Here's a look at the top 10 most read articles published at New Jersey Stage during the week of May 15-21, 2022.  Each week we publish about 70 articles, including several original columns and features, along with news releases for events happening throughout the state and nearby areas like Philadelphia and New York City. This week the Top Ten includes articles covering eight counties in New Jersey (Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, and Sussex).

1) Michael Arnone's Crawfish Fest Returns June 3-5 - (AUGUSTA, NJ) -- After two years off due to the pandemic, Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest returns to scenic western New Jersey for three days of music, food and camping June 3-5.  Samantha Fish and Tab Benoit, each a renowned guitarist-vocalist, headline over 20 New Orleans and Louisiana acts that will be performing on three stages from that Friday through Sunday at the spacious Sussex County Fairgrounds.

2) 2022 Jersey City Jazz Festival - (JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Jersey City Jazz Festival is back for a two-day celebration the weekend of June 4th and 5th in the Powerhouse Arts District. The free-to-the-public annual event will feature fourteen bands on two stages, food trucks, a full bar, and a VIP experience at the 107 Morgan Street lot in Jersey City. The event is produced by the Jersey City-based non-profit Riverview Jazz and presented by Exchange Place Alliance. The 2022 festival will coincide with another beloved annual event - Bike JC’s Ward Tour, Sunday, June 5th, which will culminate at this year’s jazz festival. There will also be an after-party jam session at Moore’s Place on Monticello Ave.  

3) Music Legend Tito Puente Jr. to Kick Off Monthly "Salsa Night" at Newark Symphony Hall - (NEWARK, NJ) -- Newark Symphony Hall, New Jersey’s largest Black-led arts and entertainment venue, kicks off its monthly Salsa Night program with Billboard Music Award-winning musician Tito Puente Jr. on Friday, May 27 at 7:00pm. Salsa Night will take place every third Friday of the month throughout the year.

4) Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2022-2023 Season - (MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse has announced its 2022-2023 season, including a gripping murder mystery, a Disney hero of mythic proportions, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved final musical, the Tony-nominated story of two Latin music icons, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that defined a generation.

5) Kick Back Tiki Cruises Launches in Wildwood - (WILDWOOD, NJ) --  Two shore locals have teamed up to bring their passion project to the waves of the Jersey Shore this summer. Vineland native Captain Tim Merighi and Ocean City business partner Matt Sawyer announce the launch of Kick Back Tiki Cruises out of Wildwood, New Jersey. Their new tiki boat and floating bar will offer private chartered BYO cruises departing several times a day from their dock at 626 W. 26th Avenue.

6) Bergen County Closes on $5.6 Million Dollar Bond Sale to Help Finance BergenPAC's "Invest In The Arts" Capital Campaign - (ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) and Bergen County Executive James Tedesco have announced the closure of a $5.6 million sale of revenue bonds, a significant funding source for bergenPAC’s $15 million Invest in the Arts Capital Campaign.

7) GRAMMY Museum Experience (TM) Prudential Center Celebrates Black Music Month - (NEWARK, NJ) -- GRAMMY Museum Experience (TM) Prudential Center has announced their plans for the celebration of Black Music Month. During Black Music Month, the Museum will honor many pioneering artists whose music and legacy continues to be the pulse of the nation and the great state of New Jersey.

8) 2022 Passaic County Restaurant Week Slated for May 16-22 - The County of Passaic is hosting its 2022 Restaurant Week from Monday, May 16th through Sunday, May 22nd. In collaboration with local restaurants and dining venues, businesses within the County are presenting a catalog of limited-time, prix fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. 

9) Makin Waves with Asbury Park African-American Music Project: Preserving History, Celebrating Community, Cementing Future - Around Memorial Day Weekend 1970 when I was 5 years old, my grandmother won me yet another prize at a wheel of chance on the Asbury Park Boardwalk: a copy of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” my first big-boy LP. A few weeks later, civil unrest broke out throughout the city, and I didn’t step foot onto the AP boardwalk for a decade!

10) Review of "A Walk on the Moon" at George Street Playhouse - If you’ve wondered what is possible for the George Street Playhouse in its new home, wonder no more. A Walk on the Moon, the final show of the season, answers the question to a fare-thee-well.

Event previews are always one of the most popular areas of the website. Event previews get noticed when we first publish them and then get noticed again when they are brought back to the main area of the site the week the event takes place - sometimes even several months later.  Make sure your events get previewed by sending press releases to us at info@newjerseystage.com - for even more promotion, check out our ad rates which run $50-$100 for an entire month of targeted advertising which includes events listed in our online calendar.