The New Jersey Jeep Invasion started in 2013 as a family friendly Jeep Show/Charity Event hosted by the New Jersey Jeep Association on the boardwalk of Ocean City, New Jersey. The event kicked off with what has become a traditional Friday Night Downtown Invasion including Jeeps, food, and live entertainment. Saturday was the first time that Jeeps hit the boards and they made an amazing first impression with approximately 200 Jeeps stretched out from 6th to 14th street. Hundreds of spectators got to enjoy the Jeeps, as well as the many vendors that attended. Trophies were awarded to the best Jeeps in each category, prizes were given out and canned goods were collected by Move for Hunger for the local food bank. Proceeds from the event were donated to Ocean City Cares. Overall, it was a huge success!
In 2014, the numbers doubled with over 400 Jeeps packing the 1-mile stretch of boardwalk. The number of vendors in attendance increased as well, giving participants and spectators the opportunity to pick up some great accessories for their Jeeps. With the increased numbers of vehicles and spectators even more food was collected by Move for Hunger and a $7500 donation was given to the Make a Wish Foundation. By year two, Jeeps had definitely invaded the Jersey Shore!!
With more Jeep owners expected in 2015, the event had outgrown the Ocean City boardwalk and had to be moved a bit further south to Wildwood, NJ. The move to Wildwood allowed plenty of space for the approximately 800 Jeeps and 40+ Vendors registered for the third year of the event. This move also allowed the event to be moved off the boardwalk and onto the sand!! Yes, the New Jersey Jeep Invasion now became the first east coast event to take place not just at the beach, but actually on the sand!!! Many of the traditions, such as the Friday Night Downtown Invasion and the Show and Shine remained, but the new space allowed for the addition of a beach parade and an obstacle course in which the Jeeps could show off their off-road capabilities while soaking in the sun! Move for Hunger collected 2.25 TONS of food for the local food bank and a donation of $ 20,485 was made to the Make a Wish Foundation. Jeep Invasion had definitely made its mark in the sand this year!!
In 2016, We hosted almost 1200 Jeeps on the beach and over 75 vendors. Once again we collected food for Move for Hunger, we collected 4,650lbs of food. We were also able to donate $16,000 to the Make a Wish NJ Foundation.
2017 brought us just about 1500 Jeeps and over 80 of the industries top vendors. We once again collected food for Move For Hunger and we collected nearly double the 2016 totals at 7,800 lbs of food. Looking forward to the 2018 event!
In 2018 we hosted 1800+ Jeeps on the sand and close to 100 vendors, we also collected 16,000 lbs for Community food bank on NJ. We also continue our tradition of the Friday night downtown invasion!
In 2019 we had over 2250 Jeeps on the beach and 115 of the industries best vendors. All on the sandy beaches of Wildwood, NJ. We again collected food for the Community Food Bank of NJ, and we collected 18,000 lbs of food for the food bank!
In 2020 all NJ Jeep Invasion events were cancelled due to COVID 19.
2021 brought us record breaking attendance at over 2500 Jeeps registered, and close to 100 vendors on the beach. We donated 16,000 lbs. of food to the food bank.
Once again 2022 didn't disappoint, with over 2200 Jeeps in attendance and over 100 vendors, NJ Jeep Invasion continues to be the LARGEST all JEEP event in the Northeast.
2023 - Registration now open!
As we move forward, the New Jersey Jeep Invasion will continue to grow as one of the east coast’s premier Jeep events. Participants have now made this a yearly vacation destination and love the fact that every member of the family can enjoy their time at the event.