Going To Madison's Bottle Hill Day? Here's What You Need To Know

MADISON, NJ - Car, craft and music enthusiasts or those who just don't want to spend every fall weekend in a pumpkin patch can find plenty to do at Bottle Hill Day in Madison Saturday.

The festival has grown over the last three decades from a program to promote the business district into a family, entertainment and community celebration which draws between 10,000 and 20,000 people to the heart of Madison every fall. According to the Madison website, the name originated from Madison’s original establishment in 1715 of the village called “Bottle Hill.”

The event features four stages with live entertainment all day, three separate amusement areas, over 200 vendor booths, amusement rides, shopping, food and a beer garden. Also the Madison Chamber of Commerce and Madison P.B.A. #92 will be hosting their annual Madison Car Show in conjunction with Bottle Hill Day. The event is free and open to the public.

The Bottle Hill festivities run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. but the area on Kings Road which includes live music on the Provident Bank at Hartley Dodge Memorial and the DDC Beer Garden will remain open until 6 p.m. The food options include the Food Court on Cook Avenue, other food vendors throughout the festival, local restaurants and a Food Truck Court on Kings Road.

Street Closures and Parking and Shuttle Service

• Waverly, Central Avenue (from Main Street to Brittin Street), Kings Road (from Prospect to Green Avenue), and Prospect Street (from Kings Road to Keep Street) will be closed.
• Municipal lots (Waverly Green, Cook Avenue and Elmer Street) will be open for parking. Additional event parking will be available at the Madison Junior School parking lots which are accessible via Brittin Street (behind the school).
• Street parking where allowed will be available as well.
• There will be a Park & Ride Shuttle to the event. Visitors can park the parking lot at the Madison Community Pool and ride downtown where the shuttle will drop them off right in the center of town. The shuttle will run from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. in a continuous loop between the parking lot and the center of town. The shuttle bus is being provided by FM Kirby Children's Center of the Madison Area YMCA.

Performances Venues

• Provident Bank Stage (Open until 6 p.m.): Located in front of Hartley Dodge Memorial on Kings Road
• PSEG Acoustic Stage: Located on Lincoln Place at the intersection with Waverly Place
• The Allergan Foundation Stage: Located on Elmer Street at the intersection with Central Avenue
• The Merck Animal Health Stage: Located on Central Avenue between Central Avenue School and Dodge Field

Good Eats

• Food Vendors on Central Avenue near the stage, Food Court at the Intersection of Central and Cook Avenue and a Food Court on Kings Road near the Beer Garden.
• The DDC Beer Garden (Open until 6 p.m.): Located on Kings Road between Hartley Dodge Memorial Building and Maple Avenue.

Family Activities and Rides

• Seashore Amusements at Central Avenue School and Kings Road on the Hartley Dodge Memorial lawn
• Free rock climbing wall and new Boardwalk themed games located on Green Village Road between the trestle and Main Street.

Special Programming at the METC

• Live Blacksmith demonstration on the front lawn, 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Blacksmith Al Mottram of Bloodline Forge, Whippany will be demonstrating his craft on the front lawn. Mottram will have a small forge onsite and will be forging iron hooks and other objects. Mottram is a member of the Board of Directors of The New Jersey Blacksmith Association and has worked as a blacksmith demonstrator and interpreter at East Jersey Olde Towne in Piscataway and at Wild West City in Netcong.

Petting Zoo and Pony Rides

• Madison Presbyterian Church on Green Avenue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More information can be found on the Madison webpage as well as the Facebook event page and Eventbrite page.

(Photo courtesy of the Borough of Madison)

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