"It's really about resilience," Ketan Jethwa told Montclair Local in May. He owns the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at 1 Lackawanna Plaza, which has stayed open since 2005 while the shopping center around it emptied after Pathmark left in 2015. By the end of 2019 the mall was mostly vacant.
On Saturday, November 14, the same complex hosts a vegan food festival and the opening night of the Montclair Comedy Festival. Over the five weeks after that, most of the town's new seasonal events also take place there. The former Lackawanna railroad terminal is still officially waiting to become a supermarket. Until then, it has become the room Montclair uses for its holiday season.
Saturday, November 14, Starts Two Festivals in One Complex
New Jersey VegFest: Montclair runs Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15, at Lackawanna Station, 1 Lackawanna Plaza. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The first hour is for VIP ticket holders, general admission starts at noon, and children 13 and under get in free. Montclair Local's November food roundup says the festival will have plant-based food vendors, lifestyle goods, cruelty-free fashion, live music, and vegan cocktails and mocktails. Use the dates on the festival's event page. Some older material on the site still describes a spring event at the Shore.
A few steps away, the Montclair Comedy Festival opens the same afternoon at DiRasa House of Diversified Arts, 4 Lackawanna Plaza. "JAWS: the (very unauthorized) Musical!" plays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and the 3 p.m. show is family- and sensory-friendly. A household can spend a Saturday afternoon at both events without moving the car.
Seven of the Comedy Festival's Eight Days Include a Lackawanna Venue
The festival started in November 2025 with 11 shows at four local venues. Its spring 2026 edition, Spring Fling, featured Judy Gold. This year it grows from three nights to eight days, with 12 shows and two free workshops. Most of that added schedule is at the station.
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | "JAWS: the (very unauthorized) Musical!" at 3 and 8 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | "7 ate 9," eight comedians at nine minutes each, 7 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Mon., Nov. 16 | Free open mic, 7:30 p.m. | Montclair Brewery, 101 Walnut St. |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Spotlight Showcase, 7:30 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Wild & Wacky Wednesday stand-up competition, 7:30 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | "All Mixed Up!" variety show, 7:30 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | "Yip! Yep! Yup!" Improv Showcase, 7 p.m.; Friday FIRE stand-up, 9 p.m. | DiRasa, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | "Pretenderrific," 10:30 a.m.; free workshops at noon and 2 p.m. | DiRasa and RecRoom, Lackawanna Plaza |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Hot Out of the Gate competition, 7 p.m.; "The BIG Show" with Myq Kaplan, 9 p.m. | The MC Hotel, 690 Bloomfield Ave. |
Monday is the only day with nothing at Lackawanna, and Montclair Brewery's open mic that night is free. The closing Saturday starts at the station and finishes on Bloomfield Avenue. Wednesday's competition winner earns a spot in "The BIG Show." Tickets cost $25 per show. "Pretenderrific," a family-friendly improv show hosted by Natty Bumpercar, costs $15. The open mic and the two workshops, on crowd work and social media, are free. Tickets and the full schedule are at montclaircomedyfestival.org.
After Thanksgiving, the Station Becomes a Market Hall
Once the festival ends, RecRoom takes over the calendar. RecRoom is the space at 1 Lackawanna Plaza that held its grand opening on November 10, 2025. On Wednesday, November 25, it hosts a Recsgiving Potluck Lunch from noon to 1 p.m. On November 28 and 29, its Shop Small Stop runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free coffee and tea, and visitors don't need a membership or day pass.
The Montclair Flea Holiday Market opens the same weekend. It runs indoors at 1 Lackawanna Plaza every Saturday and Sunday from November 28 through December 20, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. That's four weekends of curated holiday vendors under one roof. Through December, the old terminal works as an indoor gift market.
Here are the dates in order:
- November 14 and 15: New Jersey VegFest: Montclair, plus the comedy festival's opening shows at DiRasa
- November 15 through 21: Comedy festival evenings, mostly at DiRasa
- November 21: Morning improv and free afternoon workshops at the station, then the closing shows at The MC Hotel
- November 25: Recsgiving Potluck Lunch at RecRoom
- November 28 and 29: RecRoom's Shop Small Stop and the first Flea Holiday Market weekend
- December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20: Flea Holiday Market weekends, ending December 20
What Is There on an Ordinary Weekday
Pop-ups like these work here because the building has year-round tenants who bring people in every week. Lackawanna Station reopened in June 2025 as an indoor marketplace with more than 20 small and micro businesses, and Patch described it as open seven days a week. Murals helped mark the reopening.
Ironbound Farm Market opened on June 28, 2025. It sells produce, local meat, dairy, prepared foods and pantry staples, and Montclair Local pointed out that it is not a supermarket. In October, Urban Natural opened a 10,000-square-foot furniture showroom at 1 Lackawanna Plaza. DiRasa keeps public hours at 4 Lackawanna Plaza outside of festival week. Popeyes is still in the spot it has held for more than two decades.
So the holiday calendar is built on a mix of tenants: a produce-and-pantry market, a furniture showroom, an arts space, a co-working and events room, and a fried chicken counter.
The Supermarket Still Comes First
Every event above takes place in a building that already has an approved long-term plan. BDP Holdings LLC bought the property in 2021. Its $326.7 million redevelopment plan covers 8.2 acres off Bloomfield Avenue and includes a supermarket, 300 apartments and offices. The plans also preserve historic elements of the terminal and add a parking deck.
Two steps this spring moved the plan forward. On March 24, 2026, the Township Council approved a 30-year PILOT agreement with the developer. Six days later, Superior Court Judge Stephen Petrillo ruled that the township's 2024 redevelopment plan was "validly adopted and enforceable." BDP Holdings CEO David Placek told Montclair Local the next step was the Planning Board. "We're happy with the court determination and are looking forward to submitting our site plan application in the coming months," he said.
Officials have said the supermarket will be built first and that construction is expected to take several years. Placek has not named the grocer, citing confidentiality. Jethwa told Montclair Local that the plaza owner told him Popeyes would have a place in the redevelopment.
The supermarket is still in planning, and the redevelopment has an approved plan, a tax agreement and a court ruling behind it. For now, the indoor space at 1 and 4 Lackawanna Plaza is the town's venue for vegan food, comedy and holiday shopping. VegFest opens at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, and the comedy festival's first curtain at DiRasa is at 3 p.m.
If you're settling into Montclair this season and want help coordinating the house while you get to know the town, Luxe Home Concierge can manage move-in logistics, vendor scheduling and setup so your weekends stay free. Schedule your Luxe consultation.
