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We Start Here and Make the Road New Jersey Present Stories Without Borders

TUE, MAY 26, 2026 at 7PM

This night features personal narratives of resilience, belonging and hope all shared from the stage. Proceeds benefit Make the Road New Jersey, supporting immigrant rights advocacy and legal aid. More than a fundraiser, it's a night to listen, reflect and honor the richness immigrants bring to our shared lives. Cocktail reception after event for all attendees, and a post-show Q&A with the storytellers for VIP ticket holders.

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West Orange High School & SOPAC Present WOHS AileyDance Kids Residency Finale

WED, MAY 27, 2026 at 7PM

Celebrate the next generation of dancers at the West Orange High School AileyDance Kids Residency Finale! Through a special partnership with SOPAC, these students have trained under an Ailey Teaching Artist, exploring the expressive movement of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This performance is a culmination of their journey, showcasing ensemble works and choreography inspired by Ailey’s legacy. Join us for an evening of passion, creativity, and dance!

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Low Cut Connie

THUR, MAY 28, 2026 at 7:30PM

With sweat, soul, and zero shame, Low Cut Connie delivers a wild, gritty love letter to rock & roll and all its beautiful outsiders. Led by Adam Weiner, the band’s live shows are cathartic, inclusive, and unforgettable—a joyous explosion of sound, freedom, and fearless self-expression.

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The Machine Performs Pink Floyd

FRI, MAY 29, 2026 at 7:30PM

The Machine is a premier Pink Floyd tribute band with a 30-year legacy of stunningly authentic performances. Known for deep sets, immersive theatrical shows, and collaborations with symphony orchestras, they faithfully recreate Pink Floyd’s music and vibe for loyal fans worldwide.

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Momentum Dance Academy Presents Momentum in Motion II

SAT, MAY 30 at 11AM & 3PM, SUN May 31, 2026 at 12PM

This milestone event marks an exciting moment for Momentum dancers. In their annual recital, they take the stage to showcase their passion, dedication, and artistic growth. Let the music play, the dancers shine, and the momentum continue!

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Direct From Sweden The Music of ABBA

FRI, JUN 5, 2026 at 7:30PM

Direct from Sweden: The Music of ABBA is the ultimate live tribute to the legendary pop group—featuring stunning vocals, dazzling costumes, and every timeless hit performed 100% live. Get ready to dance, sing, and relive the golden age of Dancing Queen, Waterloo, and Mamma Mia!

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Shiamak Davar International USA Inc. Presents SHIAMAK Summer Funk 2026

SUN, JUN 7, 2026 at 5:30PM

Summer Funk™ is where dancers ages 4 to 84 learn their favorite styles, design costumes, and take the stage. Students build confidence, discipline, and teamwork while gaining real performance experience in a professional environment. Have Feet. Will Dance.

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Gala 20 Featuring Max Weinberg’s Jukebox

June 12, 2026

Join us to celebrate SOPAC’s 20th Anniversary on Friday, June 12 as we honor two decades of extraordinary performing and visual arts right in the heart of downtown South Orange. We’re throwing open the doors and activating the entire building into one lively and unforgettable party that salutes our past, energizes our present, and sets the stage for the future.

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Zawadi African Dance & Drum, Inc Presents 32nd Annual Spring Concert

SAT, JUN 13, 2026 at 6:00PM

Join us for an immersive celebration of West African dance traditions, performed by youth, teens, adults, and live musicians. This multi-generational concert features authentic choreography, honoring old cultural expression that continues to ed-u-tain our communities.

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Ady Art Center Presents There’s A Place For Us

SUN, JUN 14, 2026 at 6PM

Ady Arts Center is a pre-professional studio located in Livingston, New Jersey, established by Ady Zeng. Ady Art Center students actively dance for their communities, through both local events and in national competitions, consistently being recognized for their top tier training and culturally rooted performances. This recital reflects Ady Art Center’s mission through hard work, dedication, and teamwork as they celebrate ten years of inspiring a passion for the arts in young artists.

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Luis Figueroa
Co-presented with NJPAC Productions

FRI, JUN 19, 2026 at 8PM

Luis Figueroa is a multi-nominated Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY Puerto Rican American singer-songwriter hailed as the “new voice of salsa,” blending modern production with classic tropical soul. With chart-topping hits, acclaimed albums, and a dynamic live show, he’s redefining salsa for a new generation.

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Kevin McLaughlin/Renaissance Productions Presents Riot: From Rebellion to Redemption A Documentary film about Newark

SAT, JUN 20, 2026 at 7:30PM

The first public screening of the documentary film Riot: From Rebellion to Redemption since the film premiered on PBS stations earlier this year. The film takes a hard look at the causes and effects of the Newark Riot/Rebellion of 1967. This screening will present the Director's Cut, featuring an additional 23 minutes of fascinating material not included in the broadcast version, followed by a Q&A with the film's director, Kevin McLaughlin, and Michelle Miller, renowned journalist and winner of multiple Emmys and the Edward R. Murrow Award.

South Orange Summer Nights Essex Funk Soul Collective Presented by SOPAC & South Orange Village
Free concert at Floods Hill in Meadowlands Park

WED, JUL 1, 2026 at 7:30PM

Essex Funk Collective brings their irresistible blend of funk, soul, and R&B to SOPAC and Floods Hill for a free community night out. Expect classic hits, modern favorites, and the kind of homegrown energy that only comes from a band with deep roots and a packed dance floor wherever they play.

