Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. will hold his “The Future Is Ours” Inaugural Gala on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The gala will headline a star-studded weekend and feature appearances by surprise celebrity guests from the world of entertainment.
The gala will be held from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Seminole Ballroom. A VIP reception will precede the event from 7 to 8 p.m. , also at the Hard Rock, with a guest appearance from Whoopi Goldberg.
Tickets are priced at $300 for the gala and after party, and $50 just for the after party.
Entertainment for the evening will feature DJ Iamyounghitta and DJ AG The Therapist, with DJ Kid Capri and DJ Fah D at the after party.
Building on the success of his first inaugural gala in 2022, which raised more than $611,000 for youth-focused initiatives, Mayor Marty Small Sr. has set an ambitious goal of raising at least $750,000 this year to expand the event’s impact across the broader Atlantic City community. Proceeds will support a diverse group of local organizations serving youth, seniors, veterans, the arts, and multicultural communities, including the Atlantic City Police Athletic League, AC Elite Football, Atlantic City Senior Citizens, The Omega by the Sea Foundation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., The HOPE Foundation, Kenneth B. Hawkins American Legion Post 61, Saracini-O’Neill Foundation, Atlantic City’s Bangladesh Community, and Create 48.
“Four years ago, we set out to prove that an inaugural celebration could be more than a moment … it could be a movement for Atlantic City. Today, that commitment is even stronger,” said Marty Small. “This year’s gala builds on that foundation by expanding our reach to uplift every corner of our extraordinary community.”
Tickets for “The Future Is Ours” Inaugural Gala are $300 per person and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mayor-marty-small-sr-inaugural-gala-mmxxvi-the-future-is-ours-tickets-1988002896178 or by mailing a check to Atlantic City Police Athletic League at 250 N. New York Avenue Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sponsorships for the gala range from $600 (Bronze Sponsor) up to $100,000 (Presenting Sponsor). All sponsorship levels include a “VIP Sponsor Reception” at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. Sponsorship details can be found here.
Photo credit: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
