Ventnor City · Labor Day 2026
Family, fun, and the finale of summer. Ventnor outdid itself with a three-day Ski Beach bash for the ages — and for a first-year festival, that’s saying something.
The City of Ventnor has been nailing the party scene since the 19th century, and never more so than in recent years. Now, thanks to the Ventnor Business Association and Ventnor City Special Events, along with our local leaders, people are once again recognizing that Ventnor is the best kept secret on Atlantic City’s border for wholesome entertainment, sultry soirees, and down home shindigs.
When one wants to get a stone’s throw from the grind of AC while still enjoying its charm in a cleaner, calmer, quieter fashion, Ventnor is the place to go. Our residents and our new-to-be neighbors are again granted a safe and secure setting, just as celebratory as the bright lights next door — our way.
Did You Know?
Even before the city’s incorporation in 1903, the marshy land we call home — land most travelers only passed through by train between AC and South Atlantic City, now Margate — was already a well-regarded region for community get-togethers. Just look at the original Carisbrooke Inn, an oceanfront hotel opened in 1891 in today’s North Beach neighborhood, which served as a social center for seasonal bashes, political receptions, and all-night blowouts.
A Bayside Send-Off
This past Labor Day weekend, more locals and tourists than ever packed the Ski Beach bayside park in Ventnor Heights for three straight days — Friday through Sunday — to celebrate Labor Day 2026 with food and drink trucks, kids games, and the live music stylings of renowned homegrown band The Usual Suspects. This family-fueled festival capped a supreme summer of sea-soaked sunshine, elevated farmers markets, and lively public events. If you were there, you know what we’re talking about. For those who missed it, we’ll have a beach chair for you next time. All are welcome.
Who Fed the Crowd
A full lineup of food trucks lined the bayside park all weekend long, including VBA members Las Olas, Di’s Dogs and Burgers, and Nucky’s.
Every one of them is a neighbor, and most of them are open year-round. Find them, follow them, and go spend a dollar with them in February when the boardwalk is quiet.
Thank You
Thanks to host Deana Bonafiglia Ruiz; Jackie Fox, President of the Ventnor Business Association; Donna Peterson, who runs special events; Mayor Tim Kriebel; and Commissioners Maria Mento and Lance Landgraf. With the support of Ventnor City Special Events and the VBA — strong in hand with all of their mercantile affiliates — this Labor Day Food Truck Festival punctuated the end of summer with a firework bang appropriate only for our special seaside community. It also closed out the season for Ski Beach’s Sunset Concert Series, voted Best of the Press Gold Medal concert venue three years running — 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Many folks go to Margate to show off shiny shoes. Many go to Atlantic City to dirty them up. In Ventnor, we take the shoes off and dance in the sand. This is a tight beach community in the midst of the greatest growth spurt in its illustrious history. We work hard, we play hard, we chill hard. Relax, enjoy, and act accordingly. Trust us, you’ll love it. If you don’t know, now you know, neighbor.
Thank you to all of you who enjoy how we live, for another successful season. We can’t wait to party with you this fall, winter, and spring for even more fun, food, and forever friends in the timeless celebratory city of Ventnor.
Finally, the train stops here.
-Michael DeLuca and Tom Sykes.
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