Long Beach Island's first Pizza Fest finally happens this Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at Bayview Park in Brant Beach. The rescheduled festival is sharing the afternoon with the township's annual Harvest Hayride, so you'll find hayrides and pumpkin picking set up alongside pizza and pizza-themed food, free kids' activities and live music from two local bands. Admission is free, and The SandPaper reports that you don't need to register.
When rain wiped out the September date, the township moved Pizza Fest into its annual hayride rather than picking a new date for it alone. The township's fall events page calls the hayride "One of our favorite events of the year." That familiar Saturday in late October saved September's idea from waiting until next year.
Five Weeks, Four Notices
Pizza Fest took four township announcements to reach Saturday. Here they are in order, because the order explains why Saturday looks the way it does.
- Sept. 8: The township announced that Pizza Fest had "changed locations to Bayview Park," that the park would be closed to traffic all day, and that it was "excited to partner with local pizzerias and businesses to bring the 1st Pizza Fest to LBI."
- Sept. 11: Two days before the event, the township cancelled "Sunday's Pizza Fest due to the weather forecast" and promised a new date the following week.
- Sept. 18: The new date came out. The notice invited everyone to "our annual Harvest Hayride and for our (rescheduled) Pizza Fest," listed hayrides, pumpkin picking, free crafts, live music, pizza, food and drinks, and set a rain date of Oct. 25.
- Oct. 12: The township's October-to-December roundup listed the combined event for Oct. 24 and pointed out that Pizza Fest had been rained out in September.
So the original plan was a Sunday event on Sept. 13 with its own afternoon, noon to 4 p.m. The replacement is a Saturday in late October, and it uses the hayride's time slot, its park and its crowd. The township has posted only one flyer for the combined event, and it uses the joint name: "Harvest Hayride & Pizza Fest."
What the Hayride Brought to the Merger
The new festival gets a lot from moving into the hayride. The hayride brings a group of presenters behind it. The SandPaper lists the Long Beach Township Police Department, LBT PBA 373, the LBT Department of Recreation and the Carolan Foundation as presenters of the combined event.
The venue didn't change either. The Sept. 8 move put Pizza Fest at Bayview Park before any rain, so folding it into the hayride didn't send it anywhere new. The hayride and pumpkin patch were always going to be at Bayview Park on Oct. 24.
This time there's a backup. The Sept. 18 notice set a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 25, so if Saturday's weather turns the way September's did, the event moves to the next day. The Sept. 13 listing didn't include a rain date.
The SandPaper sums up the hayride side of the afternoon in its photo caption:
"Pickers of all ages will scour the landscape in search of the perfect gourd for painting, carving or, heck, even eating."
September's Lineup, and What Saturday Has Confirmed So Far
The township named its Pizza Fest vendors in September. It hasn't published a vendor list for Oct. 24. The current event page promises "pizza & pizza themed foods" and two local bands without naming them. Treat the names below as the lineup announced for September. Saturday's roster may not match it.
Even in September, the township's two lists didn't fully agree.
Food and pizza vendors in the Sept. 8 announcement: Panzone's Pizza & Pasta, Flour Child, Tilly's Surf City Dog House, Delicias Sobre Ruedas, Pizza Bagel Bites and Cinna-Bean Bakery Cafe.
Non-food vendors in the same announcement: Kyky's Facepainting Bus, LBI Sea Shells, Austin 3D, Coastal Creations, Just Bead It, Knotbound and Sandbar Story Shack.
Names that appeared only on the original Sept. 13 event listing: Manafirkin and Philly Pretzel, along with Tilly's Empanadas and Surf City Dogs listed separately. That listing also promised "adult beverages" and a "Special appearance by Mario and Princess Peach!"
Entertainment planned for September: The Pickles playing live and NFL RedZone on a jumbo TV.
Some of that plan only worked on a Sunday. The football screen was booked for a Sunday during the NFL season, and Oct. 24 is a Saturday. The Pickles were the band named for September. The Oct. 24 listing says only "2 local bands." If you're going for a particular pizzeria or a particular band, check the event page before you leave.
Saturday at Bayview Park
The details for the afternoon, all from the township unless noted:
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24, noon to 4 p.m.
- Rain date: Sunday, Oct. 25.
- Where: Bayview Park, 6802 Long Beach Blvd., Brant Beach, per the township's listing. The SandPaper prints 6805 Long Beach Blvd. Either way, it's the park, and the township's number is the one that matches its calendar.
- Cost: Free to attend. The township hasn't posted food prices.
- Registration: None needed.
- Dogs: The township says dogs aren't allowed at Bayview Park, so leave them home for this one.
- Traffic: The September plan closed the park to traffic all day. The township hasn't said whether Saturday works the same way, so walking or biking over is the simple choice if you're close.
Bayview Park also hosted the recreation department's early-September programming. We wrote about the new event it added the week after Labor Day. Saturday adds to that pattern. Two of the township's fall events have now landed on the same patch of grass off Long Beach Boulevard.
After the Pumpkins
The hayride is the last big recreation-department weekend on the township's October-to-December list. After it, the calendar gets quieter and spreads out to other places.
| Date | Event | Where it starts |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 11, noon | Veterans Day Service, refreshments served | Veterans Park, West Delaware Ave. & Long Beach Blvd. |
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Bus trip to Radio City Music Hall for the Rockettes, 9:30 a.m. departure, 6:30 p.m. return | Town Hall |
Your weekly routine has also switched to winter mode. The township's winter trash schedule started Monday, Oct. 12. Zone 1 gets trash pickup on Tuesday and recycling on Thursday. Zone 2 gets trash pickup on Monday and recycling on Friday. If you're sorting out what still happens around town this time of year, our Long Beach Township neighborhood page collects the township's sections in one place, from Brant Beach down to the south end at Holgate.
If you'll be at your Long Beach Township place for the hayride and you're starting to think about next season, whether that means rental bookings, a listing or just knowing what your home is worth this fall, Roberta Brackman is glad to talk it through while the island is quiet. Schedule your free consultation, or start with an instant home valuation, and then go get a slice.
