The Weekend the Music Roared

Boardwalk Rock

This past weekend, the inaugural Boardwalk Rock Fest event came storming into Ocean City as a two-day music event on May 17^th and 18^th.  The event footprint was located on the southern end of Ocean City and boardwalk, and for the most part replicated the other popular Live Nation events, Oceans Calling and Country Calling.  This year’s event sold out at 55,000!  So now that we are a short time after this event, let’s recap some of items that worked well and some that needed improving.

Below are some of our findings based on observations while attending each of the two days, speaking with festival attendees, monitoring Face Book comments, and getting feedback from several business owners inside and outside of the festival grounds.  

So, Who Attended?

Similar to past Live Nation events in Ocean City there was many groups; from seasoned music festival people to those who had never been to an all day, multi day event. Most were from out of town, as one would expect; from other parts of Maryland, the region and the country.  There were a number of attendees that had come to the previous Live Nation OC events, had a good experience, and opted to return for Boardwalk Rock.  Many first-time attendees had heard positive feedback from past OC Live Nation events and came to experience themselves. 

For the past two Oceans Calling events held in 2023 and 2024, it was stated by the promoter that attendees came from every state in the nation. Even with this large influx of out of towners, we did see many OC area locals.

What Did Attendees Think of the Boardwalk Rock 2025?

Overall, most attendees enjoyed this event.  All attendees arrived in good spirits and planned to have a good time over the full two days.  For the most part, attendees were respectful towards each other, even given tight personal space at times.

The Friday afternoon prior to this event, some strong storms and rain came through the Ocean City area with local forecasters stating chances of similar weather for Saturday, the event’s first day. 

Saturday’s weather turned out to be warm and sunny.

Sunday’s weather turned out even better with temperatures slightly cooler, but less humidity.  

Both were excellent days for festival goers and first-time visitors to experience Ocean City and this first time Boardwalk Rock event.

The Highs

The music!

Who could not be impressed by the quality and diversity of the music?  Twenty-eight bands played over these two full days.  There were a few changes of bands made prior to the event, but all worked out well.  The headlines included Def Leppard, Halestorm, Bush, Rob Zombie, Nickelback, Shinedown, Three Days Grace, and Bret Michaels.  Alice Cooper (77 years old!) provided a strong performance of music and stage theatrics. 

Here’s the full list of the band, dates they performed, and times that they performed on each stage.

Our OceanCity.com writer and photographer, Katie Ruskey provided a well written synopsis of both days’ music performances and excellent close up pictures in her two articles.  So we would like to share them below.  Just click on the day to open the article.

Saturday.  Boardwalk Rock Day 1 article

Sunday:  Boardwalk Rock Day 2 article

The Festival Set-Up

The event set up was similar to previous Live Nation concerts in Ocean City.  The three stages (Thunder, Bolt and Lightning) were located to allow proper sound distancing from each other and physical separation of crowds. The set up with the ocean and inlet backdrops, the wide beach, and nearby Boardwalk, brought together all the best attributes that make Ocean City so special to so many. This layout allowed thousands to flow from event to event. This year’s crowd was very large but traffic flow between music events seemed to work well.

A notable revision was the entrance gates for the event.  The main entrance from the Boardwalk by N. Division Street had less gates than the previous 2024 events.  However, additional entrance gates were added to several of the side streets to increase points of access and ease for festival goers.  Theoretically, this seemed logical, but referencing the quote from Robert Burns, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  More on these entrance lines to come below.

Other festival revisions included a larger VIP area near the Thunder stage, reconfigured GA+ area, just south of the pier, revised VIP area near the Bolt Stage, some changes to the beverage serving areas, less vendors, and changes to the restroom placements.  The event did resolve an issue raised by many from last year by adding access to the boardwalk on the south side of the Lighting stage.  I believe a large improvement at the Lighting Stage was the removal of the enclosure on the stage’s east side which really opened visibility to many more attendees.  The event plan appeared much better suited for moving attendees around with less sponsor tents and better pathways. 

The dedicated beach towels/blanket areas was an addition added last year and seemed to work well again. These areas were located in the rear of the listening areas and marked with signs.  If one may recall from the 2023, event people were claiming space closer to the stage by laying out their territorial towels and blankets which did cause some conflict with other attendees.

The Festival Amenities

As in the past Live Nation OC events provided hydration stations, ample restroom facilities (with flushing toilets) charging stations for cell phones, lockers, ADA viewing areas, free rides at the Jolly Roger Amusements on the OC Pier, first aid tents, and more.

Food and drink

As in the past Live Nation events offered a wide assortment of both food and drink options at this year’s event. Some of the prices may have appeared high but not so unaffordable when you think of prices at other comparable, large events.

There was a great selection of food choices near the music venues, including Brazen Brats, Get Baked Stuffed Pretzels, Hot Box Wraps, Lobster Rolls & More, Nacho Mama, Taco Girl and more. The lines at these food and drink stands were often not long, depending on the time of day, but for the most part they moved fairly well.

