OCEAN CITY — Summer isn't going quietly at the South Jersey Shore.
Crowds poured onto beaches and Boardwalks as Labor Day weekend got underway, giving Shore businesses one more major burst of summer traffic before schools reopen and the traditional vacation season gives way to September's increasingly important “second season.”
From Atlantic City to Cape May, the holiday weekend combines beach weather with concerts, festivals, races, Boardwalk attractions and some of the final signature events of summer.
In Ocean City, television reports Friday showed substantial crowds on both the beach and Boardwalk as visitors arrived for the long weekend.
For businesses that make much of their annual income during a relatively short summer season, Labor Day remains one of the most important weekends on the calendar.
Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association President Wes Kazmarck told CBS Philadelphia heading into the weekend that business this summer had been slightly better than last year despite some challenging weather.
And while Labor Day traditionally represents the unofficial end of summer, businesses are increasingly looking beyond Monday.
September weekends — with warm ocean temperatures, festivals, special events and generally smaller crowds — have become an important extension of the Shore economy.
Ocean City Goes Green for the Eagles
Ocean City has several major events designed to keep the Boardwalk busy through the holiday.
One of the most unusual comes Sunday, when Philadelphia Eagles fans are invited to take over a portion of the Boardwalk for an Eagles Golf Cart and Bike Parade.
The parade begins at noon and travels from Fifth Street to 14th Street. Participants are encouraged to decorate bicycles and golf carts in Eagles colors.
An Eagles alumnus, mascot SWOOP and Eagles Cheerleaders are scheduled to participate. The event comes one week before the Eagles open their 2026 season.
Sunday night, the Ocean City Pops performs “Dinosaurs, Aliens & Adventure: The Movie Music of John Williams” at the Music Pier beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Then Monday brings Ocean City's 35th annual Labor Day Race, featuring a five-mile beach run and one-mile fun run/walk.
Those events help turn what once amounted primarily to a final beach weekend into a multi-day sendoff to summer.
Wildwoods Pack the Weekend
Few places have more going on this weekend than the Wildwoods.
The Labor Day weekend schedule includes the Boardwalk Craft Show, amusement rides and attractions and Sunday's End of Summer Block Party at Fox Park, across from the Wildwoods Convention Center.
The free block party runs from 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday and features live entertainment throughout the day, including Grammy-winning R&B group Tavares, along with Chicago 9, Midnight Rock Show, Stevie Mac and other performers.
The Wildwood Boardwalk Craft Show runs Saturday and Sunday near the Wildwoods sign, with artisans and vendors displaying handmade crafts, jewelry and artwork.
Another distinctly Jersey Shore competition takes place Saturday night at Ed's Funcade, where players compete in the World Championship Skee-Ball Tournament.
The Wildwoods tourism agency is promoting the entire weekend as one final major summer celebration before the resort moves into its fall “second season.”
AirFest Brings Warbirds to Cape May Airport
Away from the beach, one of Cape May County's biggest attractions this weekend is AirFest 2026 at the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum at Cape May Airport in Lower Township.
The four-day event runs through Sunday at historic Hangar No. 1 and features historic aircraft, military vehicles, exhibits, music and other activities.
Among the attractions are World War II-era aircraft, giving visitors a chance to see aviation history at the former naval air station where dive-bomber pilots trained during World War II.
Tomatoes Take Over West Cape May
One of the weekend's more distinctly local traditions is happening Saturday in West Cape May.
The annual West Cape May Tomato Festival celebrates one of New Jersey's most famous crops with food, crafts, vendors and live entertainment at Backyard Park.
The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free to attend.
Cape May itself is also filled with holiday-weekend activities, including a Labor Day sandcastle-building contest Saturday morning on the Congress Hall beach and live music throughout the weekend.
Sea Isle Offers Free Saturday Night Concert
Sea Isle City is sending summer out with music.
A free Fearless: Taylor Swift Tribute concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Excursion Park.
The concert is part of Sea Isle's popular Concerts Under the Stars series and gives visitors another reason to stay in town after a day on the beach.
Farther north on Seven Mile Island, Avalon hosts the Tim Kerr 7 Mile Island Run and TK5K Run/Walk Sunday morning, another longstanding end-of-summer Shore tradition.
Atlantic City Brings the Entertainment
Atlantic City provides the casino and entertainment component to the holiday weekend.
Among Saturday's larger shows is comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Borgata Event Center.
Thunder From Down Under also performs Saturday and Sunday nights at Borgata's Music Box.
Unlike some Shore communities, Atlantic City doesn't depend on Labor Day to mark the end of its tourism season. Casino gaming, conventions, concerts and entertainment continue year-round.
Still, the holiday weekend traditionally provides one of the final opportunities for the casino resort to benefit from the huge summer population filling neighboring Shore towns.
Getting Here — and Getting Home
All those visitors also mean traffic.
AAA and transportation analysts warned travelers heading into the holiday weekend to expect significant congestion on major routes leading to the Jersey Shore.
The Garden State Parkway trip from the New York metropolitan area to the Shore was singled out as one of the holiday's potentially congested routes, while Saturday's heaviest nationwide driving period was expected during the afternoon.
The next crunch comes Monday as vacationers head home.
For Shore businesses, though, traffic jams are often a welcome sign.
Restaurants, ice cream shops, amusement operators, hotels and Boardwalk businesses have only a limited number of summer weekends to generate their biggest crowds.
Labor Day is the last of the traditional big three.
But increasingly, it isn't the end.
Summer Ends, the ‘Second Season’ Begins
Ocean City, Sea Isle City, the Wildwoods and Cape May all have substantial September event calendars.
The Wildwoods in particular actively markets autumn as its “second season,” when warm weather can continue but hotel rates and crowds often decline from their midsummer peaks.
Ocean City follows Labor Day almost immediately with additional September concerts and its Fall Cruisin' the Boards Car Show next weekend.
For now, however, fall can wait.
There's one more long weekend of summer to get through first.
And judging from the crowds arriving at the South Jersey Shore, plenty of people intend to make the most of it.
About the Author
Karen Johnson
With over 30 years of news experience in major markets like Los Angeles, Denver, and Columbus, Karen now covers our area for South Jersey NewsBeat. She also brings her articulate and conversational news delivery to WOND radio listeners every weekday. Her background includes work with the NBC Radio Network, and she thrives in fast-paced news environments.
