Bradley Beach Lobsterfest Celebrates 5 year Anniversary

ASBURY PARK, NJ, May 19, 2013 (Press-News.org) On Sunday July 26, 2009, the drizzle had vanished and the sun was starting to gleam through the massive shade trees as Riley Park was buzzing with locals enjoying the inaugural Bradley Beach Lobsterfest. A brainchild of the late Steve Howe, who served on the board of the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2009, Lobsterfest has developed into one of the most prominent seafood festivals on the Jersey Shore. As the popularity of the festival grew, the planning committee anticipated crowds larger than Riley Park could handle, and in 2010 elected to move the event to the Ocean Avenue promenade. The decision turned out to be genius as the attendance numbers more than doubled to almost 10,000. In spring of 2011, during preliminary meetings between the Chamber, Borough and production team, it was deemed necessary to add a second day to accommodate the increasing crowds. Over the course of five years, with a tremendous amount of help from all departments within the Borough and the community, Lobsterfest has grown ten-fold from 2,500 local guests to over 25,000 tourists from the tri-state area and beyond.

The annual Lobsterfest, scheduled this summer on July 13 & 14, is the largest yearly fundraiser produced by the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce. "We would like to thank the Chamber board members and directors, both past and present for their dedication to Bradley Beach and their commitment to growing Lobsterfest into a marquee summertime festival," said 2013 Chamber president, Brenda Connolly of the Connolly Agency. Brenda has been involved in the festival since moving her real-estate office to the area in 2011 and is eager to continue the Lobsterfest traditions of local fresh seafood, the best mix of Jersey Shore musicians, and a vast array of artisans and craft vendors which all cultivate into an entertaining fun experience for the entire family.

The Chamber is pulling out all the stops this year, "We are currently working with designers on a collectable anniversary edition T-Shirt" said Shirley Ayres, Executive Director of the Chamber. The Chamber is working very hard to relocate their office to street level to better serve the needs of its members and business community, the overall success of Lobsterfest is an important element in that transition.

The Passion Group has been involved in the event since its inception, and is once again handling the festival production for the Chamber. For sponsorship or vendor inquiries, you can either stop by their downtown Asbury Park office or call 732-897-1111.