Exit Zero Jazz Festival
- Dates
- Oct 23 to 25, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Cape May Convention Hall and venues throughout Cape May
- Price
- $240 to $257
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
Exit Zero Jazz Festival returns to Cape May, NJ, Oct 23 to 25, 2026, with Kenny Garrett Sounds from the Ancestors, Marcus Miller, Chucho Valdes, plus 13 more. Froligo tracks the confirmed lineup, current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
The Exit Zero Jazz Festival is a biannual jazz festival held each spring and fall in the historic seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey, run by the Cape May Jazz Festival Foundation. Over three days it turns the town into a walkable 'music village,' staging world-class jazz across multiple stages and venues, from Convention Hall to bars and a local high school, with an emphasis on discovery and a lineup spanning NEA Jazz Masters, Grammy winners and crowd favorites. Proceeds support the Foundation's year-round jazz-education work
What people love
Attendees highlight the strength of the music and the charm of the seaside-town format, where bands play in bars and venues throughout Cape May across the weekend, and note that the lineup tends to build as the festival goes on. Reviewers describe great music, a beautiful setting and a friendly crowd, and community ratings are strongly positive
Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find Exit Zero Jazz Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Getting there
Nearest airport ACY.
How do I get to Exit Zero Jazz Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Exit Zero Jazz Festival. The nearest major airport is ACY, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No passenger rail reaches Cape May (the local Cape May Seashore Lines is heritage/excursion only). For attendees flying into Philadelphia (PHL) instead of ACY, a realistic alternate gateway with far more flights, NJ Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line runs daily from Philadelphia 30th Street Station to Atlantic City Rail Terminal, where the free Jitney rail-terminal shuttle and the adjacent bus terminal connect to the 552 bus for the final ~2h leg to Cape May
Book / info →By bus & public transit
No intercity coach (Greyhound/FlixBus/Megabus) serves Cape May. From New York City, NJ Transit's 319 runs express from Port Authority Bus Terminal to Atlantic City (limited stops at Newark Penn and Journal Square); transfer at the AC Bus Terminal to the year-round 552 for Cape May. Summer-season 319 extensions toward the Wildwoods do not apply to this late-October festival
Book / info →No transit route serves the ACY terminal directly to Cape May, the airport's own ground-transport page lists only taxi/rideshare/car options. The practical transit chain: taxi or rideshare ~10 mi from ACY to the Atlantic City Bus Terminal, then NJ Transit's year-round route 552, which runs roughly hourly down the shore to the Cape May Welcome Center on Lafayette Street, about a 12-minute walk from Convention Hall. The 552 leg takes about 2 hours (local, ~58 stops)
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
Uber and Lyft both operate at ACY with curbside pickup outside baggage claim; a staffed taxi desk sits between baggage claim and the terminal exit. Cape May is roughly 40 road miles (about 45-55 min) south via the Garden State Parkway. Rideshare coverage in Cape May itself is reliable in-season and adequate in October, but pre-book or allow extra wait for the return leg to the airport
Book / info →Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
Cost Metered/street rates off-season are modest; Cape May street parking is free in the off-season shoulder months at many meters (verify October status). The festival itself operates no lots, its FAQ says simply 'Street parking in Cape May.' The main venue (Convention Hall, 714 Beach Avenue) sits on the beachfront promenade with metered street parking nearby; the festival spans multiple walkable in-town venues, so most attendees park once near their lodging and walk
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at ACY
Cape May is ~40 road miles from ACY with no direct transit link from the airport itself (the transit chain requires a rideshare transfer plus a ~2h local bus), car hire from ACY's on-airport counters (Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz) is the primary practical option for fly-in attendees, and street parking in town is workable in late October
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
The venue has its own page with capacity, accessibility and parking.
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Exit Zero Jazz Festival?
Hotels nearby 6
1101 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
Shuttle Hotel-operated complimentary around-town courtesy shuttle, documented on the hotel's own site ('Seasonal shuttle through Cape May'; 'Our ICONA Shuttle can drive you to local restaurants and bars in summer and on weekends during cozy season'). Fall weekends are covered, which matches this late-October festival, but it is a general courtesy loop, NOT a dedicated festival/venue route, and the hotel is comfortably walkable to Convention Hall anyway
Link coming soon501 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
Link coming soon200 Congress Pl, Cape May, NJ 08204
Link coming soon1025 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
Link coming soon1045 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
Link coming soon1317 Beach Ave, Cape May, NJ 08204
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Cape May has a deep short-term-rental stock (Victorian cottages and beach-block condos dominate). Late October is shoulder season, so availability is meaningfully better and cheaper than summer, but festival + fall-weekend demand still concentrates on the historic district and Beach Avenue blocks, expect weekend minimum-stay requirements to persist. Booking within walking distance of Convention Hall (roughly Beach Ave / historic district) removes any parking or transport concern for the whole weekend
Search Airbnb →Cape May County has a large private-campground scene (Cold Spring / Lower Township / Cape May Court House corridor, roughly 3-15 mi from the venue) with Hipcamp-listed tent, RV, and glamping options as a budget alternative to in-town hotels. Caveat for this festival's late-October dates: many Jersey Shore campgrounds close for the season in mid-to-late October, verify individual listing availability for the festival weekend before relying on this option
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Crawled exitzerojazzfestival.com on 3 Sep 2026. The organiser publishes no accessibility page and nothing on venue access, accessible seating, accessible parking, accessible toilets, companion tickets, ASL or a quiet space. This is a multi venue festival around Cape May and no individual venue access is described
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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