The first day of summer comes Friday, and Ocean City is ready for another great season in 2025. What better way to start the summer than with the Beach Boys?
The legendary band will open the 32nd season of the popular Boardwalk Summer Concert Series at the Ocean City Music Pier with four shows on June 23 and June 24. The concerts come on the heels of the passing of band founder Brian Wilson last Wednesday, and they offer a chance to pay tribute to the beloved singer, songwriter and producer.
“Brian Wilson has not performed as a part of The Beach Boys for many years and was not a part of their lineup for live tour dates,” concert promoter Bob Rose said. “We are saddened by the loss of this musical icon, and are grateful to have these opportunities in Ocean City to celebrate his legacy and songwriting brilliance with founding member Mike Love and the rest of The Beach Boys.”
The Beach Boys return to the Music Pier for the fifth summer after sold-out shows in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2024. Founding member Mike Love and Bruce Johnston will be joined by newer bandmates in performing the Beach Boys classics that have been part of the soundtrack of summers for more than six decades.
The shows are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 23; and 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24. Tickets are still available online through etix.com. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase by cash or check at the Ocean City Music Pier Box Office.
Two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will be featured in the opening concert of the 2025 Ocean City Pops summer season on Sunday, June 22.
Dubbed “the last leading man” by the New York Times, Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. He received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in “Kiss Me, Kate.” He also gave Tony-nominated performances in “Man of La Mancha,” August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” and “Ragtime.” His other notable Broadway shows include “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Jelly’s Last Jam,” “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and “Shuffle Along.”
In 2016, he was awarded his second Tony Award, the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony, for his charitable work with The Actors Fund. That same year, Stokes was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.
The show will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Ocean City Music Pier, and tickets are on sale online at oceancityvacation.com/box-office or in-person at the Ocean City Music Pier Box Office and at welcome centers in town.
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Ocean City’s annual Health, Fitness & Wellness Expo is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday (June 21) at the Ocean City Music Pier. The free event features health food, fitness classes, speakers, vendors and more. Stop by and learn more about staying fit for the summer.
The schedule is as follows:
- 8-8:50 a.m.: Chakra Yoga with Sound Healing (free class)
- 9:30-9:50 a.m.: Athleisure Fashion Show
- 10-10:30 a.m.: Functional Mobility Stretch (free class)
- 11-11:45 a.m.: Body Combat (free class)
The Antique Auto Show with more than 300 vintage vehicles will be on display from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (June 21) on the Ocean City Tabernacle grounds (Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue) then move to the Boardwalk for a parade. For more information, visit jerseycape.aaca.com.
The 8th annual Skato for Kato Contest on Saturday (June 21) at the Ocean City Skate Park (Fifth Street and Asbury Avenue) will be held in memory of the beloved rescue dog Kato and raise money for the Humane Society of Ocean City. Registration opens at 2 p.m. and the competition starts at 3 p.m. The Sheckies and Honey I’m Homeless will perform live music. This event had originally been scheduled for June 7 but was postponed due to the weather.
ARTS CENTER CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH WITH ONE-WOMAN SHOW
The Ocean City Arts Center will present Debra Mims in a one-woman show, “My Grandmother Told Me: A Tribute to African American Women,” at 6 p.m. Friday, June 20, in the Chris Maloney Lecture Hall of the Ocean City Public Library (1735 Simpson Avenue). The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are suggested and can be made online at oceancityartscenter.org or by calling 609-399-7628.
The event celebrates and commemorates Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the slaves in Galveston, Texas, two-and-one-half years after its pronouncement. This is a family-friendly event.
Actress and storyteller Debra Mims transforms into Grandmother Sally Kathryn Mims, who is searching through an old trunk in her attic. Each item she pulls out sparks a memory of days past and of courageous Black women and their struggles to be free, to vote, and to get an education.Using monologues, poetry, and song, Debra leads the audience in this highly interactive walk through important parts of America’s history. There are tales of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, the Juneteenth Celebration and many other stories Grandmother Sally will share with the audience.
This program is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
JITNEY SERVICE STARTS DAILY RUNS ON FRIDAY
Ocean City’s seasonal jitney service to the Boardwalk will run 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily beginning on Friday, June 20.
Jitneys run in a continuous loop from 55th Street to North Street. Jitney fare is $3 one-way, payable by cash. Drivers can provide change. Children ages 5 and under ride free.
Designated jitney stops along the route are marked with small, green “Jitney” signs with an accompanying QR code that links to the jitney surfer app. The app tracks the location of approaching jitneys in real time. A map and more information are available at ocnj.us/jitney.
MORE JUNE EVENTS
JUNE 29 – Ocean City Pop’s Opening Night Jukebox: Maestro Vince Lee will take you on a whirlwind tour of the wide variety of genres that the Pops is famous for. Show is at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Pier. Tickets available atoceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.
JUNE 30 – Killer Queen: A premier tribute to the music of Queen begins at 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available at etix.com.
