EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A week after the FIFA World Cup Final packed MetLife Stadium and put East Rutherford in front of a global TV audience, the Meadowlands Sports Complex is rolling straight into one of the busiest Augusts in its history. Between the stadium and the racetrack next door, there’s something happening on 17 of the month’s 31 days — much of it free or under $30.
Here’s what’s coming, weekend by weekend.
Aug. 1–2: Seafood, harness racing and 160,000 BTS fans
The month opens with the complex’s biggest scheduling collision. On Saturday, Aug. 1, Meadowlands Racetrack hosts its annual Seafood Fest from 5 to 11 p.m., with roughly 30 food trucks and area restaurants serving lobster rolls, fried clams, shrimp tacos and crab fries. Vendors include Cousins Maine Lobster, Angry Archies, Kimchi Smoke and Tacoholics. Admission is free, and the night’s live racing card features the elimination heats for the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks — the qualifying races that set the field for the sport’s biggest day one week later.
Across the parking lot that same night, BTS plays the first of two sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium. The K-pop group’s ARIRANG world tour — its first full-group tour since the members completed South Korean military service — runs Saturday and Sunday, with both shows starting at 8 p.m. If you’re heading to the free seafood festival, plan around the concert crowd: Route 120 and the stadium lots will be moving slowly from mid-afternoon on, and the NJ Transit Meadowlands rail shuttle from Secaucus Junction will be running for the concerts.
Aug. 7–8: Usher, Chris Brown and the Hambletonian
The second weekend belongs to R&B and racehorses. Usher and Chris Brown bring their co-headlining R&B Tour to MetLife on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7 and 8, both nights at 7 p.m…