Millburn Rocktoberfest marks 10th anniversary Saturday at Taylor Park

Rocktoberfest returns to Taylor Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, for its 10th-anniversary celebration. Leon & The Peoples, a New York City reggae-soul band whose album debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart, will headline the Bauer Center Main Stage.

The daylong festival runs noon to midnight across three stages, with a Kid Zone, Beer Garden, silent auction and a cornhole tournament. All proceeds benefit Millburn Township schools.

Student performers take the stage

Six Millburn High School groups are on the lineup this year, according to the festival's official schedule. Soulfege, the school's student-led a cappella group founded in 2008, will perform alongside the MHS KPop Dance Club, Andaaz Dance Club, MHS Dance Club, Midnight Winds (a jazz-rock fusion band) and the MHS Cheer Team.

Short Hills resident Jessica Layton, a news anchor for NBC/MSNBC, will sing the National Anthem and emcee the Bauer Center Main Stage.

Paper Mill Playhouse partners on Inclusivity Zone

Paper Mill Playhouse is partnering with the Millburn Education Foundation on an Inclusivity Zone, running noon to 4:30 p.m. The zone offers arts, crafts and theater workshops, plus solo performances by the Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Conservatory, a training program for performers ages 10 to 18. A quiet, air-conditioned space inside the Bauer Center is available for guests who need a break from the festival.

Cornhole, Mah Jong and a silent auction

The cornhole tournament returns in a double-elimination format limited to 16 teams. Practice starts at noon, with competition at 1 p.m. A $50 team entry includes two event drinks and two Beer Garden passes, according to the Rocktoberfest website.

American Mah Jong open play runs 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at $35 per person with advance registration.

A silent auction offers two corner endzone or 50-yard-line tickets plus a platinum parking pass to a Giants or Jets game at MetLife Stadium. The foundation said 100% of auction proceeds go to the Millburn Education Foundation.

A decade of fundraising

The first Rocktoberfest was held Oct. 15, 2016. The foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1993, has given more than $3.5 million to Millburn Public Schools, according to a 2024 MEF post that also noted the festival draws about 5,000 attendees annually.

The afterparty starts at 9 p.m. at Boxcar Bar & Grill, 25 Chatham Road in Short Hills, featuring the rock and country band Higher Ground.