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The #1 Guide to Ocean’s Calling Concert Goers- Know Before You Go

The second annual Ocean’s Calling Music Festival in Ocean City, Maryland is just two weeks away! Here are seven tips guaranteed to make your concert experience everything you wanted and more.

1
Secure and Activate Your Wristband Now

oceans calling festival 2024 wristbands and info card
When you get your Oceans Calling 2024 wristbands in the mail, be sure to register them with your credit card to go cashless at the Oceans Calling Festival.

Wristbands have been mailed out to all ticket-holders.  Once you have them, be sure you go to the Oceans Calling site to register them.  If you didn’t get tickets before they sold out, there are still tickets available through the “Verified Resale” links on the Oceans Calling website.

Wristbands are NOT transferable

Wristbands are not transferrable from person-to-person and there’s a $20 cost to replace it if lost. Slide your wristband on ahead of time and secure it tightly so it doesn’t slip off. It’s your ticket into the concert and must be scanned on the way out as well. No exceptions!

Add Your Credit Card to Go Cashless with your Wristband

Cashless is the way to go in this type of venue. Register your wristband here and add your credit card so that you don’t need to worry about lugging your wallet out each time you want to purchase something. Ocean’s Calling is also offering a $10 credit for the first 2,000 people who activate their wrist band with a Chase credit card!

Here’s how to register for Cashless:

  1. Activate your wristband and register your account with your Chase credit/debit card, or any other credit/debit card. Then set a required PIN for security.
  2. During the festival, order at any food, drink, merch, or vendor and let them know you’re paying with your wristband.
  3. Tap your wristband, enter your PIN, and you’re done!

If you do not register your wristband, cash is still an option for payments.

2
Plan How to Get There

Ocean’s Calling and the By Hopper? The perfect concert pairing. Go online for reservations.

Getting to and from the concert safely is Ocean City’s number one priority. Ocean City offers various routes of transportation to do just that.  Remember, the doors open to the festival grounds every day at noon and the music starts every day at 12:30 pm.

3
Land Transportation

Ocean City Beach Bus
The Ocean City Beach Bus will be shuttling people to the festival area throughout Oceans Calling.

All you need to navigate the buses, parking lots,  and other land transportation is the Oceans Calling Festival 2024:  Parking & Transportation Guide.  Remember, that “Ocean City is a barrier island with only three ways on and off the island.  This means during special events that attract large amounts of visitors to the island; it’s a given that there are significant traffic and crowd issues.”

George Peake, the Director of Transportation for the Town of Ocean City offers some tips and insight:

Using our bus system:

    • Due to major residential developments surrounding our north bus station parking is VERY limited in the area
    • Public Parking at 100th Street near the library fills up fast
    • Convention Center parking is free, and we will be focusing on transporting people from these lots until they are full
    • The Coastal Highway bus service runs 6AM to 3AM next day; on a daily basis
    • We are running a shuttle service from/to Park “N’ Ride in west OC and it has free parking.  This shuttle will operate during the hours of 6AM to 1AM next day during the concerts
    • Many will use the outlet mall parking as an overflow
    • We will be selling bus tickets, including multi-day tickets at the Park ‘N’ Ride facility
    • For Oceans Calling I have 165 bus deployments scheduled during the three day event; and for Country’s Calling, (a two day event), 100

Coming from over the Route 50 Bridge? Frontier Town also offers a shuttle that runs approximately every 2 hours. In addition, the bus station just outside of town across from the outlets will be coming in over the bridge as well.

4
Water Transportation

Saltwater Adventures Ocean City, Maryland taxi Ocean's Calling
Captain Tony will get you to Ocean’s Calling by water! No reservations required.

The OC Bay Hopper is offering rides via water from various locations. You must make reservations.

