Bradley Beach is a quiet Shore retreat, but when Lobsterfest rolls into town each year for one summer weekend, the boardwalk booms. The 2014 event attracted some 30,000 attendees, nearly nine times Bradley’s year-round population, which hovers around 4,300.

Lobsterfest sprawls along the Bradley Beach boardwalk, a walkway of honeycomb-shaped paving stones. (Admission and activities are free, but food and beverages must be bought.) With more than 100 food and craft vendors, it’s a hive of activity.