Fall at the Shore Is Loaded: AC Mike’s Weekend Update for September 25–27

Hey Folks,

Summer may be officially behind us, but somebody forgot to tell Atlantic City and the South Jersey Shore. The calendar for Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27, 2026 is absolutely packed, with Atlantic City hosting a huge weekend of concerts, comedy and boxing history while Margate, Ocean City, Sea Isle City, the Wildwoods and Cape May roll out some of their biggest fall festivals of the season. We’ve got Tom Jones, Taking Back Sunday, Sebastian Maniscalco, the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, Margate Fall Funfest, the Irish Fall Festival, monster trucks on the beach, classic cars on the Wildwood Boardwalk, Oktoberfest celebrations, fireworks, a full-moon lighthouse climb and even thousands of cyclists finishing the Bike MS City to Shore Ride in Ocean City. This is one of those weekends where you could head in almost any direction Down the Shore and find something worth doing.

A Quick Weather and Travel Heads-Up Before the Weekend

Before we get into the fun stuff, keep an eye on the coast. As of Thursday morning, September 24, the major events in this Weekend Update remain listed on their official calendars, but a coastal storm is producing strong winds, dangerous surf and rounds of tidal flooding along the Jersey Shore. A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect into early Saturday morning, so anyone heading to an outdoor festival should check the event’s official link before leaving home. In Atlantic City, the CRDA has also opened free parking on the second floor of the Wave Parking Garage at Mississippi and Fairmount avenues through noon Saturday, September 26, because of the anticipated flooding. Most importantly, don’t try to drive through flooded streets. Conditions can vary dramatically between high-tide cycles, and a little patience can save you a very expensive tow truck call.

Atlantic City Celebrates Its Boxing Legacy All Weekend

Atlantic City has a long history as one of America’s great boxing towns, and that history takes center stage this weekend with the 10th Annual Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Weekend. Things begin Friday with the Opening Bell VIP Cocktail Reception from 6–9 p.m. at The Balcony inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, followed by Karaoke Night with Legends from 9 p.m.–midnight at Sixty’s Lounge at the Flagship. Saturday brings one of the best opportunities for boxing fans: the Fight Fan Experience from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. in Hard Rock’s Hollywood Ballroom is free to attend. The big night follows Saturday evening when the 10th Annual Awards & Induction Ceremony comes to Sound Waves, with doors and seating beginning at 7 p.m. and the program scheduled for 7:45–10 p.m. The weekend closes Sunday with the Closing Bell Wine Tasting & Cigars with Legends from noon–6 p.m. at Kennedy Cellars Winery in Hammonton. If you remember the days when championship boxing and Atlantic City seemed to go hand in hand, this is a weekend worth checking out.

Friday Night in Atlantic City Is Stacked

You’re going to have to make some choices Friday because Atlantic City has several major shows happening almost simultaneously. Taking Back Sunday hits Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena at 7 p.m. with special guests Thrice and Saves the Day, bringing together three bands that helped define alternative, emo and post-hardcore music for an entire generation. Over at Borgata, legendary Welsh singer Tom Jones brings his Come Gather Round Tour to the Event Center at 8 p.m., while the more intimate Music Box hosts Back 2 Mac: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, also at 8 p.m.. Comedy fans have another option at Harrah’s, where Jess Hilarious performs at 8 p.m.. And if that isn’t enough, Sebastian Maniscalco takes the Ovation Hall stage at Ocean Casino Resort at 9 p.m.. That is a pretty ridiculous amount of entertainment packed into one Friday night.

Sebastian Maniscalco Keeps Ocean Laughing Through Sunday

If Friday doesn’t work for you, Sebastian Maniscalco gives Atlantic City two more chances over the weekend. His Ocean Casino Resort run continues with shows at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 26, and 7 p.m. Sunday, September 27. The comedian’s Atlantic City residency has become one of Ocean’s marquee entertainment events, and the resort is again building a whole weekend around his appearances. Tickets and current availability can be checked directly through Ocean Casino Resort. If you’re coming into town specifically for Sebastian, give yourself some extra travel time this weekend with the coastal weather and all of the other events bringing people into the city.

