Please check ucnj.org in case of any event cancellations.
Fall has arrived in Union County! From hayrides and campfires to cultural celebrations, historic tours, and the annual Pumpkin Sail, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the season close to home.
Check back often for upcoming events, programs, and activities for residents of all ages. Whether you’re looking for family fun, a chance to learn something new, or an afternoon exploring our parks and communities, we look forward to seeing you this fall!
NEW! Fun Fit for Kids
For Union County Residents, ages 5 – 10
Thursday, February 6th • 6:15pm – 7:00pm
Warinanco Sports Center, 1 Park Drive, Roselle
Registration Required. Click here to register.
Meals To You
This vital program provides wholesome, nutritious meals directly to Union County seniors and individuals with disabilities who are unable to prepare their own meals or shop for groceries.
To check your eligibility, call Meals To You at 908-486-5100 or click here for more information.
ASK Senior Services
The Union County Board of County Commissioners invites seniors and caregivers to attend the Aging Services Kiosk, or ASK, events scheduled
These events provide an opportunity to meet one-on-one with knowledgeable professionals and learn about programs and services available to Union County’s older adults and their caregivers. Bilingual assistance will be available.
Upcoming Recycling Events
- Ample signage will be posted at all events to direct residents to the appropriate drop-off locations. All events will be held rain or shine.
- For additional information, please visit www.ucnj.org/recycling.
- Residents are also encouraged to download the Recycle Coach app for the latest information and reminders about Union County recycling events.
Scrap Metal Events – Thursday, November 5 and Saturday, November 21
The next and final Scrap Metal Recycling events of the 2026 season will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at two locations:
- County Emergency Services Yard: 151 Kenilworth Boulevard, Cranford
- Rahway River Park: 3 Parkway Drive, off St. Georges Avenue, Rahway
Accepted items include air conditioners, refrigerators with the doors removed, metal cabinets, metal gutters, and other scrap metal items.
The paper shredding and Household Hazardous Waste events have concluded for the 2026 season. These events will resume in the spring of 2027. Please consult the Bureau of Recycling and Planning website (https://ucnj.org/recycling/) in the coming weeks for the 2027 dates.
If you need to dispose of unwanted household chemicals in the “offseason,” please consult the below.
- Middlesex County is having one additional HHW event on Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at Middlesex College, located at 2600 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison. Please use the Mill Road entrance (Parking Lot #2). To attend this event, please contact Bureau Chief Stuart Newman at the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning at 908-654-9892 or email stuart.newman@ucnj.org to make arrangements.
- The Morris County Utilities Authority (MCUA) operates a permanent HHW facility that is open year-round. This facility accepts non-Morris County residents for the proper disposal of HHW. The facility is located at 168 Gold Mine Road in Flanders, NJ. They accept vehicles by appointment only. Morris County charges a fee of $2.00 per pound for disposal of material for non-Morris County residents. To schedule an appointment online, visit https://mcmua.com/sw_hhw_pfac.asp.
- Safely store your household hazardous waste items until Union County’s HHW events resume in the Spring of 2027. Please look for the 2027 dates on Union County’s Bureau of Recycling and Planning page in the coming weeks by visiting ucnj.org/recycling. For further information on the proper home storage of household chemicals or HHW, you can consult the USEPA’s website (https://www.epa.gov/hw/household-hazardous-waste-hhw).
For the complete 2026 recycling schedule, please call 908-654-9890 or visit ucnj.org/recycling.
Cultural Events Around the County
October 17 – November 1
Fri & Sat at 7:30 pm | 2 pm on Sundays
THEATRE
By the Water
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Murphy family struggles to rebuild their Staten Island home and their lives. As old wounds resurface and loyalties are tested, each family member must decide what they’re willing to fight for — and what they’re willing to leave behind.
Filled with humor, warmth and deeply human characters, By the Water is a moving, contemporary story by Sharon Rothstein about family, community, and the meaning of home. Directed by Karen Thornton.
Tickets: $25
The Summit Playhouse
10 New England Ave., Summit
thesummitplayhouse.org
Wheelchair-accessible venue.
November 5
7 pm
MUSIC & DANCE (Free 45-min program)
Afro-Puerto Rican Folkloric Music – La Bomba & La Plena
Afro-Puerto Rican master drummer, Juan Cartagena and master dancer, Nanette Hernández, have performed and taught Puerto Rico’s drum music for decades. Join, learn and celebrate! In Bomba, call-and-response music creates a collaborative space for the dancer to move to the drums, and the drummer to follow the dancer’s movements. Known as the “singing newspaper,” Plena songs share stories of current events, played with hand-held drums.
