FOOD TRUCK AND ROCK CARNIVAL: DAY 1

Lakewood, do you wanna rock?

A Twisted Sister farewell is one of the highlights of the Food Truck and Rock Carnival, which will take place Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood. The hard rock festival is relocating to Lakewood after more than 50,000 attended the three-day fest at Oak Ridge Park in Clark last September.

More than 60 acts will play, including Overkill, Ace Frehley, Monster Magnet, Tom Keifer's Cinderella, Dokken, Jester, American Angel, Fuel and Doro. More announcements, including other headliners, are forthcoming. Last year, Stone Temple Pilots, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy, Skid Row, Puddle Of Mudd, Godsmack, Skillet, Lita Ford, Black Label Society and more performed.

The Twisted Sister performance on Saturday, Oct. 1 will be one of the band's final three shows as they've announced their retirement from rock 'n' roll last year. The band often played in the area in the '70s and early '80s, including at the now-closed  Satellite Lounge near McGuire Air Force Base.

"They wanted to say goodbye in the right setting and it was decided that they would play the Rock Carnival as one of their final farewells," said festival founder John D'Esposito.

There will be two main stages inside the ballpark and a third outside. There will be more amusements than last year, including pig races, and 50 food trucks from around the region, D'Esposito said.

"These are our people who 10 to 15 years ago went out two, three times a week to see live music," said D'Esposito of the region's hard rock music fans. "They didn't leave, they didn't stop listening to music. We want to give them a weekend where they can totally experience rock 'n' roll, sustain it over three days with a variety of the music that it encompasses, and celebrate the music with a carnival."

There are several reasons for the move from Clark to Lakewood, D'Esposito of Colts Neck said, including fallout from a lawsuit  among organizers, and easier accessibility to Lakewood as compared to Clark.

"Last year it was (regionally) a New Jersey and New York festival," D'Esposito said. "This year, it's (regionally) a Philly festival and a New Jersey, New York and Staten Island festival."

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