Events

This grand festival (the first one of the year!) is a great time for one and all and features international food from Red Bank area restaurants, a large selection of beer & wine, live entertainment on two stages, kids area and family fun, and unique crafters & vendors.

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company premieres “Puebla: The Story of Cinco de Mayo” for one performance only on May 6, 2019. The new story by Artistic Director Alberto Lopez Herrera tells of the impossible Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Folk and native traditions in song and dance will guide audiences through the influences that led to the famous battle, its heroes, and the undeniable Mexican spirit that continues to inspire us today. Live music, traditional and contemporary dance, and meticulous costuming capture the essence of the French and Mexican characters that defined history.

On September 13th, 2017 Foreigner’s catalog sales were celebrated in Business Insider magazine as hitting the Top 40 among the Best Selling Music Artists of All Time. The Beatles were justifiably #1, but Foreigner came in ahead of Britney Spears, Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Prince, Queen, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard.

With ten multi-platinum albums and sixteen Top 30 hits, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 75 million.

Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including Juke Box Hero, Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded, Waiting For A Girl Like You, Feels Like The First Time, Urgent, Head Games, Say You Will, Dirty White Boy, Long, Long Way From Home and the worldwide #1 hit, I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner continues to rock the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success. Foreigner also features strongly in every category in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time listing. Catalog sales often eclipse those of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Aerosmith and most of their Classic Rock peers. (Source: Nielsen SoundScan week ending 8/3/17).

Founded in 1976, Foreigner’s debut album produced the hits “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice” and “Long, Long Way From Home.” The album Double Vision followed, as did a string of hits like “Urgent,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Waiting For A Girl Like You.” Those songs helped give Foreigner’s next album, 4, its impressive run at #1 on the Billboard chart. At the zenith of 80’s sound, Foreigner’s fifth album, Agent Provocateur, gave the world the incredible #1 global hit,” I Want To Know What Love Is.” This musical milestone followed the record-breaking song “Waiting For A Girl Like You.”

After more than 50 active years of hit song making and international album sales well into the multi-millions, it’s safe to say that esteemed singer-songwriter and musician Gordon Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. His song catalog is incredibly vast and includes such immortals as “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin Me,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Ribbon Of Darkness,” “Beautiful,” “Song For A Winter’s Night” and “Rainy Day People” to name a few.

Celebrating his 80th birthday, this year is special for the legendary artist, who has announced plans for a cross-country USA tour entitled “GORDON LIGHTFOOT: 80 YEARS STRONG TOUR”. The tour will feature his well known hits as well as some deep album cuts for the die-hard fanatics. All of which are woven together with some of Lightfoot’s own behind the scenes stories and personal anecdotes about his historic 50-plus-years musical career and his 80 years of life. The event is sure to be a great thrill for live audiences and anyone who enjoys hearing great music and seeing a living legend in person.

Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, into a close-knit family, Paul Anka didn’t waste time getting his life in music started. From an early age he sang in a choir, studied piano and honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working as a cub reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. Blinded by determination, he would take his mother’s car and drive to perform at every amateur night he could across the river in Quebec. Soon after, he won a trip to New York by winning a Campbell’s soup contest that required him to spend three months collecting soup can labels. After visiting the music hub of New York, was there that his dream to make it as a singer composer was solidified. There was not a doubt in his young tenacious mind.

In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles to visit his uncle, where he hitchhiked to a meeting with Modern Records that led to the release of Anka’s first single, “Blau-Wile Deveest Fontaine.” The inspiration for the song came from a book he was reading for a report he had to write for Fisher Park school by the former Governor General of Canada, John Buchan. Although it was not a hit, Anka kept plugging away. He went so far as to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room in Ottawa to meet him and his manager. In the dressing room, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry were sitting there and Anka sang his music to them. They told him to stay in school. When Anka returned to New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R representative for ABC-Paramount Records, playing him a batch of songs that included “Diana”. Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”, his first number one hit, made him a star at the young age of 15.

Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day. He honed his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lymon, and Chuck Berry. Anka was the youngest entertainer to ever perform at the Copacabana.

After a few hit songs, Anka confident in his talent as a writer wisely knew that being a songwriter meant the power was in the pen. As a result, he went on to write for Connie Francis, Leslie Gore, and Buddy Holly (including the last song Holly ever recorded, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”). Other hit songs include the Academy Award-nominated theme for the 1962 film in which he starred, The Longest Day. He notably penned the longest running theme in television history for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Songwriting and performing “are what gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. In the early 60’s, he became a junior associate of Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Even with the British invasion, Anka still had chart records. He moved to Italy and outsold the Italians, selling an astonishing 4 million records there. In the late 60’s, Anka wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and by the 70’s, he had another string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby”, “Don’t Like To Sleep Alone”, and “Times Of Your Life” which confirmed his status as an icon of popular music.