Kenilworth Public Library
548 Boulevard, Kenilworth
908-276-2451
kenilworthlibrary.org
Venue is wheelchair-accessible via parking lot at back of the library.
November 7
DANCE
3 pm – 4:30 pm: Hip-Hop Master Class
4:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Dance Battle
Rise & Reign – presented by Grand Artistry Inspires
Experience a high-energy celebration of hip-hop and street dance at Rise & Reign. Join a Hip-Hop Master Class taught by Loose Joint. Experience the Rise & Reign Open Street-Styles Dance Battle, where dancers bring their skills, creativity and individuality to the floor. Whether you take the dance class, dance in the battle, or come to watch, join this exciting day of dance, music and community!
Tickets: $10–$20
grandartistryinspires.org/events/rise-reign
Plainfield Performing Arts Center
724 Park Ave., Plainfield
Venue is wheelchair-accessible
Nov 10
POETRY ACTIVITY
1:30 – 4 pm
“The Poet Is In” at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center
Visit with a poet and receive a personalized healing poem. Open to clinicians and patients’ families, friends and caregivers — this program provides a collective medium through which individuals can articulate shared experiences of illness, caregiving and resilience.
Presented by the Overlook Foundation.
FREE
Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center
99 Beauvoir Ave., Summit
908-522-2894
Wheelchair-accessible venue. Large print available.
November 21
6 – 9 pm
POETRY / SPOKEN WORD (FREE)
“What’s The Word!”
ACP Arts Ink hosts its signature monthly event, A Night of Spoken Word/Poetry including a community Open Mic, with a featured poet. Hosted by world-champion slam poet RADI, this inclusive event is for people of all ages, including professional and up-and-coming spotlight artists. Listen to thought-provoking work — and perhaps read one of your own poems at this event for both new and veteran poets.
FREE entry
Melao Cafe & Creamery
1425 Irving Street, Rahway
acpartsink.org/events
Venue is wheelchair-accessible.
November 21
7 pm
CONCERT
Celebrating America’s Songbook – Plainfield Symphony
Conducted by Charles Prince, the Plainfield Symphony presents the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein/Hart, George and Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. Concert features a return engagement by tenor soloist Brian Cheney. The Plainfield Symphony has performed in Plainfield since 1919.
Tickets: Seniors/Students $30; General $45; Reserved $65.
www.plainfieldsymphony.org
Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church
726 Watchung Ave., Plainfield
908-561-5140
For the Virtual concert, visit website for link prior to concert time.
Labeled accessible parking at venue. Venue is wheelchair-accessible, with lift to performance level. Assistive hearing devices available at Will Call, first-come, first served. Please see other accommodations at plainfieldsymphony.org.
November 21
2 pm
THEATRE (FREE Event)
Readings of Two Short Plays – presented by Cranford Public Library
Enjoy staged presentations of two plays in development, followed by discussion between the audience and playwrights. In “Alas and Alack in Alaska,” by Jonathan Samarro, 12-year-old Squirm runs away from her tormentors at school and sets out to find the mother she doesn’t really remember. Maybe Mom lives in Alaska, or maybe she lives in Squirm’s head. In “A Cigarette with Santa,” by Joseph Vitale, a burned-out department-store St. Nick meets a cheery elf who won’t let him quit. What could possibly happen? Perhaps a Christmas miracle.
FREE
Cranford Community Center
220 Walnut Ave, Cranford
Fully ADA-accessible 110-seat theater. For a large-print program, email cranfordlibrary@cranfordlibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at Cranford Library 908-709-7272, two weeks prior to event. Or call The Theater Project at 908-809-8865.
November 22
3:30 pm
CONCERT
Mostly Music – Chamber Music Concert
Flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, violist Paul Neubauer, and harpist Helen Liu Gerhold, present “Dreams and Dances,” a varied program spanning more than three centuries, including Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Ave Maria, The Swan, and The Great Train Race, along with other works that highlight the rich colors and versatility of this distinctive world-class ensemble.
Tickets: $50 Free for students
Temple Emanu-El
756 East Broad St., Westfield
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
908-789-8578
mostlymusic.org/
Venue is wheelchair-accessible, with dedicated space for wheelchairs and walkers.
