Kool and the Gang brings the party home to New Jersey, and more things to do this weekend

Jersey, get ready for a “Celebration.”

New Jersey Hall of Famers Kool and the Gang headline Ovation Hall at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City on Saturday night.

The iconic Jersey City ensemble has been making hits for nearly 60 years, with singles such as “Ladies Night,” “Get Down On It,” “Hollywood Swinging” and “Jungle Boogie” defining the sound of good times for generations.

They released their most recent single, “Let’s Party,” in October.

Go: Kool and the Gang, 8 p.m. Saturday, Ovation Hall, Ocean Casino Resort, 500 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, tickets starting at $35; theoceanac.com.

Here are some other things to do at the Jersey Shore and beyond this weekend:

Billy Strings brings the party to AC

Grammy-winning psychedelic bluegrass superstar Billy Strings will be making himself at home in Jersey this weekend.

Strings headlines Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

A spellbinding, genre-defying live show has found Strings a devout fanbase, as he crafts ever-unpredictable two-set affairs.

Strings and top-shelf string band, with the power of some good ol' acoustic instruments and expert playing, combine past, present and future into an undeniably awesome now — one foot on Earth and another in the cosmos.

Go: Billy Strings, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, $49 to $69; hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com.

Love is in the Air in Asbury Park

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but love is still in the air in Asbury Park.

QSpot LGBT Community Center will welcome “Love is in the Air Bingo” on Saturday night. The event will be hosted by Jason “Bea” Schmidt, the Bea Arthur-inspired performer from drag troupe the Golden Gays.

Go: Love is in the Air Bingo, 6 p.m. Saturday, QSpot LGBT Community Center, 1601 Asbury Ave., Asbury Park, $20; qspot.org.

The Ones You Forgot celebrate new album at Icarus Brewing

Jersey pop-rockers The Ones You Forgot celebrate the release of their new EP, “Time Trials,” with a show at Icarus Brewing Company in Lakewood on Saturday.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with Idle Wave kicking off the show at 5 p.m., followed by Poeta at 6:30 and then The Ones You Forgot at 8 p.m.

To commemorate the release, Icarus will release the tasting room exclusive beer Live for the Juice at noon on Saturday. The beer is an 8% ABV Imperial India Pale Ale with Lulpulin Columbus, Citra and Lupulin Mosaic hops.

Go: The Ones You Forgot EP release party, 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Icarus Brewing Company, 1790 Swathmore Ave., Lakewood.

Oscar nominated shorts in Asbury Park, Spring Lake

Want to be the person at your Oscar night party who’s actually seen every nominated film? Then you need to check out this year’s selection of celebrated shorts, and you have a few opportunities to do so in Monmouth County.

The ShowRoom Cinema in Asbury Park hosts screenings of the nominated live action, documentary and animated shorts starting Friday, with tickets currently on sale through next Sunday, Feb. 26, via showroomcinemas.com.

The Lighthouse International Film Society and the Spring Lake Theatre present this year’s live action shorts on Friday and documentary shorts on Saturday at the Spring Lake Community House and Theatre.

Go: The ShowRoom Cinema, 707 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park, with screenings starting Friday, $15 per block of films; showroomcinemas.com.

Also: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Spring Lake Community House and Theatre, 300 Madison Ave., $12 in advance and $15 at the door per night, $20 in advance and $25 at the door for a two-night package; lighthouseff.com.

'Wait Until Dark' at the Algonquin

Things are getting tense in Manasquan.

The classic Frederick Knot thriller "Wait Until Dark" plays the Algonquin Arts Theatre in town starting Saturday, with performances through Sunday, Feb. 26.

"Wait Until Dark" is the edge-of-your-seat story of a blind woman trying to survive an invasion by three nefarious men in her New York City apartment. The play was famously adapted into an Oscar-nominated 1967 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin, and had a 1998 Broadway revival with Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino.

Go: "Wait Until Dark," 8 p.m. Saturday, Algonquin Arts Theatre, 60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, running through Sunday, Feb. 26, $35, $32 for seniors, $26 for students; algonquinarts.org.

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'The Chef' at Middletown Arts Center

The Middletown Arts Center, in collaboration with the Dunbar Repertory Company, celebrates Black History Month with the world premiere production of "The Chef," written by Larry Americ Allen and directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis Sr.

The spirited romantic novel play will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Feb. 24 to 26. A Meet the Playwright and a “Talk Back” Q&A session will take place directly after the 4 p.m. Sunday performance.

"The Chef" delves into the premise of “inner and outer” beauty through shy and introverted Halo, a man so unappealing to the eye that the world rejects him. However, he has a magical gift for baking and cooking. His food is so profound that it has the power to heal people — and so delicious that people levitate and have sensual experiences while consuming his food.

Go: "The Chef," Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Feb. 24 to 26. Middletown Arts Center, 36 Church St., $20; 732-706-4110 or middletownarts.org.

Raritan Bay Guitar Repair presents guitar show in Lakewood

Raritan Bay Guitar Repair, with locations in Toms River and Freehold, presents a Presidents Day Weekend Guitar Show on Saturday at the Calvary Lighthouse Church gym in Lakewood.

New, used and vintage guitars, amplifiers, basses, pedals and more instruments and gear will be available.

Go: Raritan Bay Guitar presents Presidents Day Weekend Guitar Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Calvary Lighthouse Church gym, 1133 East County Line Road, Lakewood, $10 ($2 off with a guitar), $5 for children ages 8 to 17, free for kids ages 7 and younger; repairguitar.com.

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Fur-free fashion show

The Humane Society of the United States wants you to know that high fashion is possible without any harm to any animals.

HeART in Motion Studio in Ridgewood is hosting a fur-free fashion show organized by the Humane Society on Friday evening. The night will be a showcase of cruelty-free designs, with an after-party to follow.

“The future is increasingly fur-free between consumers demand for more humane products, and designers continuing to make the pledge to utilize more sustainable materials,” said Elissa Frank, New Jersey state director for the Humane Society of the United States, in a statement. “This show will demonstrate that you do not need to use animal materials to create designs which showcase the heart of what fashion truly is — art.”

Go: Fur-free fashion show, 6:30 p.m. at HeART in Motion Studio, 17 Chestnut St., Ridgewood, with after-party to follow; facebook.com/HSUSNewJersey.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Kool and the Gang, Billy Strings play Atlantic City