Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment is a fun night out for everyone in the family this summer.

Live racing takes place every Friday and Saturday night with a 6:20 p.m. (EDT) post time. There are two special post times – Meadowlands Pace night on Saturday, July 17 has a 6 p.m. post and Hambletonian Day, Saturday, Aug. 7 has a 12 p.m. post.

The promotions calendar heats up in July when the best race horses are at the track for the final six weeks of the 2021 Championship Meet honouring Joe DeFrank.

Fan Appreciation Night is July 3. Fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, soda and $2 beer. These concession items are available at the Café, Backyard Grill and rooftop Terrace. Plus, following the races fans are encouraged to stay for the free fireworks show set to start at approximately 11:30pm.

The annual BBQ Fest is slated for Saturday, July 10. This event runs from 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. and fans are encouraged to come out and purchase some of the best BBQ around from area food trucks and restaurants.

Some of the featured food trucks include: Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats, The Empanada Truck, Clydes Homemade Italian ice and Ice cream, Latin Bites, Boho Bites, TreeJ’s Delicious BBQ, Oakburn BBQ, Smokin’ Joe’s, Cosmick Kettle Corn and DAW Concessions. The night’s races also feature the eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace.

Saturday, July 17 is the Meadowlands Pace – harness racing’s biggest party. On the track, the top 3-year-old pacers compete for the Meadowlands Pace title plus there is $2.5 million up for grabs in stakes races for the best pacers and trotters in harness racing. Fans can enjoy a live DJ, food trucks, $500 win bet wagers and a free t-shirt giveaway. Details on this terrific night at the races can be found at MeadowlandsPace.com

The annual free 30 and Under Handicapping Contest happens on Saturday, July 24. The free handicapping contest is exclusively for fans between the ages of 18 and 30. The contest offers a $5,000 total prize pool, with prize payouts to the top five finishers. Fans can also enjoy free NJ corn for Corntastic weekend running July 23-24. There will also be corn competitions to enter for cash prizes.

The always popular Seafood Festival is scheduled for its seventh year on Saturday, July 31. There will be a raw bar in the Backyard and a variety of food trucks serving up some of the best seafood in the Garden State. Plus cooks will compete for $500 in prize money in our second-annual Chowder Cook-Off. Fans can also root on their favorite 3-year-old trotters as they compete in the Hambletonian eliminations.

The greatest day in harness racing is Saturday, Aug. 7 with the 96th running of the $1-million Hambletonian. Over $3.5 million is on the line as the top trotters and pacers compete to be crowned champions in a variety of stakes races. Doors open at 10 a.m. with first race at 12 p.m. (EDT). Admission is $5 and includes a commemorative Hambo baseball cap for adults and horse branded shades for children. Admission can be purchased at PlayMeadowlands.com/hambo. In addition to the great harness racing, fans can enjoy live music, Hambo hat contest and much more.

For a complete list of events, promotions and updated racing calendar please visit PlayMeadowlands.com. Anyone looking to be a vendor at one of these events can email [email protected]

Guests looking to dine can enjoy the Pink/Trotters buffet. For $39.95 on Fridays and $44.95 on Saturdays, diners have a variety of salads, multiple entrees and delicious desserts. Reservations are required and dining must be prepaid. Reservations can be made by calling 201-The-BigM or emailing [email protected]. Trotters members should call Marianne Rotella at 201-842-5059 or [email protected].

(The Meadowlands)