November 22
2–3 pm
FREE CONCERT
Tal Naccarato – Guitarist & Songwriter
Guitarist-singer Italo ‘Tal’ Naccarato’s stylized original work highlights a deep appreciation for traditional Folk and Americana Roots music. Steeped in Rock and Blues, and including his original classical guitar-inspired compositions, Tal performs with a blues-y swing. The composer, songwriter and teaching artist was born in a medieval village in Calabria, Italy, and raised in Brooklyn.
FREE
Summit Free Public Library
75 Maple St., Summit
908-273-0350
summitlibrary.libcal.com/event/17322471
Wheelchair-accessible venue
November 22
4 pm
FREE CONCERT
Happy 250th Again, America! – The Society of Musical Arts
SOMA presents free concerts of orchestral music. In celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, this special program includes: Aaron Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man; Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid Suite; Chadwick’s Jubilee from Symphonic Sketches; Martinu’s Sinfonietta La Jolla, featuring piano soloist Evan Schwartzman; and Sirota’s Fantasia on Billing’s “When Jesus Wept” (world premiere).
FREE
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
414 E. Broad St., Westfield
Venue is wheelchair-accessible and ADA-compliant. To request a large-print program or seats in front rows for those with impaired vision or hearing, either email ahead at somaorchestra.org/contact-1 or ask SOMA volunteers at the entrance for assistance.
November 27, 28, 29
7 pm Fri/Sat
2 pm Sun
THEATRE
Miracle on 34th Street – A Live Radio Play
Special holiday event! Adapted from the Academy Award-winning 1947 screenplay by George Seaton and the beloved novel by Valentine Davies, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET is staged as a festive 1940s studio broadcast complete with a small ensemble cast and sound effects.
Follow no-nonsense Macy’s director Doris Walker, who hires a kind, white-bearded man named Kris to serve as the parade Santa. When Kris insists he is the actual Santa Claus, he triggers a high-stakes New York courtroom sanity trial that forces her skeptical young daughter and attorney Fred Gailey to fight for the true spirit of Christmas.
Tickets: $20 general admission
Westfield Community Players
1000 North Ave. West, Westfield
wcptheatre.org
Theater is wheelchair-accessible. Call ahead to reserve accessible parking or to request other accommodations: 908-232-1221.
December 5
10 am – 2 pm
HOLIDAY EVENT
Merchants & Drovers Historic Tavern & Museum’s Holiday Bazaar
Visit this historic tavern and museum, festively decorated for the holidays. Visit the grounds outside to shop for holiday decor, new and gently used. Inside the museum, shop for gift items, some just $5, including jewelry, handmade soaps, pottery, wreaths, gift baskets and more. Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies made and sold by a local Girl Scout troop. All proceeds benefit the museum’s historical preservation and education mission.
To donate holiday items for the bazaar, please visit the museum Mon–Fri, Nov 30–Dec 4, 9 am–12 noon (732-381-0441).
FREE
Merchants & Drovers Tavern & Museum
1632 St. Georges Ave., Rahway
Parking on local streets. (On-site parking not available this event.) Museum’s main floor is wheelchair-accessible.
December 11–20
8 pm Fri/Sat
2 pm Sat/Sun
THEATRE
Disney’s “Frozen”
Experience the musical phenomenon that took the world by storm. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, Disney’s Frozen includes all the film’s beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with new music written exclusively for the stage.
Tickets $25–28
CDC Theatre
78 Winans Ave., Cranford
www.cdctheatre.org
908-276-7611
Wheelchair-accessible venue. ASL-Interpreted performance on Dec 19 (check website for time).
December 19
7:30 pm
HOLIDAY CONCERT
Winter Holiday Concert: A Baroque Christmas – Summit Chorale
Travel back in time to the Baroque period, as Summit Chorale sings selections from Bach’s B Minor Mass, excerpts from of Handel’s Messiah, plus holiday favorites and classics. Come in person or access the post-concert video; advance ticket valid for both. Plus, the opportunity to participate in a 50/50 raffle.
Advance Tickets: $25 + fees online. Or pay at the door.
events.ticketleap.com/tickets/summit-chorale/winter-concert-2026
Christ Church Summit
561 Springfield Ave., Summit
Venue is wheelchair-accessible. To request other accommodations, email events@summitchorale.org