Ocean City is getting ready for its annual family-friendly New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations. All-inclusive admission buttons for First Night are on sale now, and registration for the First Day 5K on the Boardwalk is open.
The First Day 5K is a great way to start the New Year, and the race is set for 1 p.m. Jan. 1, 2026. The fast and flat, out-and-back, 3.1-mile course travels the Ocean City Boardwalk from the Music Pier to 23rd Street. All pre-registered runners are guaranteed an OCNJ First Day beach towel (celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026), and the entry fee is just $25 through Dec. 24. Race-day registration ($35) will open at 11 a.m. Jan. 1 at the Music Pier. For more information and to register, visit ocnj.us/race-events.
The 5K is followed by the annual “First Dip” in which hundreds of brave beachgoers take their first swim of the year in the icy Atlantic Ocean. The plunge starts at 2 p.m. on Jan. 1 on the beach adjacent to the Music Pier (on the Eighth Street side). Participants should register online (at ocnj.us/FirstDayPlunge) or inside the Music Pier before heading to the beach on Jan. 1. Registration is free, but all participants must sign a waiver. “First Day at the Beach” shirts will be on sale at the Music Pier.
Ocean City’s family-friendly First Night New Year’s Eve celebration is set for Dec. 31. All-inclusive admission buttons are on sale now. Don’t wait to purchase your buttons, because supplies are limited.
Tickets are available:
- Online: firstnightocnj.com
- By phone: 609-399-6111.
- At the City Hall Welcome Center at 861 Asbury Avenue (9th Street entrance): 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
- At the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (9th Street causeway): 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
- At the 46th Street Welcome Center (4500 block of West Avenue): 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday.
First Night offers more than 70 entertainment programs at 20 different venues throughout town. One $25 button is good for all programs.
Headline entertainment at the Ocean City Music Pier this year will include a tribute to the music of the Journey and also “Motor City: the Motown Revue.” The return of perennial favorites like outdoor ice-skating, a magic show, a mentalist, the Harlem Wizards and a variety of other shows also highlight the entertainment lineup. Ocean City will reunite Elton John and Billy Joel at the Ocean City High School auditorium with separate tributes.
A drone light show in the sky over Carey Stadium synced to music is scheduled. As always, the festivities will end with a fireworks display to ring in the new year at midnight.
First Night’s 2026 sponsors include the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Cape May County Division of Culture and Heritage, McMahon Insurance Agency, Ocean City Free Public Library, Pete Madden of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty, Uncle Bill’s Pancake House and Atlantic City Electric.
Complete information on First Night is available at firstnightocnj.com.
Holiday House Decorating Contest winners announced
The 2025 Holiday House Decorating Contest in Ocean City included 16 entries, and winners were announced on Monday, Dec 15.
The People’s Choice Award winner — the Torres home at 2 Waterway Road — received 367 likes on Facebook.
Winners and all entries are below and available here: ocnj.us/holidayhousedecorating.
The list gives everybody a chance to see all of this year’s colorfully decorated homes.
Also coming up in December
DEC. 20, 21 — Free Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides: Free rides available from noon to 3 p.m. with boarding at Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue.
DEC. 20, 21 — Santa Claus: St. Nick will visit with children and be available for photos on weekends. He will be downtown at Mark Soifer Park (Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., then outside the Music Pier from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
DEC. 14-22 — Lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah: At nightfall on each night of Hanukkah, a candle will be lit on the menorah displayed on the front lawn of City Hall (861 Asbury Avenue) to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
