Move over Snoop Dogg, Jersey City is about to become the 305 — JC Mayor Steven Fulop just announced that Jersey City is going to be hosting Pitbull and Akon for their annual 4th of July fireworks show. Last year the fireworks festival in Jersey City had performances by Snoop Dogg, but this year, they’re housing the two mega stars on the stage during the 4th of July festival.
Mayor Fulop tweeted Monday AM, “4th of July fireworks in #JerseyCity headliners are @pitbull (aka Mr Worldwide) + #JerseyCity’s own @Akon – it’s going to be the best in NJ as we raise the bar even higher. All free as we do it for JC families. Carnivals, food trucks all day and of course the largest fireworks”.
The Event
The free festival in Jersey City will take place from 12:00PM-10:00PM at Exchange Place Plaza — including live entertainment starting up at noon, and later in the day Akon + Pitbull will perform. Following Mr. 305’s performance, New Jersey’s largest fireworks display will be launching from bargers on the Hudson River. There will also be a carnival {and if you know, you know — but Lutze Biergarten is right there, too}. So much fun to be had, fingers crossed for good weather!
Last Year’s Sitch
Last year, Mayor Fulop was quoted saying, “I think the Jersey City side of Hudson River is going to be the place that people want to be for the 4th of July this year. Period. Between Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Grucci, and Snoop, we are raising the bar,” said Mayor Fulop. And it seems like he’s keeping that promise to bring in national and international stars to highlight in Hudson County.
In 2018, Snoop Dogg headlined the spectacular, and Jersey City native Akon {who attended Dickinson High School on Palisade Avenue in JC} actually came back for the event {evidenced here}. In an article by NJ.com, he was pictured with his childhood friend, Mario Costa — who owns Ringside Lounge at 475 Tonnele Avenue — last 4th of July.
The carnival-style spectacle last year had a 100,000+ person audience, with all-day music, food, and of course views of the New York City skyline.
We’ll share more details as they come in {and other places to watch the fireworks too btw} — so stay tuned!
How to Get There
HG Tip: Arrive by public transportation to the festival area {aka PATH trains, NY Waterway ferry service from Manhattan, and NJ TRANSIT’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail} because driving in traffic in Hoboken + Jersey City on the 4th will be nightmarish. Read: DON’T DO IT.
This year, BikeJC is providing free bike valet service for all attendees who arrive by bike from noon to 10:00PM in front of the post office on Washington Street. Residents without bikes may also rent through Citi Bike {or Jersey Bike Share if you’re in Hoboken or Weehawken — but note they’re not in JC}, which has several stations located in the festival area including at Harborside, at the end of Sussex Street, and on Washington and Grand. Please note that the Citi Bike station location at Exchange Place will not be operating on July 4th.
NY Waterway ferries will be in operation from NYC to the terminals at both Paulus Hook and Harborside until 4:00PM.
NJ Transit buses stop at locations throughout Jersey City and the surrounding region, including major transportation hubs like Newark’s Penn Station, Hoboken, Secaucus and New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. For more information, please click here.
Anyone attending the event should also be advised that any bags or backpacks brought into the designated area are subject to search, and attendees are encouraged to pack belongings in clear bags that show contents. Coolers will not be allowed. For a full list of what you can/can’t bring, click here.
For now, we’ll leave you with a little circa 2009 — Shut it Down, a collab by Akon + Pitbull that is sure to make the stage.
How are you feeling about Pitbull + Akon coming to JC? Share in the comments!
