Summer Stage Kicks Off at Westfield Garden State Plaza

Summer Stage Kicks Off at Westfield Garden State Plaza

Peter Candia

Garden State Plaza announced its newest event for the summer. Summer Stage at Westfield Garden State Plaza begins Saturday, July 23rd, and continues every Saturday until August 20th.  It is the latest addition to a lengthy list of events and festivals to attend in New Jersey this summer. 

The event is hosted by Z100’s very own Maxwell and Crystal and will be held each Saturday from 2-4 p.m. Featuring some of the biggest names in Tik Tok; this is the perfect event for anyone who keeps up with the popular social media app. 

Each Saturday, the event will revolve around Maxwell and Crystal interviewing a different Tik Tok star— complete with a DJ, raffles, a photo opportunity and a chance to meet with that day’s featured guest. Garden State Plaza aims to showcase an array of talents, exhibiting dancers, singers, songwriters and more. The schedule, which features stars with a combined 23.4 million followers on Tik Tok, goes as follows:

Guests like Axel Webber garnered their following through entertaining vlog-style videos. A New York City-based actor, Webber originally went viral by showing off his comically tiny apartment. Since, he has remained engaged with his audience and active on Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube, where he posts vlogs and interviews with various NYC residents.

@axelwebber #nyc #livinglikerockstar #carbohydrates ♬ original sound – Axel


Joey Nero is a comedian and content creator. His Tik Tok page revolves around relatable scenarios and whimsical videos. Nero also streams himself playing video games on Twitch— a popular website for content creators to live stream themselves to an audience of dedicated fans. His gameplay is accompanied by commentary and the same one-liners that helped build his popularity. 

Natalie Jane is a singer/songwriter who will be attending the Summer Stage. Born and raised in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Jane has gathered over 500 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify with her clever lyricism and heart-wrenching belts. Aided by her Tik Tok and music fandom, Jane auditioned for Season 18 of American Idol, where she made it through the first two rounds and into the Top 40. 

GiaNina represents a Tik Tok genre that is perhaps what originally propelled the app to fame. A professional dancer from Oakhurst, New Jersey, GiaNina creates and performs dances to go along with popular songs on her Tik Tok page. Along with her social media stardom, GiaNina performed on Broadway in 2015 as Amanda Thripp in Matilda the Musical at the young age of 9. Additionally, she appeared in Dance Moms Season 8, and as a dancer in the 2017 musical drama, The Greatest Showman. 

@gianina soooo do y’all want another professional dance vid from us??? @sagerosen ♬ BLACKOUT. Thekatiebradshaw – KATIE BRADSHAW


Finally, Jax Writes Songs rose to popularity with her catchy songwriting and lyricism. Her biggest single, Like My Father, has garnered over 46 million plays on Spotify in just a year since its release. Jax rose to prominence on Tik Tok with funny and relatable content but has since sustained her status with memorable and replay-worthy music. 

In addition to the event, all attendees will be entered into a contest to win tickets to Post Malone’s upcoming Twelve Carat Tour, which makes stops in New York City and New Jersey’s own The Prudential Center. 

The Summer Stage at Westfield Garden State Plaza is the perfect occasion for a growing audience of people who keep up with social media and the like. These young stars have built gargantuan audiences through their talent and relatability, and the opportunity to experience a candid interview complete with a chance to meet them is certainly something you don’t want to miss. Seats are first come, first serve, so be sure to RSVP here and secure your spot.