During the last week of April, the small town of Lambertville, N.J., hosts the annual Shad Festival. This year, April 30–May 1, the festival celebrates the migration of the American shad fish each spring. The shad swim from the Atlantic Ocean to the Delaware River, an event known as the “shad run.” This festival began in the early 1980s and is still going strong today, now with activities weeks before the event, like the popular Shad 5k Run. For three days, main roads in Lambertville are closed and filled with people, vendors, food, crafts, art, bouncy castles, shopping and more. The festival is about much more than shad and has taken on a life of its own. Beer gardens, face painting, live music, games and activities for kids and adults fill up the town. Some food vendors are known to sell shad, like Bell’s Tavern’s famous shrimp and shad fritters and crab cake sandwiches, or Hamilton Grill Room’s shad roe, but the menus can change and adapt yearly, so there’s no telling what you’ll find. There is so much to do for anyone traveling nearby. Lambertville is an artistic and creative town full of unique oddities to check out. The festival begins in the afternoon and ends in the early evening, so tourists tend to stay later and check out the rest of what Lambertville offers. — Angelique Platas, assistant sales and marketing coordinator