The outdoor ParkStage concert series will debut in Freehold, next year.
No bookings have been confirmed yet. But The Count Basie Center for the Arts and Monmouth County Tourism will team up, in the summer of 2026, to present a concert series at The East Freehold Park Fairgrounds in Freehold.
ParkStage will be “a large-scale, open-air performance venue” and “a marquee destination for live entertainment in New Jersey, drawing thousands of attendees to a variety of shows including music, comedy and more,” according to a press release.
Next year will mark both the 100th anniversary of the Basie Center (opened as The Carlton Theater in 1926) as well as the country’s 250th anniversary. ParkStage is a way “to commemorate those milestones,” said Adam Philipson, president and CEO of the Basie Center, at a June 30 press conference. “This venue will welcome thousands of people, next summer, to experience joy, connection, and unforgettable performances, right here in Monmouth County.”
“This is game-changing for tourism” in Monmouth County, said Thomas A. Arnone, director of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, at the press conference.
Later, said Arnone, “The arts are a huge, huge component of the success of Monmouth County … it’s another economic engine to the success of the county.”
The East Freehold Park Fairgrounds has hosted the annual Monmouth County Fair for many years.
For information and updates on the concert series, visit thebasie.org/parkstage.
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