OCEAN CITY, Md. - Talks of a three-day-long festival format for 2027 are bringing music to the ears of local businesses.
Susan Jones, the Director of OCMD Hospitality Association says this change has been talked about for a while within her board. She says her board is made up of hotel and restaurant owners and management.
“We talk about the festivals a lot, and what we were hearing was that potentially we would get back to the three-day format,” she says. “That is fantastic news. It gives people a reason to come to our city. We need events. We need festivals. We need sporting events. We need to give people a reason to come.”
This comes after the Oceans Calling festival was cancelled due to the Nor’Easter that hit the town. Additionally, the Country Calling festival lasted two days this year, and Boardwalk Rock did not return this year due to “a variety of challenges,” according to Ocean City officials.
Will Wangel, the CEO of Sea Rocket Adventures, recalls how business went this year compared to previous ones.
“It was a little bit off this year I think, mainly due to weather,” he says. “The weather's been very good for Country Calling the last two years. We've been very busy for it. I think all the businesses would greatly appreciate that three days instead of two days.”
William Theis is the General Manager at Dolle’s Candyland on S. Atlantic Ave. He says he thinks the dates of the festivals should be moved to avoid cancellations and bring more business.
“We've been discussing that with the owners here and just spitballing around,” he says. “Obviously it's not on us or anything, but we've come to the same conclusion that mid-summer or beginning of the summer would be definitely a little bit better than towards the end here.
As of today, Boardwalk Rock is the only festival with confirmed dates, running from May 14th through the 16th.
