Beachwood Recreation will show its last movie of 2026 on Saturday, October 17, on Beachwood Beach, at the end of the borough's annual Harvest Festival. That night ends Beachwood's outdoor event calendar for the year. Every event after it, from a Halloween craft table at the library to the Holiday Tree Lighting on November 29, is held indoors or at Borough Hall on Pinewald Road.
The river itself keeps going for a while after that. Below are the next two weeks, then how the waterfront runs into November.
Two Movie Nights, Eight Days Apart
The fall's outdoor schedule starts with a park movie. Beachwood Recreation Committee's Movies in the Park shows "Toy Story 5" on Friday, October 9, starting at 6:00 PM at 518 Bayside Ave. That address is Mayo Park, also the home field of Beachwood Pine Beach Little League. The screening is rain or shine. If the weather turns, it moves inside to the Mayo Park Center.
Eight days later the screen moves to the water. The borough's festival listing places the October 17 movie at Beachwood Beach on Compass Ave., on the Toms River at sunset, with fire pits.
What's Scheduled for October 17
The Beachwood Harvest Festival runs from 5:00 to 9:00 PM. Here is how the borough describes it:
"Come down to the beach where you will feel that crisp autumn air at sunset, pick a pumpkin at our pumpkin patch, feast on fantastic food trucks, have the kids play on inflatables, and cozy up around our fire pits. Stay for our always spooky costume contest and wrap up the evening with our final movie of 2026!"
The companion listing has the details for the movie:
- Title: "How to Train Your Dragon," the 2025 version
- Start time: 7:00 PM, which leaves about two hours of festival before the screening
- Weather: rain or shine
- Presented by: Beachwood Recreation Committee
Last year's festival gives you a baseline. In 2025 it fell on Saturday, October 18, also starting at 5:00 PM. Patch's listing for it included food, beer, fire pits, a pumpkin patch, face painting, a costume contest, and a showing of "Snow White." This year has the same basic format on almost the same weekend. The 2026 listing adds inflatables and doesn't mention face painting or beer. If either matters to your family, check with Beachwood Recreation before you go.
The costume contest is the only Halloween event on the borough's own fall calendar this year. We didn't find a separate borough trick-or-treat or trunk-or-treat listing for 2026. If your kids want to wear a costume somewhere official this month, this is the night.
The River Stays in Use After the Festival Ends
The movie ends the borough's events at the beach. It doesn't close the riverfront.
The borough code defines the public bathing area along the Toms River as the stretch between Clubhouse Road, Lookout Street, and Beachwood Boulevard. That area includes the beach, designated parking, boardwalks, and playgrounds. The code also lists fishing and crabbing T-docks at two spots, the beach and the marina. The bathing area operates from dawn to dusk. The code sets a $10 recreation badge for bathing, fishing, or crabbing, the same price for residents and nonresidents, and children under 12 don't pay. Seasonal vehicle permits for the area cost $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents. If you plan to fish off a T-dock this fall, read the borough code or call Borough Hall first. The code sets the fees but doesn't say how they're enforced in the off-season.
A short walk east on Compass Avenue is the borough's working waterfront. The Riverfront Marina has running water and a boat-launch ramp for residents only. Residents get first priority on slip rentals, and nonresidents are offered slips only if the resident waiting list runs out. The municipal ramp is on the east side of Compass Avenue next to the Community Center, and launch permits are limited to Beachwood residents.
The date to note is November 15. Parking next to the Compass Avenue ramp requires a permit. The marked area on the north side is reserved for boat-trailer parking from April 1 through November 15. That trailer season runs four weeks past the Harvest Festival. Boats will still be going in and out of the river from Compass Avenue for most of a month after the festival's pumpkins are gone.
Beachwood Yacht Club is also on that street, at 145 Compass Ave. The club says its purpose is promoting sailing and friendship for youths and adults on the Toms River.
The marina is also due for work. Bond Ordinance No. 2026-16, finally adopted on June 3, 2026, authorizes a $4,386,640 capital package. It includes Marina Bulkhead Improvements, playground and park improvements, and picnic tables and benches across the borough. The ordinance text doesn't name the specific park sites, give a cost for the marina work, or include a construction schedule. For now, the bulkhead work has been approved and funded, but no start date has been announced.
Inland, the Mornings Have Something New
Fall days on the river can start on Atlantic City Boulevard this year. Due Back Coffee opened its second location at 409 Atlantic City Boulevard, a sister shop to its Island Heights store. The shop first announced the Beachwood location in April. 105.7 The Hawk covered its soft grand opening this summer and described a retro 1950s and 1960s design, a range of iced coffees and lattes, and pastries. That opening coverage said regular hours would be 7 AM to 4 PM, seven days a week. Hours can change after an opening, so check before a weekend run.
Tattoo Therapy 101 is another new business on Beachwood Boulevard. It's run by Chris and his wife, next to New Wave Barber Shop and across from CVS. Local coverage said it planned to open "sometime this October" and was already taking appointments. No exact opening day has been announced.
Where the Calendar Goes After October 17
After the beach movie, the rest of Beachwood's fall happens indoors. Most of it is at the Ocean County Library's Beachwood Branch, 126 Beachwood Blvd. Two of the library events fall before the festival and are listed here too.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Oct. 12, 6:00–8:00 PM | Family Friendly Movie: "Hocus Pocus" | Beachwood Branch | All ages; every attendee must register |
| Wed., Oct. 14, 11:30 AM–1:00 PM | Friends of the Beachwood Branch monthly meeting | Casertano's Cucina | All welcome; lunch optional, at your own expense |
| Tue., Oct. 20, 10:30–11:30 AM | Incredible Infants: Halloween | Beachwood Branch | Ages 0–18 months with a caregiver; costumes welcome |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10:00 AM–2:00 PM | Calming Coloring: Halloween Masks | Beachwood Branch | Drop-in craft for kids |
| Mon., Nov. 9, 6:00–8:00 PM | Family Friendly Movie: "Coco" | Beachwood Branch | All ages; every attendee must register |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Holiday Tree Lighting | Borough Hall, 1600 Pinewald Road | Vendors, activities, music, and Santa |
Movie nights don't stop after October 17. They move to the library, where you need to register. The "Hocus Pocus" screening requires each attendee to sign up, and so does "Coco." If you're bringing a family of four to "Coco" on November 9, that means four registrations.
The Holiday Tree Lighting on November 29 is listed as "All Day," with no specific start time. Check the borough calendar closer to Thanksgiving weekend for times.
Here's how the rest of the season lines up. The outdoor events end on October 17, trailer parking on Compass Avenue ends on November 15, and the borough's next big gathering is at Borough Hall on November 29.
Whether your fall in Beachwood means a fire pit on the beach or a boat trailer on Compass Avenue, The Shore Standard knows these riverfront blocks well, including the marina and the bulkhead questions that come with them. If you'd like a clear-eyed read on what your home near the water is worth this fall, ask us for a free home valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