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South Orange Summer Nights Forget The Whale Presented by SOPAC & South Orange Village
Free concert at Floods Hill in Meadowlands Park

WED, JUL 8, 2026 at 7:30PM

Forget the Whale is a Jersey City pop and rock septet fronted by powerhouse female vocals and fueled by a bold brass section. Their original, genre-bending songs are catchy, danceable, and built to love.

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South Orange Summer Nights Water Towers Presented by SOPAC & South Orange Village
Free concert at Floods Hill in Meadowlands Park

WED, JUL 15, 2026 at 7:30PM

Gather your friends and family for an evening with Water Towers, SOMA’s premier Indie Rock cover band, live at Floods Hill. With a repertoire spanning Rock, Soul, and Pop tunes, their vibrant performances feature driving grooves, sweet solos, and stunning vocal harmonies that appeal to audiences of all ages.

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Stewart Copeland Have I Said Too Much?

THU, JUL 16, 2026 at 7:30PM

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stewart Copeland, legendary drummer of The Police, comes to town with Have I Said Too Much – The Police, Hollywood, and Other Adventures, a spoken-word evening of stories, photos, videos, and Q&A tracing his journey from chart-topping rock star to acclaimed composer and creative maverick.

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South Orange Summer Nights The Brooklyners Presented by SOPAC & South Orange Village
Free concert at Floods Hill in Meadowlands Park

WED, JUL 22, 2026 at 7:30PM

The Brooklyners are a six-piece NYC reggae band blending Jamaican standards, French classics, and original conscious music into a rich, multicultural sound rooted in the diversity of Brooklyn itself. They bring the kind of warmth, groove, and good energy that makes every performance feel like a party.

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Ladies of Laughter

THU, JUL 23, 2026 at 7:30PM

The Ladies of Laughter brings the best talent from their renowned national competition to SOPAC for an unforgettable evening of comedy. The program has grown into a powerful platform known as “The Careerbuilder for Women in Comedy.” With a star-studded alumni roster that includes Amy Schumer, Tammy Pescatelli, and Melissa Rauch.

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South Orange Summer Nights Workingmans Jed Presented by SOPAC & South Orange Village
Free concert at Floods Hill in Meadowlands Park

WED, JUL 29, 2026 at 7:30PM

The members of Workingman's Jed share a deep love for the Grateful Dead's timeless catalog, the songs, the jams, and the beautiful multi-part vocal harmonies that made the Dead like no one else. They design unique set lists for every show, weave songs together in original ways, and feed off the energy in the room to create performances that are familiar, yet always something new.

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Cyrille Aimée Quartet

THU, SEP 10, 2026 at 7:30PM

Cyrille Aimée is a GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist whose multilingual, multicultural upbringing infuses her music with a warmth and range that is entirely her own. She blends jazz sophistication, Caribbean rhythm, and pop accessibility into something intimate, alive, and impossible to categorize.

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Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East

FRI, SEP 18, 2026 at 7:30PM

Composer, drummer, and dhol virtuoso Sunny Jain brings his acclaimed five-piece band Wild Wild East to SOPAC for a genre-defying journey through Bollywood, Punjabi folk, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Fresh off a viral NPR Tiny Desk Concert and tours of The Kennedy Center and Monterey Jazz Festival, Jain weaves his family's immigration story into music that is both deeply personal and electrifyingly alive.

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Darlingside

FRI, SEP 25, 2026 at 7:30PM

Darlingside is a Boston-based folk-pop quartet praised by NPR, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker for their exquisitely arranged harmonies and literary songwriting. Their acclaimed album Everything Is Alive weaves together baroque folk, orchestral richness, and deeply personal storytelling, and their live performances are exactly the kind of rare, transportive experience that reminds you why live music matters.

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Willie Nile

SAT, SEP 26, 2026 at 7:30PM

Praised by The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, the BBC, and Bono, rock legend Willie Nile is one of America's most celebrated and criminally underrated singer-songwriters. Known for electrifying live shows and a catalog steeped in the grit, heart, and poetry of American rock, an evening with Willie Nile is as good as it gets.

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Friends of The Brothers A Celebration of the Allman Brothers Band

FRI, OCT 2, 2026 at 7:30PM

Friends of the Brothers is the closest thing to a living continuation of the Allman Brothers Band, featuring musicians with deep personal ties to the original group. They bring the full depth, spirit, and improvisational fire of the ABB catalog to every stage they play.

The Blind Boys of Alabama

Blind Boys of Alabama A Tribute to Stevie Wonder’s
Songs In The Key of Life

THU, OCT 15, 2026 at 7:30PM

The Blind Boys of Alabama celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the classic Stevie Wonder album & More! Six-time GRAMMY winners and Lifetime Achievement honorees with a career spanning more than 70 years, Blind Boys of Alabama remain one of the most powerful live acts in American music. From the Jim Crow South to the world's greatest stages, their gospel rooted sound has always crossed every boundary it encounters, and a night with them is as close to a transcendent experience as a concert can get.

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Martin Sexton Live Wide Open Tour

FRI, DEC 11, 2026 at 7:30PM

Martin Sexton brings his soul-marinated voice, acoustic guitar, and legendary live show to SOPAC in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Live Wide Open, his critically acclaimed double vinyl live album. Praised by Billboard, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and John Mayer himself, Sexton is the rare performer who makes every show feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.