In addition, Saltwater Adventures is also offering a boat taxi service to and from Ocean’s Calling. They will be picking up from the public boat ramp in West Ocean City and dropping off at The Angler Restaurant. Running from 8:30am- midnight or just after all 3 days. Captain Tony recommends having breakfast at The Angler right there on the water. No reservations are required for shuttle services by Saltwater Adventures.

The Salty Siren will be transporting people from West Ocean City, next to Pier 23 to a spot near White Marlin Marina. They also offer a cash bar on the way to and from the concert. Reservations are required for these types of transportation. Click the links to find more information.

5
How Can Your Hotel Help?

Several hotels will be offering shuttle services from the hotel to a specific drop off point down by the concert. The Residence Inn is offering a shuttle service for their guests to get to and from the concert. Ask your hotel if they’re offering shuttle services or if there’s a bus stop near by.

6
Label Your Bicycle

bikes at oceans calling
Bring your own lock to secure your bike on the provided racks just north of the entrance to the concert.

If you were there last year, you know what I mean. Hundreds of bicycles are neatly lined up on bike racks that the city provides just north of the concert entrance. If you want to find your bicycle fast, make it visibly different than all the others. Make sure to bring your own locks and only use the offered bike racks. Bicycle is by far one of the safest and quickest ways to get to and from Ocean’s Calling.

Safety Note: If you do chose to cycle down to the concert, please be mindful of vehicle traffic and stay in bicycle lanes when you can. Traffic lights and cross walks are to be followed. 

7
Bring Only Necessities

Michael Franti & Spearhead by Taylor Regulski for Oceans Calling 2023_TLR_4251
Being a minimalist allows for you to have more fun without the hassle of lugging things around.

Who wants to lug around a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Bring only the bare necessities- wrist band to get in, phone to take all the selfies, and keys to get yourself back in your house. Blankets are allowed for concert goers to spread out in the sand and you can always tie your sweatshirt around your waist. (If you register your wristband with your credit card as mentioned above, it’s one less thing to carry.)

Making sure to bring your cell phone is an important step in preparing for Ocean’s Calling. In case of important announcements, concert goers will be able to receive information quickly via various news outlets.

If you are bringing in a bag, smaller ones (6″by 9″ or smaller) are allowed. If it’s a larger bag (12″x6″x12″) it must be clear.

8
Plan a Meet Up Spot Before Hand

These friends planned a meet up at the big french fry bucket! And loo how happy they are to have found one another.

There are charging stations set up for cellphones, but we all know no one wants to stand there and wait. If your cellphone does die, have a planned meet up spot for you and your friends to go to in case you can’t get ahold of each other.

9
Food Options

food vendors for oceans calling 2024

There is a lot of food from the Boardwalk shops which are all inside the footprint of the Oceans Calling Festival for 2024.  There are also food vendors on the beach by the stages.

10
Get Hyped Up!

Ocean's Calling Spotify Playlist Official Playlist
Get on to Spotify and relearn the words to some of your favorite bands like Blink 182 and OAR!

If you have Spotify, search up Ocean’s Calling 2024! They’ve uploaded an official playlist for you to practice your singing on the drive down to Ocean City!

11
Plan to Have a Good Time While Also Being Responsible

Peach Pit rocked out in 2023 at Ocean’s Calling.

We all want to have a good time. Everyone wants to sing along to their favorite band, eat some great food, have a few drinks (or not). The most important thing is that everyone has a good time while also being safe. OceanCity.com wishes everyone a great concert and we can’t wait to see everyone there.

 

Katie Ruskey
Katie Ruskeyhttp://kruskeyauthor.com
Katie Ruskey is a local author, splitting her time between Baltimore and Ocean City. Her debut fiction novel, Marlin Week, was released in August 2022 based on three captains that fish in the infamous White Marlin Open. Her first children's book, The A B Seas of Ocean City, Maryland takes young readers on a tour of OC. For more information on how to purchase her books, visit her website www.kruskeyauthor.com or follow her on IG/FB at Katherine Ruskey Author.

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