Crowds flock to the NJ boardwalk: 'We just want to have some fun'

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (PIX11) -- On a Friday, a few days before Memorial Day brought some gloomy skies, the vibes are high on the boardwalk ahead of another holiday weekend. 

"I came here because my daughter, she wanted to come with her friends," said Kathy from Caldwell. 

"We're going to be in Point Pleasant, on the boardwalk, and all around the shore," said Isabella from Jacksonville, FL. 

"The beach and all the arcades and everything like that, we just want to have some fun," said Ashley from Toms River. 

Whether it's locals or Katelyn Bindel from Maryland, Seaside's vast holiday weekend crowds are as consistent as the waves on the beach.

"I think just discovering Jersey," said Bindel. "I've never been to the shore, so this is my first time."

As Bindel gets her first taste of the Jersey Shore, it's not all that unfamiliar to her compared to her beach town in her native Maryland. 

"It reminds me of Ocean City, so it's good vibes," she said. 

Just off the boardwalk, Little Mia's Pizza is cranking out 100 pies on Friday alone, ready for another summer to arrive.

"That's when we get so busy," said owner Jose Rivera. "We have to be ready for the Summertime."

One thing visitors should take note of ahead of the weekend: like many other shore towns, Seaside Heights will have a curfew in effect for those under 18.

"If they act properly and they want to be upstanding citizens and not cause a problem then we're going to be very lenient," said Police Chief Tom Boyd. 

Minors won't be allowed out from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Boyd says police have also been working to shut down pop-up parties before they happen, and they'll have assistance from the State Police, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, and the FBI on the boardwalk this weekend.

"You come down, we just want everyone to have a good time," said Boyd. "We're not looking to bust anyone's chops. But if you do something that is against the law, we're going to come down on you like a hammer."