Saturday Night: ABBA, Boxing, Chippendales and Live Music

Saturday’s Atlantic City entertainment lineup is almost as busy as Friday’s. Along with the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony at Hard Rock and Sebastian Maniscalco at Ocean, Borgata’s Music Box hosts Mamma Mania! The American Tribute to ABBA at 8 p.m., with a full night of “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me” and the rest of the ABBA catalog. At Harrah’s, Chippendales brings the Talk Dirty To Me World Tour to The Pool After Dark from 9–11 p.m.. And you don’t necessarily need a major-show ticket to find live entertainment in Atlantic City: Hard Rock’s current schedule includes Garden State Radio at Hard Rock Cafe Friday from 8:30 p.m.–midnight and Isn’t It Always Saturday from 8:30 p.m.–midnight, along with additional live music throughout the resort.

Margate Fall Funfest Celebrates 25 Years on the Bay

One of the biggest community festivals of the weekend happens just down the road from Atlantic City. The Margate Fall Funfest by the Bay celebrates its 25th year Saturday from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. along Amherst Avenue and Margate’s bayfront promenade. Admission is free, and this is a real local fall festival: more than 110 booths and amusements, food, juried arts and crafts, Margate businesses, nonprofits, children’s activities, live music, a kids stage, wetlands programming, parades and a beer garden. Sunday also brings the 28th Annual Steve & Cookie’s Dog Show at 1 p.m., with proceeds benefiting the Humane Society of Ocean City and NJ Aid for Animals. Free jitney service is scheduled along Ventnor and Amherst avenues and from the Eugene Tighe School parking lot. Because so much of Funfest is outdoors along the bay, this is definitely one of the events where you’ll want to check the official page for any weather-related schedule changes before heading over.

Thousands of Cyclists Roll Into Ocean City

Ocean City will be busy this weekend as the Bike MS: City to Shore Ride returns Saturday and Sunday. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society event brings thousands of cyclists from the Philadelphia area to the Shore, with the ride finishing in Ocean City and continuing with return routes Sunday. Ocean City’s official calendar lists activity from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. both days. Whether you are riding, cheering somebody on or simply heading into Ocean City, expect additional bicycle traffic and possible delays around the causeways and the route into town. This is much more than a bike ride — it is one of the region’s major annual fundraising events and a pretty impressive sight when wave after wave of riders arrives at the Shore.

The Wildwoods Have So Much Going On It’s Almost Ridiculous

If Atlantic City has the entertainment crown this weekend, the Wildwoods may have everybody beat when it comes to sheer number of festivals. The North Wildwood Irish Fall Festival runs Friday through Sunday, turning the North Wildwood entertainment district into a celebration of Irish music, food, dance and culture. Vendors line Olde New Jersey Avenue, free stage entertainment is scheduled Friday and Saturday, and Saturday morning includes the Irish Jog 5K and one-mile family walk. Sunday’s traditional Mass is followed by the festival parade beginning at 12:30 p.m. If your idea of a good September weekend involves bagpipes, Irish music and a packed North Wildwood, you know where to go.

Classic Cars Take Over the Wildwood Boardwalk

At the same time, the Wildwood Kustom Hot Rod & Muscle Car Show runs Friday through Sunday. The free outdoor portion puts classic cars, restored hot rods and muscle cars right on the Boardwalk from 26th Street to Burk Avenue on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. There is also an indoor show at the Wildwoods Convention Center from 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with Sunday morning hours and awards. Indoor admission is $5 for adults and children 12 and older, while the Boardwalk show is free. Classic cars on the Boardwalk with the ocean in the background is about as Wildwood as it gets.

Monster Trucks Hit the Beach — Literally

And because apparently the Wildwoods decided normal-sized vehicles weren’t enough, Monsters on the Beach brings monster-truck racing to the sand at Schellenger Avenue. There are three scheduled shows: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Advance tickets start at $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger, with higher prices at the gate. Watching monster trucks race on the beach is not something you can do just anywhere, and this should be a big family draw throughout the weekend. Again, with surf and coastal conditions in the forecast, check the official event page before traveling.

