Calling all punks, oddities collectors, and lovers of the strange and unusual! Come enjoy a weekend of fun with the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market—an extraordinary experience filled with hundreds of artists and makers from across the country, plus food trucks, celebrity guest appearances, hands on workshops, on site tattooing and piercing, hearse and hot rod car shows, film screenings, cosplay, live music and entertainment, fire breathing, and side shows.
The New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market just held their SUMMA’ SIZZLA’ event on July 26, 2025, their first summer event since 2019 and welcomed over 5,000 people through their doors. The SUMMA’ SIZZLA’ also had a charity photo op, matching donations for the Punk Rock Saves Lives organization and raised over $500 from patrons totaling to a $1,000 donation from the organizers.
“Punk Rock Saves Lives is one of the most important organizations out there, traveling to music festivals promoting harm reduction, bone marrow donation, narcan training, and more,” event founder Joseph Kuzemka shares. The founder designed an 8’ by 40’ banner inspired by horrific punk rock venue bathrooms. “Think of CBGB’s bathroom. Poo strewn toilets, blood from the latest pit fight all over the urinal– now picture that setting in a well-lit, clean Expo Center in New Jersey and having your pic taken in front of it with your crew,” he laughs. “The most important thing to me is that the folks who trust us with their hard-earned money have the best possible experience we can provide them.”
The New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market started over a decade ago when Kuzemka took his love for punk music and experience from hosting the Art All Night festival in the once-abandoned Roebling Wire Works building in Trenton, NJ. His background as a Creative Director with 25+ years in advertising and marketing helped make the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market immediately grow into one of the biggest events on the East Coast.
“I’ve run my own record labels. I’ve published zines. I’ve toured the country with bands, so the punk rock connection was just normal. It was an extension of myself and my personal ethics,” Kuzemka says. The first New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market took place on January 27, 2013, and was projected to host around 400 attendees, with only 40 vendors and two food trucks … however, Kuzemka was welcomed with a surprising 3,000 bodies excited to check out the new flea market in town.
“It was then that I knew we had lightning in a bottle,” Kuzemka says. By 2016, Punk Rock Flea Markets were popping up all around the country, many crediting their existence to the Trenton event. “I can’t think of anything cooler than inspiring someone else to make a plan and bring something to life that benefits their community. That shit hits differently,” Kuzemka adds.
Their biggest change over the past decade has been watching the community the team has helped build thrive.
“When we first began in 2013, the artist/vendor/maker pool was strong but not necessarily robust. In our 12 years of doing this, we’ve really watched that grow to a level where we now field 800-1000 vendor applications per event. It’s been amazing watching the growth of the regional arts scene and we’re proud to be just a small part of it,” he shares.
In the past, the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market has had special guests such as Doyle Von Frankenstein (Misfits), Marky and Richie Ramone, Greg Hetson (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks), Rochie Stotts and Jean Beauvoir (Plasmatics), and director Kevin Smith and the entire cast of Clerks. “We treat our event as more of a cultural celebration and we try our best to include offbeat experiences like taxidermy or terrarium classes, fire breathing and side show performances, beer gardens, even free swag bags for patrons,” Kuzemka shares.
The team is gearing up for their next event, Darkside NJ, taking place October 18th, at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center. Kuzemka also is excited to share their annual “Wreck the Halls” event in December 2025 will include a mini golf course to add the fun of the flea market. They will also continue to host donations for Punk Rock Saves Lives, while also working with Violent Minded to raise donations for The Trevor Fund. All raised money goes to funding their suicide prevention and crisis services, along with other life-saving programs for LGBTQ+ youth.
Whether you’re looking for your next favorite shop to support, or already thinking about holiday shopping, Kuzemka wants everyone to remember to shop small and support your local community. “Find something unique instead of something average. Small businesses are where the character, culture, and cool factor of your town actually live, and they need you now more than ever.”
Keep up with the New Jersey Punk Rock Flea Market on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
