Jetty’s 6th Annual Hop Sauce Festival, set to go down on June 1st, will stick to Veteran’s Park in Beach Haven, NJ after migrating there in 2018. The more central location lies closer to the beach. The move had been forced by a municipal project which revamped the old site at the Taylor Avenue Waterfront. Jetty used a portion of raised funds from prior Hop Sauce events to help erect a beautiful pavilion on the bay this Winter. The pavilion project was also supported by the Borough of Beach Haven, its Department of Public Works and Fantasy Island Amusement Park. The pavilion is open to the public and will also be used by local students to study the environment. It is one of many initiatives that Jetty runs via its 501(C)3 arm, the Jetty Rock Foundation, to support coastal communities. Jetty must also maintain its Certified B Corporation status, a feather in the cap of few outdoor lifestyle companies that dedicate their way of business to being better for the world.
By attending the festival and enjoying local fare, hot sauces, spicy snacks, craft beer, and original music, Jetty brings the same demographic who purchases their apparel to Long Beach Island to kick off the Summer season and be a part of contributing to the greater good. The traditionally “down weekend” after the slam-packed Memorial Day weekend is when Hop Sauce runs, and since its inception, a secondary motive has been to boost the local economy. The growing crowd tends to “make a weekend out of it,” stay in area hotels, dine out and shop locally.
Headlining Hop Sauce this year is Jersey’s own Mercy Union. Lead singer Jared Hart and band mate Rocky Catanese played a private show at Jetty’s headquarters this past Winter as part of their Jetty Sessions Craft & Calling series. The event series brings blue collar creatives in to story tell about the Draw Your Own Line mentality, preaching about how passion fuels them to do what they love and how it has synced with the Jetty brand.
Last year, thousands of festival-goers descended on Beach Haven despite a rainy forecast. An ocean breeze cooled muggy conditions as Brooklyn-based Sinkane took the stage to cap off the day. “We take a lot of pride in booking the bands. For a small festival, we’ve stuck to original acts and have seen some great performances by the likes of Craig Finn, Jukebox the Ghost and Lee Fields & the Expressions among others,” claims Jeremy DeFilippis, CEO of Jetty. This year, Mercy Union will stop back into their home state from a Euro tour to grace Hop Sauce with support from RFA, Pine Barons and The Black Flamingos. Stage sponsor Barlow Buick GMC is a top contributor who helps to secure a great musical line-up. Local musicians The Pickles and Jason Booth will hold down the gazebo stage in the park to keep a constant flow of music as bands on the main stage transition.
As craft beer continues to dominate headlines in New Jersey and nationwide, Jetty will continue to change up the menu offering a taste of 50+ different flavors. “Our festival is truly different from the other ones in the region. We fused hot sauce into the mix because my store deals with a long list of great vendors, and good hot sauce, food, beer, and music just go together,” said Gina Starin, owner of Spice It Up in Beach Haven.
New to the fest this year, a bloody mary bar, wine station and elevated youth activations will be added. There will be 20+ sauce vendors on site as well as some other spicy provisions that make for perfect pairings and garnishes. Jetty’s Oyster Recycling Program is its lead initiative in 2019 which puts oyster shells back into coastal waters. The hard shells create new homes for oysters which can each filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. More than 90% of the world’s oyster reefs have been wiped out, but this environmental action is something that fans can be a part of by attending Hop Sauce. About 15 LBI-based restaurants currently participate in the Oyster Recycling Program, a partnership between Jetty, Long Beach Township, Stockton University & Parsons Mariculture. Everyone can get behind cleaning up the coastal waters that they make their life around.
Tickets can be purchased as General Admission, Beer Tasting, and the Hop Sauce VIP experience returns again. They are available at HopSauceFest.com.
Event directors, food vendors, beer brewers, and musicians will be available for interviews. For the most up to date information, please visit Hopsaucefest.com and follow the official social outlets: facebook.com/hopsaucefest and @hopsaucefest on Instagram and Twitter.
About Jetty:
Jetty is a lifestyle apparel company born of its East coast roots. Producing a majority of their apparel at their NJ-based headquarters, they also offer design and screen printing services. After Superstorm Sandy, they formed the Jetty Rock Foundation, an approved 501(C)3 charitable organization which operates as the brand’s nonprofit arm. Jetty uses its existing branding as a marketing vehicle to build events with a knack for fundraising. For more information on Jetty: Phone: 800.900.6435 or fax: 928.438.6825 or email: info@jettylife. com.
About Spice It Up:
Spice It Up is located on Long Beach Island, NJ in Beach Haven, and is part of the Bay Village family of shops. Our mission is to provide our community and visitors with the ingredients necessary to make every meal or dessert special. We will offer a global experience at the beach while inviting you to be part of our extended family. Spice It Up believes in community, and we know that working together is fundamental to sharing a good meal. Social: facebook.com/spiceituplbi Phone: 609.492.1240 or email: store@spiceituplbi.com. For further event information contact: The Hop Sauce Committee at info@jettylife.com