Wildwood Crest Seafarers Celebration Ends With Fireworks

Saturday also brings the completely free Wildwood Crest Seafarers Celebration. The daytime street festival runs from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. along Sunset Lake on New Jersey Avenue between Rambler Road and Miami Avenue, with craft and food vendors, live music, children’s activities, performers, games and family entertainment. Then everything moves to Centennial Park at 7 p.m. for a performance by the Roundhouse Band, followed by the scheduled beachfront fireworks show at 8:30 p.m. It is one of the best free family options on this week’s list and gives you an easy way to make an entire day out of Wildwood Crest.

Oktoberfest Keeps Mariner’s Pier Open for Fall

Morey’s Piers is also keeping the Boardwalk energy alive with Oktoberfest at Morey’s on Mariner’s Pier all weekend. Admission to the festival itself is free, with ride wristbands sold separately. Friday features the Big House Band from 6:30–10:30 p.m., Saturday has live music from Animal House and Cat 5, and Sunday features Kono Nation from 1–5 p.m.. The Oompah Delics roam the pier throughout the weekend, with German food, biergarten fare, rides and stein-holding contests adding to the fall atmosphere. It’s family friendly — you only need to be 21 for the adult beverages — and it is a good reminder that the Wildwood Boardwalk still has some life left in it long after August.

Sea Isle Celebrates 135 Years of Its Fire Department

Sea Isle City has a nice local event Saturday as the Sea Isle City Fire Department celebrates its 135th anniversary and the housing of Squad 10 and Engine 10-2. The community celebration runs from 1–3 p.m. at the firehouse at 233 JFK Boulevard and includes speakers, local dignitaries, live entertainment, food and beverages. The city is billing it as free family fun for all ages. Events like this may not have the star power of a casino concert, but they are exactly the kind of local happenings we want to keep highlighting because the Shore is built around communities, not just destinations.

Cape May Goes Bavarian on Saturday

Head all the way south and Cape May has another packed fall weekend. Cape May’s Annual Oktoberfest runs Saturday from 9 a.m.–6 p.m., transforming Carpenter Lane between Ocean and Perry streets and Jackson Street into a German-style promenade with authentic music and food, beer vendors, food courts, artisans, crafts, antiques and collectibles. Admission is free, with Sunday listed as the rain date. Friday evening also offers a more relaxed option as Music on the Mall presents Dan Barry on the 400 block of Washington Street from 5–7 p.m..

See Cape May From the Lighthouse Under a Full Moon

Saturday night offers one of the more unique things on this week’s list. The Cape May Lighthouse Full Moon Climb runs from 8–10 p.m.. Visitors climb the lighthouse’s 199 cast-iron spiral steps for nighttime views nearly 156 feet above the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 3–12, with tickets purchased at the lighthouse that evening. If you’ve climbed it during the day, doing it under a full moon is a completely different experience.

Sunday Goes to the Monarchs in Cape May

Nature lovers and families have another great Sunday option at the New Jersey Audubon Monarch Festival at the Nature Center of Cape May, 1600 Delaware Avenue. The festival runs from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. with monarch-tagging demonstrations, music, food, crafts, educational programs, family games, local artists and conservation activities. Butterfly Yoga begins at 10 a.m., and everybody is invited to join the Butterfly Parade at 3 p.m. A $5 donation per person is suggested. Cape May sits along one of the great monarch migration corridors, so this is one of those events that really fits the place where it’s happening.

