The Millburn Education Foundation's flagship fundraiser is turning 10, and organizers are using the milestone to expand programming for attendees with sensory and accessibility needs.
Rocktoberfest X returns to Taylor Park on Saturday, Sept. 26, with an expanded Inclusivity Zone co-presented with Special Olympics New Jersey. The zone will feature crafts and theater workshops led by Paper Mill Playhouse, a Special Olympics obstacle course and basketball demo, and a Low Sensory Performance Stage offering acoustic music inside the air-conditioned Bauer Center at 22 Brookside Drive.
Paper Mill Playhouse will also open the Bauer Center as a quiet relaxation space for guests who need a break from the festival's four outdoor stages, according to Patch.
The festival draws about 5,000 people each year.
Headlining this year is Leon & The Peoples, a New York City-based reggae-soul band led by singer-songwriter and actor Leon Robinson. The lineup also includes Better Late, a Westfield-based cover band playing '80s, '90s, alternative and classic rock, and Rini, a Chennai-born, New Jersey-based singer, composer and violinist who won a 2023 Global Music Awards Silver Medal.
Beyond the music, the festival will offer kids' rides, inflatables, carnival games, face painting, local food vendors, retail and artisan shopping, and a beer and wine garden open noon to 10 p.m. for guests 21 and older. Boxcar Bar & Grill at 25 Chatham Road in Short Hills will host live music throughout the day and the official after-party.
To mark the anniversary, organizers are holding a community art contest. The winning design will appear on official Rocktoberfest merchandise; details are on the festival website.
The foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, has contributed more than $3.5 million to Millburn Public Schools since 1993. Platinum sponsors for the 10th edition include returning top-tier sponsor Stella Artois, along with the Jodi & Joanna Group, Paige Packaging, Paper Mill Playhouse, The Millburn Standard and Boxcar Bar & Grill.
The Millburn Township Committee was scheduled to vote on Aug. 11 on a resolution authorizing beer, wine and vehicle parking at Taylor Park for the event.
What: Rocktoberfest X When: Saturday, Sept. 26, noon–10 p.m. (rain date: Saturday, Oct. 3) Where: Taylor Park, Millburn More info: rocktoberfest.millburnedfoundation.org
