Food, wine and beer festivals in autumn on the coast

Are you sad that summer is coming to an end?

Lift your spirits with the thought of the food and wine festivals that are just beginning.

There are plenty of fall events happening over the next few months, from food truck festivals with home cooking to a weekend of barbecue and beer at the race track.

Here are details on the season’s biggest events at parks, wineries, breweries and downtown areas.

BBQ & Craft Beer Festival, Oceanport

For this three-day festival, a dozen food trucks will roll into the Monmouth Park racetrack, including Five Sisters Food Truck, NC Ribs on Wheels, DoBees Backyard BBQ, Good Food=Good Mood, Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats and Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House.

Admission is $6, beer samples are $15 (10 2-ounce samples), and food prices vary by vendor.

Go: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, Sunday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 2; 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport; 732-222-5100, monmouthpark.com.

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Autumn Brew by the Bay, Highlands

Nearly a dozen New Jersey breweries offer beers for tasting at this waterfront craft beer festival held at The Seafarer.

Tickets are $40 and include seven 4-ounce tastings from breweries like Carton Brewing, Bradley Brew Project, Tall Oaks Farm & Brewery, and Birdsmouth Beer, to name a few. The first 100 attendees will receive a pint of beer and a commemorative pilsner mug.

Additional tastings are available for $3 each.

Go: Saturday, Sept. 7, noon to 5 p.m.; 1 Atlantic Ave., Highlands; highlandsnj.com.

Food Trucktemberfest, Oceanport

The final food truck festival of the season at Monmouth Park Racetrack features everything from ice cream sandwiches and sausage sandwiches to gourmet spring rolls and Filipino cuisine.

Participating trucks at Food Trucktemberfest include The Baked Bear, Latin Bites, Mozzarepas, Rescue Rolls and Twelve Truck.

Horse racing and live music also take place on this day. Admission is $6 and food prices vary depending on the vendor.

Go: Saturday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 175 Oceanport Ave., Oceanport; 732-222-5100, monmouthpark.com.

Wine on the Beach, Seaside Heights

A celebration of New Jersey wine, this two-day seaside festival will feature wineries such as Valenzano, DiMatteo, Tomasello, Coda Roassa, Villari and Salem Oak.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the festival. The price includes a souvenir wine glass and wine tastings. Admission is free for non-wine tasting visitors and those under 21. The festival also features craft booths and live music.

Go: Saturday, September 7, noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 8; Grant Avenue Beach, Seaside Heights; newjerseywineevents.com.

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Taste of the Atlantic Highlands

Hop on a tram and take a tour of the Atlantic Highlands while enjoying food and drinks along the way. This festival will feature more than 25 businesses from the district offering food, drinks and cocktails.

General admission is $45, $40 for those 70 and older and military, and $15 for children.

Go: Sunday, September 8, noon to 4 p.m. Ticket holders must stop at Veterans Park on First Avenue prior to tour start; ahchamber.org.

Comfort Food Festival, Toms River

Downtown Toms River is home to restaurants serving everything from pizza and pasta to sushi and tacos, all participating in this food-themed festival.

Festival-goers can stroll up and down Washington Street and visit restaurants such as A Thyme for All Seasons, Oi Sushi and Capone’s Gourmet Pizza & Pasta. Shop at the various arts and crafts booths, check out participating food trucks and enjoy live music and dance performances.

Go: Saturday, Sept. 21, noon to 6 p.m.; Washington Street, Toms River; 732-341-8738, downtowntomsriver.com.

Festival of the Sea, Point Pleasant Beach

There are many great restaurants in downtown Point Pleasant Beach: Spano’s Ristorante Italiano, Jersey Shore BBQ, The Poached Pear, and Pop’s Corner, to name a few.

Stop by during the Festival of the Sea, which highlights local restaurants and features a beer and wine garden, live music, games, family activities and more than 200 craft vendors.

Go: Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Arnold and Bay avenues, Point Pleasant Beach; 732-899-2424, pointpleasantbeachchamber.com. Shuttle service is available at Point Pleasant Boro High School, 830 Laura Herbert Drive; at Arnold and Ocean avenues; and at Central and Ocean avenues.

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Red Bank Oktoberfest

Visit Edmund Wilson Plaza and experience this New Jersey version of the famous German festival.

Red Bank Oktoberfest features Monmouth County-brewed and distilled beer and spirits, as well as food, live music, a market and a children’s area.

Admission is free. An unlimited tasting package for those 21 and older costs $45 in advance or $55 the day of the festival. A dozen samples costs $25 in advance or $35 the day of the event.

