Benefit Concert and Festival in Honor of the USS New Jersey Submarine at Princeton Airport

Posted June 1, 2022

SubFest, a benefit concert for the crew of the first submarine to be named for New Jersey, comes ashore with live music, rides, vendors, food, and more at the Princeton Airport on Route 206 in Montgomery Township, on Saturday, June 18, from 2 pm to 7 pm.

SubFest is a benefit concert raising money for the USS NJ Commissioning Committee. All proceeds from SubFest will be put towards quality-of-life improvements for the submarine crew, scholarships for their children, and commissioning festivities.

Headlining the event is Slippery When Wet, the Ultimate Bon Jovi cover band. Slippery When Wet gained notoriety as a cover band after competing in and winning the E! network’s reality TV show, Clash of the Cover Bands. Their performance will follow local, folk rock musician James Popik.

Food and drink will be provided by Beniamino’s Cucina, Empanada Guy, Peaches and Ice Cream, and Your Sister’s Balls, an Italian-themed truck specializing in ball-shaped foods. Beer, wine, and sangria will be served courtesy of the Tiger’s Tale restaurant.

Also included in the event are free rides on a mechanical rodeo shark and a 25-foot rock climbing wall. Helicopter rides will be available for an additional fee. A dunk tank will feature prominent members in the Montgomery community available for dunking.

“It’s really about bringing life to the community,” said Norman Silverstein, publisher of The Montgomery News, the primary sponsor behind SubFest, “We want Montgomery to have a pulse and when I heard about the USS NJ, I knew it was the perfect, patriotic cause to bring the town together.”

Tickets for SubFest are on sale now and can be purchased online. Standard tickets are $30, youth tickets (under 12 years old) are $10, and children under 5 are free.

Learn more about The Unknown History of Submarines in NJ.