His later achievements as a recording artist included the charted song, “Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983, the Spanish-language album Amigos in 1996, and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Tom Jones and daughter Anthea Anka. If this wasn’t enough, it was revealed upon its release in 2009, that Anka co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous #1 worldwide hit, “This Is It,” which has further cemented his place upon the most prolific and versatile songwriters of any generation.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Rock Swings and Classic Songs, My Way – ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day. Anka, of course, did the songs ‘his way.’ Rock Swings went Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide.

On November 15, 2011, Anka released his first Christmas album in decades. Songs of December featured lush romantic versions of popular Christmas songs such as “Let It Snow”, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. All were recorded with a full orchestra in the renowned Capitol studios and sung by a music legend. It is a true holiday classic.

In April 2013, Anka released his New York Times Bestselling autobiography, published by St. Martin’s Press, entitled My Way. This autobiography is a remarkable story of a decades-long career as an entertainer, actor, and songwriter. During the same time, his new 14-song album entitled Duets was released by Sony Music Entertainment and featured artists such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Celine Dion, and Michael Bublé (who Anka was with from the start of his career as well as co-producer on his self-titled album in 2003). Duets provides a musical journey through the life and times of Paul Anka and includes heartfelt liner notes written by Anka himself as an introduction to the classic songs he and his collaborators have chosen. Duets set a milestone in Billboard Chart history because with the CD, Anka became the only artist to have a CD on the Billboard Top 100 Chart for seven consecutive decades.

In 2014, Anka saw the release of another song he co-wrote with Michael Jackson entitled “Love Never Felt So Good” off of Jackson’s album Xscape. The song was also recorded as a duet with Justin Timberlake. As lead song off of Jackson’s CD and it’s first single, it has received massive radio, sales, and critical success and reached #1 in over 50 countries!

This mind blowing spectacular showcases the jaw dropping talents of five of the most incredible Illusionists on earth. THE ILLUSIONISTSTM – LIVE FROM BROADWAYTM has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

This mind blowing spectacular showcases the jaw dropping talents of five of the most incredible Illusionists on earth. THE ILLUSIONISTSTM – LIVE FROM BROADWAYTM has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

Continuing a long and strange trip since humble beginnings over a decade ago, Dark Star Orchestra’s determined commitment to ‘raising the Dead’ has drawn nationwide attention.

Offering a continually evolving artistic outlet within the Grateful Dead’s musical canon, members of Dark Star Orchestra seek out the unique style of each performance era and offer their own interpretations and improvisations at each show. Using entire set lists from the Grateful Dead’s decades of touring as a launching pad, Dark Star Orchestra recreates song for song performances straight from the set list of these historic shows.

Made up of Jeff Mattson (Jerry Garcia), Lisa Mackey (Donna Jean Godchaux), Dino English (Bill Kreutzmann), Rob Koritz (Mickey Hart), Skip Vangelas (Phil Lesh), Rob Eaton (Bob Weir) and Rob Barraco (multiple keyboardists), Dark Star Orchestra does not try to match Grateful Dead live songs note for note. Anything so formulaic would quickly dispel the free spirit embodied in the music.

While faithful improvisation is pinnacle, precision is of equal importance with DSO, which position the stage plot based on the year of Grateful Dead show to be performed, adapting phrasing, voice arrangements, and even arranges specific musical equipment for the various eras of Dead music performed. At the end of each performance, the band announces the date and venue where the original show just covered took place. Dark Star Orchestra dips into every incarnation of the Dead, so most fans can “see” shows that happened long before they were born.

Dark Star Orchestra isn’t a cover band. Its shows are not even meant as tributes. What Dark Star Orchestra tirelessly strives for and achieves is a continuation of the spirit of what has now become over forty years of the Grateful Dead’s timeless music.

From the bombastic and epic, to the folky and mystical, Get The Led Out (GTLO) have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage. The Philadelphia-based group consists of six veteran musicians intent on delivering Led Zeppelin live, like you’ve never heard before. Utilizing the multi-instrumentalists at their disposal, GTLO re-create the songs in all their depth and glory with the studio overdubs that Zeppelin themselves never performed. When you hear three guitars on the album…GTLO delivers three guitarists on stage. No wigs or fake English accents, GTLO brings what the audience wants…a high energy Zeppelin concert with an honest, heart-thumping intensity. Dubbed by the media as “The American Led Zeppelin,” Get The Led Out offers a strong focus on the early years. They also touch on the deeper cuts that were seldom, if ever heard in concert. GTLO also include a special “acoustic set” with Zep favorites such as “Tangerine” and the“Battle of Evermore” being performed in its’ original instrumentation with guest singer Diana DeSantis joining the band.

