Those who have yet to experience what it’s like to see singer-songwriter Samantha Fish, 36, are in for a treat. The Kansas City phenom rocks. Hard. Her blues is tinged with soul, Americana, funk, bluegrass and country. And to hear her for free? The annual Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival on the downtown Morristown Green is the place to be on August 16.

On July 12 and 13, for the 20^th time in 22 years, Memorial Park on Valley Street in Maplewood will turn into Maplewoodstock from noon to 10:00 p.m. And it’s free. You can be like the dancing dude in the video below. Looks like fun, what with wall-to-wall bands, 50 art vendors, 20 food venders, a Beer Garden, a Kid Zone and more.

It’s free, walkable and radical. Imagine a music festival where artists perform on people’s front porches at house after house. The concept of the front porch as musical stage will transpire in Montclair, Essex County, May 17.

The 12^th annual Jersey City Jazz Festival—with both free and ticketed shows—will take place May 30 and 31 on the Hudson River waterfront with its three stages, a “community zone,” food trucks, bars, a “V.I.P. Experience” and a parade. There are also events scheduled on May 27, 28 & 29 in anticipation of the weekend’s festivities.

Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla has announced May 18 as the date for the annual free Hoboken Arts and Music Festival. In a prepared release, the Mayor stipulated “we are excited to welcome Brenda K. Starr, an internationally renowned artist, to headline this year’s festival and bring her incredible talent to the city.

The 60 nominees in six categories for the 2025 New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony later this year have been announced. You can vote as of now by using the link below (which contains capsule biographies on all 60.) You have until April 15.

The lineup has been announced for The Garden State Arts Foundation’s FREE concert series at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel. It all starts on May 8 at 1:30 in the afternoon with The Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Duke’s son, Mercer Ellington.

The next generation of jazz stars will be on display at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark April 26 when over 100 of them will perform for free in honor of International Jazz Day on April 30.

Come see Texas blues-band The Fabulous Thunderbirds in Clark this Saturday September 14. The six-hour Union County Fall Festival is free. Plus, The Weight Band will perform the music of The Band and Dead On Live will be Grateful.

The free “Heart Of The City” festival returns to Rahway in Union County for the fourth time on August 3 at noon for six hours right on the corner of Irving and East Cherry Streets. Venders and artists will showcase their wares. There will be local music talent, a live DJ, and an interactive art installation that allows festival-goers a photo-shoot moment.

Wednesday to Sunday, the 24th to the 28th of July. The Hoboken Historical Museum will present a 16-photo pictorial of the event called “On The Steps of St. Ann’s: A Collection of Photographs from The Feast 2001-2022 by Bob Delavante” that will run from Sunday of this weekend to August 25.

The Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel will present their annual slate of free shows starting September. The series is presented by The Garden State Arts Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1984.

Circle the date. Montclair has proclaimed September 14 as the FREE 2024 Downtown Jamboree wherein eight solid hours of great music from noon to 8:00 p.m. will be performed in the street on Bloomfield Avenue between Grove Street and Midland Avenue (the area will be roped off to cars). Retailers and restaurant storefronts will remain open.

On Saturday, August 24, at 1:00 p.m., the FREE annual Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival will start making noise for eight hours. It’s on The Great Lawn Promenade—Boardwalk at 10 Ocean Blvd.—and is presented by The Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation. Food trucks, vendors, activities for the kids, crafters.

“Horizon Sounds of the City” is returning for another season of FREE shows in Newark’s Chambers Park on the NJPAC grounds and this year, the lineup is energetic and filled with percolating percussion. Each night should be a funkin’ good time with emphasis on World Music. Shows begin at 6:00 p.m.

This Sunday, May 19, the FREE bi-annual Hoboken Arts & Music Festival will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Washington Street between Observer Highway and Seventh Street with over 300 artists, crafters, food vendors, dance troupes, DJs and live bands.

Memorial Park in Maplewood of Essex County will turn into the annual event known as Maplewoodstock again for the 20th time on July 13 and 14. This event is FREE. Complete with food venders, a beer garden and a “Kid Zone,” the schedule provides a multi-genre experience for every taste.

Summer just got louder. The Camden County 2024 Summer Parks Concert Series has been announced with concerts in three locations. The “Sunset Jazz Series” at the Camden Waterfront’s Roland Traynor River Stage will present shows every Monday at 8:00 p.m. starting June 3 with singer-songwriter-bassist Esperanza Spalding.

What other town hosts an all-summer FREE concert series? You’ve got to hand it to Woodbridge (“A Community Committed To The Arts”) and Mayor John E. McCormac. From oldies, country and classic rock to folk, jazz, Americana and worldbeat, you’ll hear it all this summer at various locations in town every Sunday through Thursday starting June 12.

Held in the historic Forest Hill section, the 2023 Newark Porch Fest will take place on Saturday September 23 (with a rain-date the following day) with live music, art, dance, food and kid-stuff. The fun takes place, indeed, on neighborhood front porches, stoops and lawns.