The annual Halsey Festival in downtown Newark's historic Halsey Street district attracts hundreds with activations, a vibrant market, and lively mainstage, providing a unique opportunity for a diverse mix of attendees to experience the neighborhood firsthand with food options, programming, and special performances.

Founded in 2017, Afrobeat Fest is Newark's largest annual family festival, celebrating African diaspora culture with over 10,000 attendees, 300 vendors, and a vibrant array of art, food, fashion, music, and cultural activities.

For the past 18 years, Newark Pride Festival has been a cornerstone in promoting LGBTQ+ awareness, visibility, and participation through its week-long events, including a Pride Flag Raising Ceremony, a Parade down Broad Street, and Newark Pride in the Park, attracting nearly 5,000 participants to the Downtown Business District and fostering year-round community collaboration with organizations like NJCRI's Project WOW Youth Center and the City of Newark's LGBTQ Commission.

The annual Lincoln Park Music Festival (LPMF) stands as the largest music experience rooted in the African American and Afro Caribbean diaspora traditions in the tri-state region, attracting an international audience of 50,000-60,000 attendees over a full season, featuring diverse genres like Gospel, Jazz, House, Hip-Hop, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Kompa, and Latinx/Hispanic diaspora, while also incorporating elements of public art, film, tech, and music business education.

The Newark Arts Festival, a free four-day celebration occurring annually in October across all five wards of Newark, showcases the creations of 200-500 local artists through visual and performing arts activations, drawing artists, collectors, and creatives to the city with dynamic offerings led by local and national curators, including pop-up installations, performances, poetry, film events, and panels.

The annual Newark Winter Village, initiated in February 2021 in response to the pandemic, turns downtown Newark into a winter wonderland with outdoor recreation, a marketplace, curbside eats, ice skating, and special events, attracting nearly 9,000 guests over 57 operating days and reflecting Newark's dedication to community programming and downtown assets.

Established in April 2021, the Newark City Parks Foundation (NCPF) is a public-private partnership committed to managing, maintaining, and programming Newark's downtown parks, including Harriet Tubman Square, Lincoln Park, Military Park, Mulberry Commons, and Riverfront Park, collaborating with the City of Newark and local stakeholders to offer over 200 annual programs in arts, culture, health, wellness, on-water activities, and environmental education, attracting 30,000+ visitors annually.