Participation of Boardwalk businesses

The involvement of the businesses located south of North Division Street was crucial to the success of last year’s inaugural event and also for this year. The southern end of the boardwalk contains many of the iconic businesses that Ocean City regular visitors come to expect: Dolle’s Candyland, Fisher’s Popcorn, Dumsers Dairyland ice cream, Dough Roller pizza, Candy Kitchen, and more. In addition, festival goers were also able to visit some of the popular downtown bars on and off the boardwalk that enhanced the festival experience and also enlarged the financial impact of the event to many more.  

One could easily see the positive impact on the bars and restaurants that were inside the festival footprint.   A little further walk southwards on the boardwalk brought event attendees to Harrison’s HarborWatch Restaurant and Raw Bar and The Wedge bar with some of the best water views in Ocean City; the Ocean City Inlet, bay and Assateague State Park.   Many attendees also frequented The Bar, Ocean City’s second oldest bar (1940).

These eateries and bar establishments being in the festival footprint were a vital supplement the event vendors.  Their inclusion in the festival footprint, again allowed attendees to be able to have the full Ocean City experience.  More importantly, their inclusion provided much of the community and business support to this second-year event. 

Here are several select comments from downtown businesses:

Businesses inside the footprint:

Kevin Gibbs, owner of Dough Roller Restaurant – “The Boardwalk Rock Event was a success for all of Ocean City and the kick off to another great summer at the Beach’    The festival impacted my business by providing me a great event for not only profits after the long slow winter and spring but also an opportunity to train new staff before summer.    The weather really helped have a great successful festival and those extra hours of sunlight really helped ” 

Anna Dolle, President of Dolle’s Candyland – “This weekend was certainly a success, with Sunday being the best day of the weekend. Monday morning, we welcomed loads of customers that squeezed their shopping in before heading out of town.”

Businesses outside the footprint:

Wendy Dibuo, Crawl Street Tavern – “We could not be happier. After a long and cold winter, Boardwalk Rock gave Crawl Street Tavern a huge jumpstart to the 2025 summer season.”

Nick Tekmen, Gateway Hotel and Suites – “The Boardwalk Rock Music Festival had a tremendous positive impact on local businesses and Ocean City residents. The influx of visitors significantly boosted the local economy, especially for hospitality, retail, and food service sectors. Residents also enjoyed a unique opportunity to experience world-renowned artists performing right in their hometown, creating a sense of pride and community excitement. The event not only enhanced Ocean City’s cultural appeal but also extended the tourism season, laying the groundwork for future economic and social benefits.”

Greg Shockley, Shenanigan’s Irish Pub and Grille – “Boardwalk rock treated us great.  Each of c3 events have a different flavor and demographics.  All three bring big crowds with a significant number of first-time visitors.  It is a great event that is well managed by all involved.”

Entrance and re-entrance gates 

As previously mentioned, the entrance gate plan was revised to allow for less gates at the main Boardwalk entrance and new entrance gates on the side streets leading into the event.  This sounded like a logical plan to help spread out the entrances and avoid congestion.  However, on the first day, most attendees followed the boardwalk to the main gate and stayed in the long line rather than heading to the southern entrances.  Given the nice weather and high spirits to arrive early to see more performances, things got backed up very fast.  The lines extended to 10^th Street along the boardwalk!  As the gates opened, the line did move, but many people waited 30 to 60 minutes to enter the festival grounds.  Not the best way to start one’s day. 

Other than the first arrivals time at noon, accessibility to enter and leave the event was generally very easy, especially during non-peak times.   The ease of re-entry allowed attendees to also visit the nearby downtown businesses and eateries outside of the event footprint.  The event was proactive in informing attendees of the very specific bag and item regulations, which was very helpful on the front-end.

Security

The event sponsors and the Town of Ocean City did a good job in making sure the event was safe. Security personnel inside and outside of the perimeter were visible and friendly.  As with previous Live Nation events, given even this large crowd, I did not see or hear of any confrontations.  As stated previously, the attendees seemed very flexible, cooperative and pleased to be at this event.

Cleanliness

Last year’s event was well maintained for the most part, but cleanliness was acceptable.  Trash bags were regularly changed along the Boardwalk and beach area although overflowing trash cans could be seen regularly.  The local Go Green OC volunteers collected the empty aluminum cans for recycling were very visible throughout the event.  And even collected for its compost containers.

The public restrooms brought in for the event were like luxury port a pots with flushing toilets compared with other public events.  However, there a few some complaints with cleanliness and some not flushing.  This year’s event seemed to have more complaints than the past events.  Several noted the hand sanitizers did run out of fluid as the day went on. 

