State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick Cultural Center, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), and the Arts Institute of Middlesex County present the 6th Annual New Brunswick Heart Festival on Saturday, August 9, from 2 to 6 p.m. in Monument Square on Livingston Avenue.
This free family-friendly festival celebrates the vibrant arts and history of New Brunswick and Middlesex County, featuring live music and dance performances; free dance classes for kids; food, craft, and art vendors; arts and crafts for kids; free face painting, Henna, caricatures, and balloon animals; and more.
Before the New Brunswick Heart Festival begins, State Theatre presents a 1 p.m. performance inside the theater of “LUMIA: A Futuristic Cirque Show.” This groundbreaking 70-minute production for all ages redefines the boundaries of technology and entertainment, blending breathtaking acrobatics with the latest advancements in visual technology. LUMIA showcases an array of holograms, interactive lasers, LED technology, light suits, and even robots that transform the stage into a vibrant canvas of light and movement. Tickets for “LUMIA: A Futuristic Cirque Show” are $39 to $62 and can be purchased at STNJ.org.
This year’s New Brunswick Heart Festival lineup on the outdoor stage on Livingston Avenue includes the headline band, the Discoteks, performing disco and Motown hits; Afro-Peruvian music and dance by Socabón Peru Cultural Association; celebrated tap dancer Omar Edwards; the New Brunswick Brass; dance performances by InSpira Performing Arts & Cultural Center and Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia; beats by DJ IZM; a performance by George Street Playhouse; National ACT-SO Bronze Medalist and singer Myles Cherette; and a set by the winner of this year’s State Theatre Jersey Talent show, pianist, Elias Nicozisis.
Additionally, Amy Garcia Phillips and the Contento Dancers lead a hustle dance class.
Other events at the New Brunswick HEART Festival include a health & wellness area with Garden of Healing; and a history area featuring historical interpreters by the Arts Institute of Middlesex County’s East Jersey Old Town Village and Cornelius Low House.
Additional activities include free face painting, balloon animals, Henna, and caricature; free arts and crafts with Dibble and Dabble; button-making with the New Brunswick Free Public Library; Japanese black ink drawing with the Highland Park Arts Commission; and chalk art with Sharpened Mindz.
Also featured at the festival are free dance classes for kids hosted by Princeton Ballet School including Beginning Dance for ages 4 to 8 at 4 p.m. and Contemporary for ages 9 to 16 at 5 p.m. Attendees can also tour Princeton Ballet School’s studios at the state-of-the-art New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. PBS staff will be available throughout the festival to share school information, schedules, and registration details. Guests can also enter a special drawing to win free tickets to an American Repertory Ballet performance coming to NBPAC this fall.
6th Annual New Brunswick Heart Festival, 2 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. Saturday, August 9, 2 to 6 p.m. www.stnj.org/events-tickets/special-events/new-brunswick-heart-festival.