Celebrate the music of Bob Dylan on the eve of his 78th birthday as one of the year’s most heralded Basie Center events returns from a sold out west coast tour to ‘shake the windows and rattle the walls’ with Pat Guadagno’s performance of Dylan’s classic, Blood on the Tracks.

The rock & roll Poet Laureate’s 15th album, released in 1975 amidst a deluge of important new singer-songwriters (each one hailed by rock pundits as the ‘next Bob Dylan’) assured the world that, in fact, there is only one Bob Dylan — and there won’t ever likely be another.

At this, the 21st Dylan birthday celebration in Red Bank, Guadagno and his all-Star band Tired Horses will deliver the powerful, emotionally charged epic Blood On The Tracks in its entirety, with a passion and reverence befitting the Nobel Prize winner.

For the last twenty-five years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for the last fifteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 33 Emmy nominations. In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous,” directed by Larry Charles (“Borat”). It remains among the highest grossing documentaries of all time.

He started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979 and still performs over fifty dates a year in Las Vegas, and in sold-out theaters across the country. Three of his nine stand-up specials for HBO have been nominated for Emmy awards.

Maher was born in New York City, raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and attended Cornell University. He now resides in Los Angeles.

The symphony truck will roll into Marine Park, where the sides will open up as the entire truck converts into a mobile stage… complete with sound, lighting and all the trimmings. Watch the fireflies dance along to the overture to Crazy for You and catch a glimpse of a shooting star during Rossini’s fiery overture to William Tell. You may even hear a familiar tune from a galaxy far, far away! Lay back on the grass or bring a lawn chair of your own and take in this marvelous concert with stunning views of the Navesink River.

Spend the day enjoying walkable downtown Red Bank: shop in unique boutiques, take advantage of special menus at Red Bank’s restaurants & eateries or grab take-out and create a picnic, and then head over to Marine Park to enjoy the symphony.

The concert is free and tickets are not required.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

A new take on a classic 1920s musical farce – it’s the tale of Jimmy Winter, a wealthy and carefree playboy living the good life in the midst of Prohibition. Jimmy has an unfortunate habit of marrying chorus girls, until he’s forced to marry a woman of substance – Eileen Evergreen, the finest interpreter of modern dance in the world. On the weekend of their nuptials, Jimmy meets Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger who has inadvertently stashed 400 cases of gin in Jimmy’s basement. Knocked out by this one-of-a-kind woman, Jimmy must deal with his high strung fiancée and an assortment of bootleggers, prohibitionists, G-Men and chorus girls, as well as one very moralistic senator….all to the tunes of George and Ira Gershwin.

The Red Bank Guinness Oyster Festival is a great time for one and all and is fashioned after the 63-year-old Galway Oyster Festival celebrating the opening of the oyster season. It is a huge food and music festival which will showcase Red Bank’s excellent restaurants as well as entertain thousands with great live music and family fun.

ABBA’s hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman’s search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

The story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast, non-stop laughs and explosive dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit for any theatre. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

The Simon & Garfunkel Story is back! Using huge projection photos and original film footage, featuring a full live band performing all the hits including ‘Mrs Robinson’, ‘Cecilia’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Homeward Bound’ and many more. Get your tickets fast as this is an evening not to be missed!

You can often find him referring to himself as “The Donkey of Comedy,” or “The Working Class Zero;” Vic DiBitetto is an American stand-up comedian, social media, YouTube personality and actor. Best known for his viral video “Bread & Milk” nearing 17 million views on Youtube. This video has brought about a new wave of fans and followers for Vic both on social media and on the stand up comedy circuit. More recently he portrayed Gino Chizetti in the 2015 comedy film, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. Try not to laugh, smile or grin while watching comedian Vic DiBitetto.

You can often find him referring to himself as “The Donkey of Comedy,” or “The Working Class Zero;” Vic DiBitetto is an American stand-up comedian, social media, YouTube personality and actor. Best known for his viral video “Bread & Milk” nearing 17 million views on Youtube. This video has brought about a new wave of fans and followers for Vic both on social media and on the stand up comedy circuit. More recently he portrayed Gino Chizetti in the 2015 comedy film, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. Try not to laugh, smile or grin while watching comedian Vic DiBitetto.