September 2026 Events in Bergen & Hudson Counties: Your Month-Ahead Guide

The summer concert series have wrapped, the farmers markets are in full fall swing, and the calendar has turned toward the season Northern NJ communities do best: gathering outdoors before the cold sets in. Whether you are a longtime resident or just settling in, September is the ideal month to meet your neighbors and discover what makes each town tick.

Below is my month-ahead rundown, organized by weekend so you can plan ahead. A quick note from a real estate perspective: fall is often when families finalize a move before the school-year rhythm settles, so there is no better time to spend a Saturday wandering a street fair in a town you are considering.

Labor Day Weekend: September 4-7

September opened with the 111th Annual St. Joseph's Festival in Lodi, one of Bergen County's longest-running Italian feasts, running Thursday September 4 through Monday September 7. Expect nightly live music, Italian food, games, and carnival rides in the heart of the borough. It is a classic small-town sendoff to summer.

On Monday September 7, the Riverdale Labor Day Street Fair and Food Truck Fest brought vendors and food trucks together for the holiday proper. And American Dream in East Rutherford remained the dependable all-weekend family destination, indoors or out, with its theme parks, mall, and dining open all holiday weekend. The full lineup is recapped in our Labor Day Weekend Events 2026 guide.

Hoboken Italian Festival: The 100th Anniversary, September 10-13 (Now Concluded)

The undisputed headline of the month was the 100th Annual Hoboken Italian Festival (the Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri), which ran Thursday September 10 through Sunday September 13 along Sinatra Drive on the Hoboken waterfront. The centennial edition drew roughly a quarter-million visitors across the four days, with a religious procession and parade, rides, live entertainment, traditional Italian food, a 100th-anniversary drone show, and fireworks over the Hudson.

The festival wrapped Sunday night, and by all accounts the centennial edition lived up to the billing: packed food stands, big waterfront crowds, and one of the most electric community weekends of the year. If you missed it, Hoboken's festival rhythm continues with the River City Fair on Sinatra Drive on Saturday, September 26.

Arts and Culture: JC Fridays, September 11 (Now Concluded)

On Friday September 11, JC Fridays returned for its Fall Edition across Jersey City. Presented by Art House Productions, the free citywide quarterly arts festival features visual art exhibitions, live music, open studios, and performances across restaurants, galleries, stores, and venues in nearly every neighborhood. The evening also hosted the opening reception for "Creation from Destruction," marking Art House's 25th anniversary, at the Art House Gallery from 6-9 p.m. The next JC Fridays edition lands in December, so if you missed this one, put the winter edition on your calendar.

Weekend of September 12 (Now Concluded)

The second Saturday of the month was a busy one. The Fort Lee Artisan Market returned on September 12 with local makers, craft vendors, and seasonal goods in Fort Lee. Farther north, the Hillsdale Fall Festival brought artisans, live music, and seasonal activities to Bergen County. Jersey City's Hudson West Folk Fest offered a day of folk and acoustic performances, and the St. Mark's Annual Festival, a parish fair with rides, food, and community fun, took over 427 West Side Avenue on September 12-13, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The Fort Lee Artisan Market returns for its fall edition on Saturday, October 10.

Fort Lee Restaurant Week: September 14-27 (Final Week Now)

This one is still live. Fort Lee Restaurant Week is in its second and final week, running through Sunday, September 27, with special prix-fixe menus across the borough's famously diverse dining scene. Known for its Korean, Japanese, and pan-Asian tables, Fort Lee turns its restaurant row into a food festival for fourteen days. It remains the perfect excuse to try a place you have been meaning to visit, and a helpful lens into the borough for anyone considering it.

Weekend of September 18-20: Street Fair Season Peaks

The third weekend is jam-packed. September 18-20 brings the St. Anne's Parish Carnival and Food Fair in Fair Lawn, with food trucks, a beer garden, games, and family activities. On Saturday September 19, the All About Downtown Street Fair takes over Newark Avenue between Grove and Coles Streets in Jersey City from 12-8 p.m., with roughly 300 vendors, handmade goods, food trucks, and live music in its 15th annual edition. That same evening, Kenny G performs at bergenPAC in Englewood.

On September 19-20, the Bergen County Fall Harvest Festival returns to Overpeck County Park in Ridgefield Park with 4-H displays, a craft fair, carnival rides, and seasonal food. And on Sunday September 20, the Saddle Brook Street Fair and Craft Show and the Ridgewood Fall Craft Street Fair (11 a.m.-5 p.m. on East Ridgewood Avenue, organized by PJ's Promotions) both draw local vendors and crowds.

Octoberfest Season Begins: September 26

The last Saturday of September marks the unofficial start of Octoberfest season in Bergen County. Leonia Oktoberfest at Wood Park on Fort Lee Road (1-9 p.m.), hosted by the Rotary Club of the Palisades, brings music, food, and Bavarian tradition to Leonia. Up the road, the Baron's Oktoberfest at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge (1-6 p.m.) pairs local craft breweries with colonial-era demonstrations, pumpkin picking, and the Bergen County Historical Society's period setting. Both are family-friendly and free to attend. The same Saturday, Hoboken's River City Fair takes over Sinatra Drive (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) with two stages of live entertainment, and the Bayonne Irish Festival brings Irish music, food, and family fun to Bayonne.

Farmers Markets Through September

The harvest season keeps markets open through the month. In Bergen County, the Harrington Park Farmers Market runs Sundays through October 11 at Hoelscher Field (10 a.m.-2 p.m.), the Fair Lawn Farmers Market is open Wednesdays through October at the Arboretum, the Ramsey Farmers Market runs year-round Sundays at the train station, and the River Edge Farmers Market continues Thursdays (3-7 p.m.) through September. Closer to the water, the Fort Lee Farmers Market keeps its Sunday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. slot with peak-season Jersey produce.

Looking Ahead: October 2026

Once September wraps, the October calendar is already filling. Our October 2026 events guide is now updated, covering HACKENSACKtoberfest and the new Illumination 250 downtown celebration on October 3, the Ridgefield Park Music Fest Street Fair on October 3, Teaneck Day on October 11, pumpkin season at Demarest Farms, and Hoboken's Ragamuffin Parade on Halloween. Since the guide first published, confirmations have kept rolling in: the Wallington Fall Festival on Friday October 2, the Bogota 5K Road Run and Walk on Saturday October 10, the Franklin Lakes CL7 Oktoberfest at McBride Field on Saturday October 17, and Zoo Boo at the Bergen County Zoo in Van Saun County Park on October 16-18. September is packed, and October is coming in hot: add both to the calendar now.

Scott's Bottom Line

September is the month Northern NJ communities show their best selves. Between the Hoboken Italian Festival centennial, the Overpeck Harvest Festival, and the Leonia and River Edge Octoberfest kickoffs on the 26th, there is something nearly every single weekend. As someone who has built a practice in these towns for more than three decades, I cannot overstate how much walking a street fair or a harvest festival tells you about a place. If you are weighing a move, come out to one of these events, talk to the vendors and the volunteers, and feel the community for yourself.

Already settled, or still deciding? I would love to help you connect with the right town for your next chapter. Reach me at (201) 970-3960 or Scott@sellecksellsnj.com, or book a free discovery call below.