Go: 1-5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21; 1 Bridge Ave.; 732-842-4244, redbank.org.

A Touch of Italy Food Truck Festival, Plumsted

More than a dozen food trucks will gather at Laurita Winery for this festival, including L’Acquario Seafood Italiano, La Rosa Chicken & Grill, Pasta Paradise, Ohana Food Truck, Star of the Sea Seafood and RED Pizza Express.

The festival will also feature Laurita’s wines, live music and winery tours.

Tickets cost $13 in advance or $15 on the day of the festival. Admission is free for those under 21.

Go: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22; 85 Archertown Road, New Egypt section of Plumsted; lauritawinery.com. The winery also hosts a fall food truck festival on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6, an Oktoberfest food truck festival on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20, and a Halloween food truck festival on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27.

Greek Festival, Toms River

This festival in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Barbara is now taking place for the 51st time and is a celebration of all things Greek.

An outdoor food court offers gyros, moussaka, souvlaki, pastitsio, spanakopita and Greek salad, as well as pastries such as baklava. The festival also includes a beer truck and full bar, games, live music and dancing.

Go: Friday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Sept. 28, noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 29, noon to 6 p.m.; 2200 Church Road, Toms River; 732-255-5525, saintbarbaranj.org. Shuttle service is available from Ocean County College, 1 College Drive.

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Beach Haven Chowder Cooking Contest

Formerly known as Chowderfest, an end-of-season event organized by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, this revival of the decades-old festival on Long Beach Island has new organizers and a new name.

“Although the event is brand new this year, the Beach Haven Chowder Cook-Off will recall all the popular elements of previous chowder events,” said a press release from the Hunger Foundation of Southern Ocean, which co-presents the event with the Beach Haven Chamber of Commerce. “Highlights include the return of a two-day format with a trade market on Saturday and a ticketed Clam Chowder Cook-Off on Sunday, with many local restaurants competing for the best red and white chowders.”

Admission to the Merchant Mart, which features food, wine, shopping and live music, is free. Tickets for the cooking competition, which features chowder samples from 10 local restaurants, are $30.

Go: Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Taylor and North Delaware avenues, Beach Haven; bhchowdercookoff.com.

JBJ Soul Kitchen Chili Cook-Off, Toms River

JBJ Soul Kitchen, a nonprofit community restaurant and extension of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, invites chili fans to sample and vote for their favorite dish at this ninth annual event.

The chili will be prepared by local rescue workers and the event will also feature dishes prepared by the restaurant’s chefs. Admission is $30 in advance or $40 the day of the cooking competition. Children under 12 are free.

Go: 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12; 1769 Hooper Ave.; 732-731-1414, jbjsoulkitchen.org.

Stafford Community Autumn Harvest and Wine Festival, Stafford

Nine New Jersey wines, dozens of vendors and plenty of food trucks will be showcased to the community during this two-part, two-day festival in the Manahawkin neighborhood.

Taste and purchase wines from Wagonhouse, Valenzano and Tomasello wineries and more at the Wine Festival at Stafford’s Heritage Park. Then, across the street, enjoy craft and food vendors, live music, a Halloween parade, pumpkin picking, a petting zoo, scarecrow building and a costume contest at the Fall Festival at Manahawkin Lake Park.

Admission to the Wine Festival for visitors who wish to taste wine is $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Admission is free for festival-goers who do not drink wine. Admission is free for the Fall Festival.

Go: Saturday, Oct. 12, noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 13; Heritage Park, 49 W. Bay Ave., Manahawkin Lake Park, Route 9 and North Lakeshore Drive; 609-597-1000, ext. 8573, staffordnj.gov, newjerseywineevents.com.

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Autumn taste of the Highlands

Get to know the Highlands District at this fall festival that invites foodies to visit 18 local restaurants and sample dishes and cocktails.

The tour begins at Huddy Park, where you’ll receive a map of participating restaurants. Tickets are $45 and include food and drink samples and access to the Seastreak Courtesy Shuttle, which takes participants from stop to stop.

Go: Saturday, Oct. 12, noon to 5 p.m.; Huddy Park, Bay and Waterwitch avenues; highlandsnj.com.

Sip at the Fall Wine Festival, Berkeley Township

A dozen New Jersey wineries and food trucks will be at the festival, including Villari Vineyards, The Vintner’s Wife, Station One Seafood and G’Day Gourmet. The fest will also feature craft booths and live music.

Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the festival. Admission is free for non-wine tasting visitors and those under 21.

Go: Saturday, Nov. 2, noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 3; Veterans Park, 489 Bill Zimmerman Jr Way in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township; newjerseywineevents.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing about all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], Follow us on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.