We gave out VIP tickets for the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, all weekend at Solbert Airport in Readington. But you don’t have to have them to enjoy watching the 125 colorful balloons expected. Or to go for a ride in one. www.balloonfestival.com or 1-800-HOT-AIR-9.

Float over to in Ocean City where they’re having a busy weekend. Friday try some of the area’s best fish and shellfish at the Merchants in Venice Seafood Festival, 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Asbury Ave.

And on the water, Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m., comes the Night on Venice Boat Parade, with prizes to the best decorated boats, bayfront homes and condos. www.njoceancity.com or (609) 525-9300.

In Dover, there is a Multicultural Festival featuring games, art, dance and food from India, Colombia, Switzerland and other cultures represented in town. It’s Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Community Children's Museum. www.communitychildrensmuseum.org or (973) 366-9060.

Or, experience the culture of deepest South Jersey in a Moonlight Walk at Whitesbog Village in Pemberton. Guides will take you on a 1-2 or 3-5 mile walk around the village, pine forests, old blueberry fields, historic cranberry bogs, streams and reservoirs. $5 per person. www.whitesbog.org or (609) 893-4646.

You want more culture? Bring the kids to Tap Team Two & Company: Hoofing in America, as the dance pair showcases Irish, African, hip-hop and house rhythms. It’s sponsored by the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Thomas H. Kean Theatre, Drew University. For tickets ($12), call (973) 408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

And yes, we know. Shopping. Well, you already know Red Bank has some of the trendiest stores in the state, but you may not know about Downtown Red Bank’s 53rd Annual Sidewalk Sale, Friday through Sunday. www.redbankrivercenter.org.

You’ve got a full calendar. Get going, and enjoy the weekend!

This weekend, we see food everywhere we look.

Fresh local New Jersey food pairs up with bottlings from the state’s wineries at the Jersey Fresh wine and food festival. Friday’s tasting dinner is at Theater Square Grill at NJPAC in Newark (www.theater-square-grill.com 973-642-1226) starting at 6 p.m, $85. Saturday and Sunday starting at noon the festival moves to Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington (www.newjerseywines.com/jfresh.html, 866-488-9463), $20.

Also Sunday is A Taste of Clinton. Stroll downtown from restaurant to restaurant and enjoy Spanish, Italian, Greek, Thai, Lebanese, Japanese and American cusine, 2-6 p.m. $15 for adults, $10 for children 12 and under. www.hunterdon-chamber.org.

Down the Shore, it’s not just beach season, it’s also peach season. Just ask the folks at First Presbyterian Church in Belmar, organizing a Peach Festival Saturday at 4:00 p.m. www.belmarpresbyterian.org, (732) 681-8685.

“Sabroso” means tasty in Spanish. But the music, not food, is the thing when Ray Rodriguez & Swing Sabroso (www.swingsabroso.com) kick off the salsa at Brookdale Park in Montclair and Bloomfield Friday at 7:30 p.m. It’s part of the Essex County Free Summer Music Series.

It’s also a good weekend for antiques and arts shopping. Saturday and Sunday check out 200 artisans at the Crafts and Fine Arts Festival along Haddon Ave. in Collingswood. Look for works in wood, ceramics, blown and stained glass, metal, leather and mixed media. www.collingswood.com/node/710

Or try the annual antique show at Historic Cold Spring Village, country and Victorian furniture, collectibles, primitives, ephemera, toys, books. Saturday, 10 a.m - 4:30 p.m. www.hcsv.org

So eat, dance and shop!

Here’s our best bet: hoof it to the Meadowlands track on Saturday for the $1.5 million Hambletonian. Plenty of activities for the whole family: live music, pony rides, carnival games. See you on the rail beginning at 11:30 a.m. www.thebigm.com.

You’ll also find horses, and more, at the New Jersey State Fair, running for ten days starting Saturday. What’s the more? We hear: agricultural events, animal exhibits, carnival, petting zoo, crafts, flower and vegetable shows, art and photography, and a chainsaw artist. It’s at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta. (973) 948-5500 or www.newjerseystatefair.org.

But enough horsing around. Go clam up in Highlands. The town is holding its 13th Annual Clam Festival. Local restaurants will be in Huddy Park serving—besides clams—soft shell crab, shrimp, oysters, crab cakes, lobster, scallops, gumbo jambalaya, chowders, mussels. It starts today and runs until Sunday. www.highlandsnj.com.

Or take a fishing break. Flying Fish Brewery in Cherry Hill is letting visitors in for a tour. You’ll see how they brew beer and best of all, get some samples. Tours begin at 1 p.m. Visit www.flyingfish.com or call (609) 489-0061.

Don’t forget the Peach Festival in Chester ( our subject this past Tuesday). Go to the Community Presbyterian Church (www.cpcchester.org), which is sponsoring the event, for peaches, pies, and a great country auction. Things get going Saturday at 10 a.m.

It’s never too soon to begin your fall shopping blitz. The Outlets (www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=13) in Flemington and Jackson are hosting a back-to-school and fall preview sale all weekend.

Or hit Nordstrom (www.nordstrom.com) at Garden State Plaza Saturday and the folks at Ed Hardy ( www.donedhardy.com) will design one of their red hot tattoo graphic tees just for you. Call 201-843-1122, extension 1530, to schedule an appointment.

No dog days of summer around here. We’re betting on that.