Registration Still Open for Night in Venice Weekend Events on July 19-20
Weeknight entertainment comes to the Boardwalk starting this week with Family Nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and Mummers Nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Family Nights on the Boardwalk will include free entertainment with stilt walkers, magicians, favorite characters and more set up at different spots between Eighth Street and 12th Street. On Wednesday nights, Santa will be available for photos at the 11th Street Pavilion. Mummers Night will feature string bands strutting the Boardwalk between Sixth Street and 14th Street. Family Nights and Mummers Nights will run through July and August.
Weekly entertainment along downtown Asbury Avenue also starts this week with Funtastic Tuesdays and Market Days on Thursdays bringing entertainment, face-painters, balloon-sculptors and more to Ocean City’s shopping and dining district from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Weekly events also include Wacky Wednesdays at the Ocean City Music Pier loggia every week at 10:30 a.m. This event invites families and individuals to compete in friendly and creative competitions. The fun started last week with an old-fashioned pie-eating contest, and this Wednesday (July 10) the contest will be in saltwater taffy sculpting. The event is free but limited to the first 200 participants.
Free beach exercise (yoga) classes are underway every Monday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the Sixth Street Beach volleyball courts. Free pilates classes take place every Wednesday at the same time and place. Friday classes are low-impact exercise. Bring a towel and a friend. For more information, call 609-398-6900.
Free guided Beach Walks will feature information on shells, birds, animals and the shore ecosystem at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Meet at the entrance to Corson’s Inlet State Park at 59th Street and Central Avenue.
NIGHT IN VENICE SET FOR JULY 20
Ocean City’s annual Night in Venice celebration will start at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20, and registration is still open to participate in the boat parade or house-decorating contest. Visit www.ocnj.us/niv or call 609-399-6111 for information and to sign up.
The themed boat parade and decorated bayfront home contest provide a chance to be part of the highlight of the summer season in Ocean City. Thousands of spectators line the bayfront, and thousands more attend private parties at homes along the route from the Ocean City-Longport Bridge to Tennessee Avenue. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m., and this year’s theme is “Summertime Vibes: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett.” ESPN reporter and host Marty Smith will be grand marshal, and Philadelphia Eagles veteran Brandon Graham will be a special guest. A fireworks display will light up the bay and cap off the festivities after the parade is complete.
Tickets for a July 19 concert featuring the Jimmy Buffett tribute band The Landsharks are on sale now. The show will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Ocean City Music Pier and will be a perfect warmup for Night in Venice. Tickets are available online at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, by calling 609-399-6111 or in-person at the Music Pier Box Office, City Hall, the Welcome Center on the Ninth Street causeway, and the 46th Street Information Center.
Registration for the second annual Night in Venice 5K Run and 1-Mile Walk is open now. The 5K will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 20, with the 1-mile walk beginning right after. Registration, packet pickup and the start of the race are behind the Ocean City Intermediate School at 19th Street and Haven Avenue. Online sign-ups and information are at www.runsignup.com/Race/NJ/OceanCity/NightinVenice5k.
Tickets for a special viewing area at the Bayside Center are sold out, but free shuttle transportation will be available and free grandstands will be set up at street ends along the route. Presenting sponsors for 2024 Night in Venice are ACME Markets and OCNJ Watersports.
ALSO COMING UP SOON
JULY 9 – Bicycle Auction: The City of Ocean City will hold its annual Bicycle Auction 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at the Shelter Road Recycling Center at 1 Shelter Road (off Tennessee Avenue, which intersects Bay Avenue near 23rd Street). The Ocean City Police Department lets anybody bid on used bicycles that have been deemed by police to be abandoned or unclaimed. For more information, visit ocnj.us/events/86366/.
JULY 9 – Charlotte’s Web (Musical): The Greater Ocean City Theatre Company’s children’s theater series continues with E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. The show begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available atoceancitytheatrecompany.com.
JULY 10 – Freckle Contest: Registration is free and begins at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Music Pier. Contest starts at 6 p.m.
JULY 10 – Ocean City Pops Presents Big Broadway Bash: Join Maestro Vince Lee and the Ocean City Pops in a celebration of one of America’s most enduring musical genres. Come see some of the best and brightest talent perform music ranging from Rodgers and Hammerstein classics, to sophisticated songs by Sondheim, and even upbeat tunes from modern Broadway. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.
JULY 11 – Sand Sculpting Contest: Open to kids, teens, adults and families! Registration is free and begins at 9:00 a.m. at the 6th St. Beach. Judging takes place by 11:00 a.m.
JULY 13 – Joe Conklin and the City Rhythm Orchestra: 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Philadelphia comedian Joe Conklin joins forces with the City Rhythm Orchestra for a night of comedy and music. Tickets available at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.
JULY 14 – Frankie Moreno Performing the Music of Elvis With the Ocean City Pops: The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available atoceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.
JULY 15 – The Moody Blues’ John Lodge Performs Days of Future Passed: The concerts begins at 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available at etix.com.
JULY 16 – Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – The Musical: The Greater Ocean City Theatre Company’s children’s theater series continues with a musical adaptation of the Caldecott award-winning picture books. The show begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets available at oceancitytheatrecompany.com.
