of Cape May’s finest locally-made craft beers. Put it down on your Cape May calendar of events for its music, jugglers, and other activities that make this a family-friendly event. The Cape May Craft Beer and Crab Festival is sponsored by Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities—check out their webpage for more information!

Victorian Weekend

October. This is the best time of year to visit Victorian Cape May and celebrate the unique heritage of America’s first seashore resort. Enjoy a weekend of exciting and entertaining activities from history to murder mysteries, plus historic house tours, food and wine events and much, much more.

Historic House Tour
Vintage Baseball Game
Architectural Walking Tour
Spirits and Oddities Trolley Tour
Craft and Collectibles Show
Cape May Wine Trail
Mansions by the Sea Trolley Tour

Website: Victorian Weekend

Sherlock Holmes Weekends

Late October / Early November. Caught off guard by an unexpected visitor, Sherlock Holmes is thrust into his latest case, this time at a prestigious boarding school. Will he be able to uncover the reason why so many students are disappearing, or will the children prove to be too much of a distraction for our favorite consulting detective? Full weekend packages are available for $115 per person. You have an option to add accommodations. Tickets for just the “Search for Clues Tour” will be available.

Christmas Candlelight House Tours

December. Held on Saturday nights, experience the high point of Cape May’s holiday season during these self-guided Christmas Candlelight House Tours, which feature:

Homes, inns, hotels & churches specially decorated for the holidays (at least a dozen each night), including Beauclaires Bed and Breakfast inn
Christmas caroling and strolling musicians, trees and garland & good old-fashioned cheer
Hospitality centers with warm beverages & home-baked goodies
Admission to the Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May’s only Victorian house museum, and to “An Old-fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions through the Years” exhibit in the Carroll Gallery
Continuous shuttle service on heated trolleys

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