Bus Service

The Town of Ocean City transportation people knew moving thousands of people throughout the day and evening going to be challenging.  More buses were used than last year.  So many attendees arrived for the event at noontime (opening time) on Saturday, that the bus system appeared to be overwhelmed.  As was expected, the peak times of use were at the early concerts and later evenings as the headliner was finishing up.  Mid-day travelers to and from the event did not have a problem.   As we stated last year, if you were staying or parked within three miles of the event it was probably easier to walk than wait for buses or ride share options. 

Bicycles

To many, including myself, biking was the way to get to the event.  The bike racks located near 1^st Street for this event were often full, which was a good sign on the use of bikes.  Although many rode their bikes back to their hotel room and residential units after dark, the use of bike lights on one’s bikes for safety visibility would have been better, but the boardwalk is lighted.  Of course, with the great number of pedestrians on the boardwalk during the end of the night, biking did becoming challenging.  Many used the side streets and alleys paralleling the boardwalk, of which are not lighted very well. 

Other transportation modes:

• Personal vehicles. Many ventured to drive to the downtown area to this event. Public parking filled up quickly and parking lots were charging $100 per space in the south end.  The downtown churches were asking customers for a recommended donation to park on their property.   Of course, if one waited to the end of the headliner performances, which ended about 11 pm each night, they would expect to sit in traffic for quite a while.  Earlier departees fared much better in driving back to their nightly accommodations.
• Ride sharing options – The main spot for these users was at the public parking lot at Baltimore Avenue and 4^th But others were catching rides at other locations, too. 
• Water transportation – there were several area boat providers who “taxied” attendees to and from the event for a specific fee. OC Bayhopper, a local water taxi and water cruise company, stated that it transported many people for this event over the two days.  According to OC Bayhopper’s owner, Steve Butz, “Other than Sunday evening, where we had to cancel our northbound service to 118th Street and Ocean Pines because of high winds/seas, things ran very smoothly… We transported thousands of people over the 2 days.”    Captain Tony Battista from Saltwater Adventures Water Taxi Stated they carried in between 500-550 people each day from West Ocean City. Eighty percent of these people were staying in the hotels and camps grounds in West Ocean.  Capt. Tony also provided bus service so they could leave their cars at the hotels.

• Walking – Scores of event attendees walked from various points in Ocean City as well as from the west (over the Route 50 Bridge). They planned to stay in area hotels and residential units within a specific walking proximity.  Others walked a distance back to their parked vehicles. 

One attendee suggested, as a walker to these events, that it would be nice for the
Town of Ocean City to keep the Boardwalk restrooms at 9^th Street open later than 11 pm.  The final night’s performance ended at 11 pm and by the time these thousands of walkers were heading up the boardwalk back home or to hotel rooms, an open public restroom along this major pedestrian way is a necessity. 

This year’s Primary Concern

Crowding 

The number one complaint raised by many attendees this year was the number of people at this event.  As previously stated, there were 55,000 tickets sold.  This was the same number of tickets sold as the 2024 Oceans Calling event. 

For first time attendees to these big concerts, the large crowds can be intimidating.  For returning event attendees they may have been more accepting.  It seemed by later Saturday and Sunday of this two-day event people were figuring out the process.  If one wished to get very close to the stages, they should arrive to the stage early or even just remain at one stage for several musicians.  For those not looking to go deep into the crowds, staying back further from the stage was preferable, knowing that you may have to watch much of the performance on the large screens at each stage but content to listen to the live music.  For the “blanket people” they seemed content laying back, enjoying the nice weather, and just listening to the music.  A popular location, though distant, was watching the two large stages from the OC fishing pier. 

Other topics

Cell phone reception 

For the 2023 Ocean Calling event the poor cell phone reception and lack of Wi-Fi was a major complaint and concern for many.  Over the past two years the event providers improved the telecommunications service with the addition of mobile units.  As expected, service was more challenging as the larger music events occurred.  Reception was improved by moving to select spots along the boardwalk and away from the stages and crowds.

Conclusion

Overall, from an attendee perspective and also from an economic perspective, this Boardwalk Rock festival was successful.  The music was exceptional.  The amenities, beverage and food services were very good. 

For concerns about the large crowds, word will continue to travel that for those attending these future events one should expect over 50,000 people.   Those that don’t mind dealing with crowds and lines will feel the music and other amenities are worth it.  Last year Oceans Calling had similar attendance figures and people returned and sold-out Boardwalk Rock. 

As Yogi Berra’s famous statement, “Nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it gets too crowded.” The same applies to these concerts.  Hope to see you in the fall for Oceans Calling.

Event Survey

After this event, ticket purchasers should have received a survey from Boardwalk Rock asking for input.  The survey is long but easy to complete.  It included questions about your experience at the festival, arrival and departure experience, favorite group, artists you wish to see next year, feelings on personal security, directional signage, expenditures for food/drink/apparel, ticket pricing, and more.  We believe the Live Nation’s people are listening, so please complete.  It was evident that some adjustments were made from last year.