What’s Coming Up This Weekend — Quick Reference

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Wildwood Kustom Hot Rod & Muscle Car Show — Wildwood Boardwalk — 10 a.m.–3 p.m. outdoor show — FREE
North Wildwood Irish Fall Festival — North Wildwood — vendors and entertainment throughout the day
Music on the Mall with Dan Barry — Cape May — 5–7 p.m. — FREE
Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Opening Bell Reception — Hard Rock — 6–9 p.m.
Taking Back Sunday with Thrice & Saves the Day — Hard Rock Live — 7 p.m.
Monsters on the Beach — Wildwood — 7 p.m.
Tom Jones — Borgata Event Center — 8 p.m.
Back 2 Mac: Fleetwood Mac Tribute — Borgata Music Box — 8 p.m.
Jess Hilarious — Harrah’s Atlantic City — 8 p.m.
Garden State Radio — Hard Rock Cafe — 8:30 p.m.–midnight
Sebastian Maniscalco — Ocean Casino Resort — 9 p.m.
Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Karaoke Night with Legends — Flagship — 9 p.m.–midnight

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Bike MS: City to Shore Ride — Ocean City — 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Wildwood Crest Seafarers Celebration — 9 a.m.–5 p.m. — FREE
Cape May Oktoberfest — 9 a.m.–6 p.m. — FREE
Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Fight Fan Experience — Hard Rock — 10 a.m.–2 p.m. — FREE
Wildwood Kustom Hot Rod & Muscle Car Show — Boardwalk — 10 a.m.–3 p.m. — FREE outdoors
Margate Fall Funfest by the Bay — 11 a.m.–6 p.m. — FREE
Sea Isle City Fire Department 135th Anniversary Celebration — 1–3 p.m. — FREE
Monsters on the Beach — Wildwood — 4 p.m.
Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Awards & Induction Ceremony — Hard Rock Sound Waves — doors 7 p.m.
Wildwood Crest Roundhouse Band — Centennial Park — 7 p.m. — FREE
Sebastian Maniscalco — Ocean Casino Resort — 8 p.m.
Mamma Mania! ABBA Tribute — Borgata Music Box — 8 p.m.
Cape May Lighthouse Full Moon Climb — 8–10 p.m.
Wildwood Crest Beachfront Fireworks — 8:30 p.m. — FREE
Isn’t It Always — Hard Rock Cafe — 8:30 p.m.–midnight
Chippendales — The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s — 9 p.m.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Bike MS: City to Shore Ride — Ocean City — 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Margate Fall Funfest by the Bay — 11 a.m.–5 p.m. — FREE
Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Closing Bell — Kennedy Cellars Winery — noon–6 p.m.
North Wildwood Irish Fall Festival Parade — 12:30 p.m.
Monsters on the Beach — Wildwood — 12:30 p.m.
Morey’s Oktoberfest with Kono Nation — Mariner’s Pier — 1–5 p.m. — festival admission FREE
Steve & Cookie’s Dog Show — Margate Fall Funfest — 1 p.m.
New Jersey Audubon Monarch Festival — Cape May — 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Sebastian Maniscalco — Ocean Casino Resort — 7 p.m.

AC Mike’s Take

This is exactly why I keep saying the Shore doesn’t close after Labor Day. Look at what we have packed into three days: world-class entertainment in Atlantic City, boxing history, free community festivals, thousands of cyclists rolling into Ocean City, monster trucks and classic cars in Wildwood, fireworks in the Crest, Oktoberfest in two different Shore towns, local firefighters celebrating 135 years in Sea Isle and monarch butterflies making their way through Cape May. The weather may make us work around a few things this weekend, especially near high tide, but there is an incredible amount happening from Atlantic City all the way down Cape May County. Check the official links before you head out, give yourself a little extra travel time, support the local businesses you pass along the way, and remember that some of the best weekends at the Jersey Shore happen after the summer crowds go home.

Help Us Grow the AC Mike Community

If you have a friend who is always asking, “What’s happening this weekend?” send them this Weekend Update. We’re building AC Mike into the place where locals, second-home owners and visitors can find the concerts, festivals, community events, restaurants, local stories and people that make Atlantic City and the South Jersey Shore special. For this update and more local coverage, go to ACMikeNJ.com and click Newsletters. And if you’re involved with a local business, nonprofit, fundraiser, festival, entertainment venue or community event, keep sending what you have coming up our way. The bigger this community gets, the more we can help people discover what’s happening across all 48 blocks of Atlantic City and throughout the Shore.

Have a great weekend, Folks. Stay safe around the coastal flooding, get out when the conditions cooperate, and support something local.

Live-Work-Play-AC!
See you on the 48