The Boonton Fire Department Labor Day Weekend Carnival returns to the Boonton High School field from Thursday, September 3 through Sunday, September 6, 2026. Four nights of rides, midway games, food tents, live music, and a fireworks finale close out the summer at 306 Lathrop Avenue in Boonton, and admission to the grounds is free.
Run entirely by the town’s all-volunteer fire department, the carnival is Boonton’s biggest end-of-summer tradition and the department’s largest fundraiser of the year. Every dollar spent on rides, food, and raffles goes back toward equipment, training, and operations for the crews who answer more than 400 calls a year.
When to go
The carnival runs rain or shine across four evenings at 306 Lathrop Avenue in Boonton:
- Thursday, September 3: 6 to 11 p.m., opening night with live music and a 50/50 raffle
- Friday, September 4: 6 to 11 p.m., second night
- Saturday, September 5: parade at 1:30 p.m., grounds open 3:30 p.m., trophy presentation 5:30 p.m., close 11 p.m.
- Sunday, September 6: 3 to 11 p.m., fireworks finale and the Super 50/50 drawing
Admission is free, with rides, games, and food sold on the grounds. Free public parking is nearby, and ADA-accessible parking and seating are available. ASL interpretation can be arranged on request.
The 135th anniversary Labor Day parade
Saturday belongs to the parade. The Boonton Fire Department has marched its Labor Day inspection and parade for nearly 90 years, and 2026 marks the department’s 135th anniversary since it was founded in 1891. Fire companies, ladies auxiliaries, bands, drum corps, and antique apparatus from across the region are invited to march.
The parade steps off at 1:30 p.m. sharp on Saturday, September 5, with a rain date of Monday, September 7. It runs down Main Street to Grant Street, then onto Old Boonton Road, ending at the high school field. Apparatus judging happens earlier in the day near the Walmart lot. Spectators are welcome all along the route, so line up early to catch the color guards, marching units, and antique trucks. Companies that want to march can sign up through the department’s parade entry form.
Rides, games, and food
The midway comes from Blue Sky Amusements, with thrill rides for older kids and adults, gentler family and kiddie rides, and classic games of skill and chance. Ride and game pricing is posted closer to the event.
Volunteers staff several food tents all weekend. The pizza tent serves slices and pies plus zeppole, funnel cakes, and deep fried Oreos. The seafood tent has clam chowder, steamers, and corn on the cob. The main food tent runs the grill with hot dogs, chili dogs, chili cheese fries, sausage and peppers, and hot wings, and there is a tent for cocktails. A Super 50/50 raffle runs all four days and is drawn on the final night.
Plan the whole holiday weekend
The fireworks cap things off on Sunday, September 6, and a night at the carnival doubles as a way to support the volunteers who serve Boonton year round. Full details and updates are on the fire department’s carnival page.
Making a long weekend of it? The largest carnival in Morris County wraps up in Dover the weekend before, from August 26 to 30, and Riverdale’s Labor Day Street Fair takes over the Newark Pompton Turnpike on Monday, September 7.
Advertise With Us and Stay in the Loop
Want to reach more than 140,000 Morris County locals every month? Advertise with Shop Morris County and put your business in front of the people already searching for things to do, places to eat, and local shops. And to get events like these delivered to your inbox every week, subscribe to our free newsletter at ShopMorrisCounty.com.
