I'll be honest with this, the cost to get into Island Beach versus the cost of getting your family day passes to the Seaside Heights beach is incredibly cheap.
We have a lot of beautiful beaches here in New Jersey, but according to one published report, only one of them is among the best secret beaches in America.
The festival in Barnegat Bay is held at Tices Shoal near Island Beach State Park. It can only be accessed by boat and floatable device as parking at the state park is discouraged.