Jersey City has spent years quietly earning its nickname, close enough to Manhattan to borrow the skyline, far enough away to actually get a parking spot.
Turns out the locals aren’t just settling either.
A 2026 WalletHub analysis ranked Jersey City 31st out of 182 major US cities for overall happiness, scoring especially well for emotional and physical wellness, proof that the self-proclaimed “Sixth Borough” has plenty going for it beyond its skyline views.
This December, it’s giving New Yorkers a genuinely good reason to hop the PATH train and see what all the fuss is about, and it’s got nothing to do with rent prices.
The city is hosting the next installment of Candlelight, the global concert series known for staging string quartet performances entirely by candlelight, and this time it’s inspired by two of the 2010s’ biggest bands, all set inside a glass-walled venue with one of the best views of Manhattan you’ll ever pay for.
9 October 2026 20:30 + more dates
These are all the details you need to know about booking the show of the year before it sells out.
The room with the view
The show is landing at the Sky Room, a venue perched on the campus of Saint Peter’s University, the only Jesuit university in New Jersey and a school that’s called Jersey City home for over 150 years.
Its defining feature is a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that turns the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline into a permanent backdrop.
No screens, no projections, just the actual city lit up behind the performers as the sun goes down.
It’s a fitting stage, honestly.
Jersey City’s original name under Dutch colonial rule was Pavonia, meaning “Land of the Peacock,” a detail so central to the area’s identity that Saint Peter’s later adopted the peacock as its own mascot.
Centuries later, that same patch of land is hosting a concert dressed up in candlelight and colored glow, with the city it once bordered glittering in the window like a backdrop nobody had to build.
What actually happens inside
Candlelight concerts have quietly become one of the most reliable date-night formats in the country, staged everywhere from the Eiffel Tower to Niagara Falls, and this one follows the same blueprint that’s made the series a hit worldwide: thousands of flickering candles, a professional string quartet, and a curated setlist that swaps out orchestral originals for radio-ready hits.
For this show, that means a set stacked with crowd favorites from two of the 2010s’ biggest bands, performed by the Highline String Quartet, a New York ensemble known for reworking pop anthems into string arrangements.
Expect the lineup to move through both bands’ biggest moments, including:
- Coldplay’s “Clocks,” “Fix You,” “The Scientist,” and “Viva la Vida”
- Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” “Believer,” “Thunder,” and “Bad Liar”
The full show clocks in around 60 minutes, with doors opening an hour before showtime so you’ve got time to actually take in that view before the lights dim.
Getting there from NYC
Here’s the part that makes this one worth the trip: Saint Peter’s University sits just a short ride from Manhattan via PATH train, with Journal Square station roughly 20 minutes from the city depending on your starting point.
No car, no bridge traffic, no searching for parking near the Lincoln Tunnel, just a quick train ride into a part of Jersey City most Manhattanites have never actually stepped foot in.
Tickets are available now through Fever, with seating assigned first-come, first-served within each pricing zone, so it’s worth booking early if you want a spot closer to the quartet.
The show is slated right now for a December 11th date, meaning it’s the perfect thing to squeeze into all of your holiday happenings that time of year!