Downtown Denville

Events

Downtown Denville After Dark 2023

Recapping the Fun-Filled Denville After Dark Summer Events in Downtown Denville!

A summer to remember in Downtown Denville. Denville’s After Dark events, which took place on July 28th and August 18th, turned the heart of Downtown Denville into a vibrant hub of excitement and entertainment.

From 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM on these special nights, Broadway, the main street of Downtown Denville underwent a remarkable transformation, offering an array of attractions to keep everyone delighted. From family-friendly activities to an inviting outdoor bar, live music that sets the perfect mood, and shops extending their hours, Denville After Dark had it all.

July 28th: A Sizzling Success

The July 28th event was an absolute hit, drawing crowds to a captivating hot dog eating contest that featured hotdogs generously provided by the beloved local business, Denville Dog. Children reveled in the refreshing water features, while the daring had a blast dunking their friendly neighborhood dentists at the Denville Dental Group dunk tank. And that’s not all – Downtown Denville BID also hosted an exciting tricky tray and raffle, which showcased fantastic prizes from various local Downtown Denville establishments.

August 18th: A Cool Night of Competition

Mother Nature graced us with a perfectly crisp and cool summer evening on Friday, August 18th. The highlight of the night was the thrilling pickleball tournament, made possible through Lakeland Hills YMCA. It was a fantastic opportunity for residents and visitors alike to engage in friendly competition and showcase their pickleball prowess.

Both events featured the lively ambiance of an outdoor mobile bar, Jack and Julep, serving up refreshing drinks that perfectly complemented the summer atmosphere. The crowd was kept grooving all evening by the dynamic performances of the live band, Lurker Park. A heartfelt shoutout goes to our generous sponsors, including Lakeland Hills YMCA, Sheeran Real Estate, Peer Hyatt Selling Team, Denville Dental Group, Hunan Taste, Lakeland Bank, Norman Dean, and Evolve Med Spa. Without their invaluable support, these events wouldn’t have been possible.

Downtown Denville: Where A Community Comes Together

At Downtown Denville, our commitment to supporting local businesses and fostering a strong sense of community shines through events like Denville After Dark. We wholeheartedly encourage you to join us in celebrating all that Downtown Denville has to offer. Explore our charming local stores, savor the culinary delights at our exceptional restaurants, and be sure to share the word about what makes Downtown Denville one of the finest downtown shopping districts in New Jersey.

Denville After Dark isn’t just an event; it’s a testament to the spirit of togetherness that defines our community. We eagerly anticipate more incredible moments, more laughter, and more memories in the times to come. Stay connected with us to be in the loop for future events and keep the Downtown Denville spirit alive!

Downtown Denville: Your Holiday Destination

We’ve got all the holiday activities to make your holiday shopping experience magical !

HOLIDAY SHOPPING OPEN HOUSE ON ICE

Location: Downtown Denville

Date: Friday November 26th, 5:30-9 pm

Broadway will be closed to traffic so you can walk throughout much of downtown and enjoy shopping and holiday activities. We’ll have an ice skating rink right in the middle of Broadway, an outside Holiday Bar, Make-Your-Own-Stockings, Holiday Photo Booth, Winter Carolers, Characters, S’mores stations and more. Plus lots of store and restaurant specials. You don’t want to miss this one.

Holiday Shopping Open House Nov 26th, 5:30pm

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Location: Downtown Denville

Date: Saturday November 27th, All Day

Downtown Denville will heavily support Small Business Saturday and is encouraging everyone in the area to SHOP SMALL!    In addition, Downtown Denville is hosting Holiday Carolers from Morris Hills as they roam the downtown sidewalks from 3-5pm.

Butter and Velvet encouraging you to Shop Small !

ROTARY SANTA LAND TREE LIGHTING

Location: Santa Land, Clark Street, Denville NJ (By the Post Office)

Date: Saturday, November 27th, 6pm

Just across the street from Downtown Denville’s center is Rotary Santa Land, a small area of holiday decor, a few small village buildings with displays, and Santa’s local workshop.  While Santa does not officially cozy into his Denville location until Sunday Nov 28th, the local residents celebrate by lighting his Christmas Tree the night before. This is often accompanied by random Christmas Caroling done by attendees that gather shortly after 6:30pm.

DENVILLE HOLIDAY PARADE

Location: Downtown Denville

Date: Sunday, November 28th, 2-5pm

The holiday parade comes marching into Denville to celebrate the arrival of Santa, who naturally arrives on Denville’s oldest firetruck, Old Betsy. The parade features a great line-up including the Denville String Band, Denville Shriner cars, a sheep herder and his sheep, Holiday floats that are themed by classic holiday stories, books, and art, and so much more. This year’s Parade Marshals are the First Responders who put their lives on the line to help during Covid.

