New Boardwalk Rules Passed in Seaside Heights, NJ

There are some big changes coming to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. There were rumors at first, but now it appears as though official open and closing hours, as well as bag bans, will be enacted on the boards.

And before we get too deep into this, I want to preface all of this by saying I'll defend Seaside Heights until the day I die. It's my favorite beach town in the world, and for 40 or more weeks out of the year, it's peaceful, quiet, and a quintessential beach town.

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Tourists Behaving Badly: Why Seaside Heights, NJ, Is Cracking Down

However, thanks to overly aggressive tourists and people who forget how to act while they're on vacation, the town gets a bad rap, and it breaks my heart.

Seaside Heights Votes to Enact New Boardwalk Hours and Bag Ban

I mentioned a while ago that Seaside Heights was looking into enacting official boardwalk opening and closing hours as well as bag bans, but it was still in the voting phase.

New Seaside Heights Boardwalk Hours: What You Need to Know

It now looks like the votes are in, and the new boardwalk hours and bag ban will officially go into effect.

The new boardwalk hours are as follows, according to APP:

Sunday through Thursday, the boardwalk will be closed to the public from Midnight to 6 AM.
Fridays and Saturdays, as well as Federal Holidays, the Seaside Heights boardwalk will be closed from 1 AM to 6 AM.

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Seaside Heights Boardwalk Bag Ban: Size Limits and Hours

On top of this, there will also be a bag ban in effect on the boardwalk between the hours of 7 PM and 6 AM.

Bags that are 8 inches by 6 inches by 8 inches will be barred from coming onto the boardwalk.

I understand the point of the closures and the bag bans. Seaside has seen more unruly things happen over the past couple of summers, so this is a natural response to try and curb those issues, but I have some questions.

What About The Bars And Live Music In Seaside Heights, NJ?

A lot of bars on the Seaside Heights boardwalk are open until 2 AM on the weekends, so how does that work if the boardwalk closes by 1 AM?

And what about bands? My band Right On! plays at Beachcomber every Wednesday until 1 AM during the summer, so are we going to get hit with a fine if we're offloading equipment after the boardwalk is closed?

What Happens If You Break The New Boardwalk Rules In Seaside Heights, NJ?

If you're caught violating any of these new rules, as an adult, you'll be fined, and if you're a minor, you'll receive a warning, and your parents will be notified.

It'll be interesting to see how well this is enforced and if it indeed brings the positive change that the township wants to see.

By the way, Jersey is no stranger to over-the-top rules.