JCAST 2026 runs for 4 days and includes: Kickoff; the opening of 5 official exhibitions today, Friday, and Saturday; Artist Studio Tours; Bus and Bike Tours on Saturday and Sunday; and a closing event downtown. You can search Eventbrite for these events and see the print guide. NOTE the Added Menus
Here are our recommendations:
THURSDAY, Oct 1 at 6 PM: OPENING
JCAST OPENS with a KICKOFF EVENT at HolaDoctor, 353 Central Avenue, corner of Bowers, in the Heights.
The event will feature, from 6 pm, DJ Mugen, Music by Winard Harper Quartet, Poetry by Cyn Grace Sylvie, and Music by Gary Van Miert
7 pm: Official Opening by JCAST with the JCAST Legend Awards to Diana Dragone and Ben Jones, presented by Dayana Torre, CASID, and Deonte Griffin-Quick, JCAC, and concludes with Music by Carmen Arrojo, Mindless Generation, and DJ Mugen. Also, the Official Exhibition, curated with Lucy Rovetto, opens in this space. Please visit the Event Schedule at www.jerseycityarts.org and see the event map at www.jerseycityarts.org/JCAST-MAP
FRIDAY, Oct 2 from 12 noon – 9 pm: EXHIBITIONS AND GALLERIES
Select events open: we suggest attending the 3 Official Exhibitions at 2 pm in Liberty State Park, and at 5 pm at Saint Peter’s University. Importantly, most galleries will have evening openings, and we offer a few artworks and events at the library (the map and guide will be helpful here).
From 2 pm- 4:30 pm. Liberty State Park at 2 pm is the best place to be: You can see the Official Exhibition curated by Nick De Pirro, Friends of Liberty State Exhibition, play, performance, and art workshops by the Educational Arts Team, a JCAST Film Screening by films by 4 artists, and the best view of the Statue of Liberty and one of the best parks in NJ.
At 5 pm, Head to Saint Peter’s University for 2 official exhibition openings with curators Beatrice Mady and Trish Gianakis, and across the city and downtown to gallery openings. (See the guide to select openings/events). Please see our guide: version of our print guide to help you see all locations: https://www.flipsnack.com/79B8CCA8B7A/2026-jcast, You can find tickets here and see EVENT SCHEDULE here.
SATURDAY, Oct 3, from 12- 9 pm: BUSIEST DAY
The best days to be at JCAST are Saturday and Sunday; almost everything is open. All locations, galleries, art spaces, tours, workshops, a book fair, music, poetry, and film screenings open up. It is packed, so take the bus and do artist studio tours. Or select a neighborhood: we highlight the Heights, Journal Square/McGinley Square/Westside, and Downtown as walkable neighborhoods.
We recommend the Sculpture Guild shows, Imur Gallery, Bridge Street Gallery at Nimbus, the galleries and artist studios at 150 Bay/157A/B, and make sure you spend time at elevator Studios, Handmade Market and the popup Art Affair at McGinley Square, Space I G I NY Gallery, Dineen Gallery at HCCC, talk with artist and tattoo artist Danny Guzman who designed the beer label for 902 Brewing’s Jersey City Beer for JCAST at DGA Gallery, Smush Gallery and studios in Journal Square area, and artists’ studios along New York Avenue in the Heights. You can find tickets here
We would be remiss if we didn’t tell you the best tour is the Mural Tour by Jayne Freedman; the most imaginative are the Art and Food Tour by Lorena, focused on Westside and McGinley Square with a pop-up market, and Hop, Walk and Eat by Jersey City Culture at Journal Square and ending in the Official Exhibition at Rankin Hall; and if you really bike, we have 2 days of Bike JC tours that begin at Grove Street Path Station. You can find tickets here
Take a Taxi/Uber/Lyft, NJ Transit, or the Light Rail to Bergen-Lafayette and Greenville. It is essential to go to the opening at 2pm Official Exhibition at Bethune Center curated by Shantel Asante-Kissi and stop in at the Jersey City Book Fair, opening for the first time, go to Project Greenville, Deep Space Gallery, talk with artists in their artist studios at Project Studios, especially to see artist Mesoma Onyeabge, whose work is on the cover of the guide, and select ones near the Visual Art Gallery at Kean University (formerly NJCU), which you must stop in, as it is curated by the most thoughtful Midori Yoshimoto, open 12-5 pm on Saturday only. Lots to do, so bring your walking shoes, an artful mood, and more friends with you for both days. You can find tickets here
SUNDAY, from 12 -9 pm: LAST DAY
Like we don’t have enough going on, and if you are up early on Sunday, head to watch the Marathon. Head to see exhibitions, artist studios, and galleries; begin by picking a neighborhood as there is something to see. Head to Downtown or to intimate, neighborly Greenville, McGinley Square, or Heights. Try Origami at St Paul’s Church on Duncan or our art workshops by the Educational Arts Team across the city; see music and poetry at Third Cafe at 3Acres or Cafe Lafayette. The Artist Studio Tour, Mural, Art & Food, and Bike tours are back on Sunday, and the most interesting is the Photowalk in the Heights by Lalea Raymond, so bring your camera; it will be a visual feast to roam the neighborhood, stop in studios, and see art in cafes like Griot Cafe. And walking shoes are essential. If you are downtown, head to the waterfront to look at Sculpture Guild and public at Exchange Place. You can find tickets here
We celebrate the end of this year’s tour at 7 pm at Vanilla Skies at 333 Washington. Join us for a fun way to dance the evening off with DJ Mugen, plus light refreshments and drinks from 902 Brewing. And if you make it here, you have scaled our Jersey City 6 wards and neighborhood challenges of being a great small city that is spread out, so thank you for enjoying JCAST and CHILLTOWN.