Santa arrives in Denville, NJ

MENORAH LIGHTING

Location: Outside Denville Town Hall, Denville NJ

Date: Tuesday, November 30th, 5pm

Just outside our downtown corridor at Denville Township Administrative Building (1 St. Mary’s Place) the long-standing tradition brings many people from the surrounding area to celebrate.  Chabad Jewish Center of Mountain Lakes, Denville and Boonton has hosted a menorah lighting for several years.

Menorah
Photo Credit: Josh Applegate

WINTER FARMER’S MARKET

Date: Dec. 5th, Dec. 12th, Dec. 19th at 1pm

Our Farmer’s Market (Winter Edition) still takes place every Sunday in the Bloomfield Parking lot on Bloomfieild Avenue. Come shops great local vendors, farmers and more. There is live music, great shopping and holiday cheer. See them for more info

Denville Farmer’s Market (Holiday Edition)

HOLIDAY CAROLERS

Location: Downtown Denville

Date: Dec 4th, 11-1pm (Village Carolers), Dec. 11th, 3-5pm (Morris Hills Carolers), Dec. 18th, 11am-1pm (Village Carolers)

We’ll have holiday carolers every weekend in Downtown Denville. We are your Holiday Destination and make sure to do all your holiday shopping along our beautifully decorated streets and sidewalks while the Carolers serenade you.

Holiday Carolers
Photo Credit: David Beale

AND MORE…

And as always, the holiday music will be playing throughout downtown Denville’s state of the art speaker system, as well as beautifully decorated streetscapes and stores (they hold a contest for the best decorated store window), the beauty of a winter Rockaway River and more making Downtown Denville a destination for the holidays.

For more information about Downtown Denville’s stellar Holiday Events / Activities, stay tuned to downtowndenville.com or follow our social media channels @downtowndenville on Facebook and @dwtndenville on Instagram and Twitter.

Spread the cheer! Take photos or post about your great holiday experiences downtown using the hashtag #downtowndenville all season long!

Happy Birthday, Denville!

IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY! On April 14th, Denville turns 108 birthday, and we’re kicking off a Spirit Week of sorts to celebrate! Join us as we highlight different types of businesses each day with the themes noted above and come along to ReDiscover Denville and celebrate our community.

With many restaurants, retail, and service-related businesses right downtown, you can easily find what you need without ever leaving the area. Be sure to follow along on our social media channels (Instagram and Facebook) as we highlight different themes each day and make our way around town.

Joining in the fun? Tag #DowntownDenville – we want to see everyone enjoying our downtown area and would love to share your photos and stories with our audience as well.

See you around town!

Mark Your Calendars: Pink Witches Night Out on 10/22

This year, Pink Witches Night Out, like many events during a pandemic, has been a bit reimagined. This is the eighth year of the popular event that brings visitors downtown to celebrate breast cancer survivors, and raise money for the Cancer Hope Network. For the first time ever, the downtown district will have a few streets closed for the evening event. Broadway, Center Street, and First Avenue will be closed to allow for ample space for the many attendees to shop, eat, and mingle safely.

Also new this year will be a live band on Broadway, a wine garden from Thatchers on Center Street, and s’mores fire pits. Returning will be the photo booth, vendors, and, of course, the very popular swag bag.

You can pre-register at Pink Witches Night to guarantee you’ll get a swag bag, and find additional details there as well. Make plans to attend this very fun, very worthy evening next month with us!

This event is sponsored by Saint Clare’s Health, and one of many events we hold during the year to bring the community together. If you would like to donate to future events and help us continue to help our downtown businesses, you can find details on our Relief Fund right here.

Denville After Dark – The Finale

Denville After Dark was created to continue to support our downtown community through the pandemic, while keeping our residents and visitors safe. Streets are closed to allow for extra space while mingling, shopping, and eating, and to focus on bringing people together in a low key way. Live music, a caricature artist, and other happenings create a fun vibe that our charming downtown is known for. And tonight is the last one for 2020!

Join us for one more night of community fun. The Fall weather is perfect for celebrating outdoors, we have two new bands (Almost Autumn and Maggie Pietrucha Live) and Denville Sunrise Rotary will be on hand for last minute duck purchases for their virtual races.

Broadway, Center Street, and a portion of First Avenue will be closed to allow for extra space, but there is plenty of parking available in the First Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue parking lots, and along Diamond Spring Road, Main Street, Bloomfield Avenue, and more.

These events are not possible without the generous donations from our sponsors (Saint Francis Residential Community, Denville Strong, Hunan Taste, Duphiney Financial Network, The Peer Hyatt Selling Team, Brad Resnick Photography, Gateway to the Arts, and The Sheeran Real Estate Group), and the tireless efforts of our Board of Directors, volunteers, and staff.

See you tonight!

*Want to help our community to continue to have more events like this? Our businesses need you – donate to our Relief Fund right here.